Global Warming 101

Just as the name implies, the Earth is getting hotter. As part of nature's grand design, the sun's rays hit the earth, bounce off, leave the atmosphere and return to space. Nowadays, gas emissions (mainly carbon dioxide from power plants and vehicles) are making the atmosphere thicker, causing solar heat to be trapped in the atmosphere. The result of this is that the Earth's temperature is rising at a staggering rate. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased sharply since 1970, and the Earth's temperature is higher now than it has been at least for the past 650,000 years, which is as long as scientists are able to track it.

What are the Consequences?

They are many, they are catastrophic, and they are in imminent- as in within the next fifty years. In a lot of cases, we are witnessing the consequences already.

The polar ice caps are melting. In Antarctica, a 700-foot thick ice shelf the size of Rhode Island, which has been around for thousands of years, fell into the ocean five years ago. Arctic glaciers are melting, and ice flow from glaciers has doubled in the past ten years. Fifty years from now there will be no ice in the arctic during the summer. This is significant because ice acts as a mirror, helping to reflect sunrays back into space. Without the ice, the heat will be trapped at an even faster rate. Because liquid water absorbs heat, the temperature of the ocean is rising, melting the ice even faster and speeding up the entire process of global warming.

Warmer water temperatures is causing more frequent and more devastating weather conditions such as hurricanes, tsunamis and tornadoes.

The sea levels are increasing, and could rise as much as 20 feet, threatening flooding of coastal areas all over the world. If this happens, then Downtown Manhattan (including Wall Street and the site of the World Trade Center memorial) would be underwater.

Not only are the higher temperatures causing ice to melt, but they are sucking the moisture out of arid regions like the Sahara Desert and the American west, causing an increase in droughts and wildfires.

Three of the five years on record have occurred in since 2002, with 2005 being the hottest ever. In the future there will be more heat waves and extreme hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 120 degrees.

Entire ecosystems are being disrupted, which will lead to the extinction of countless animal species that are unable to adapt.

Diseases like Malaria, West Nile Virus and many others are re-emerging and spreading more rapidly because climate shifts are enabling mosquitoes are increasingly able to flourish in areas where they once were unable to survive.

What Can Be Done?

Limit energy use. Don't leave appliances powered on if you're not using them. This includes computers, cable TV boxes and cellphone/PDA chargers. Use a fan instead of the air conditioner. Put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. Take shorter showers (water heating for showers and baths accounts for most of water-heating usage.

Drive less. And when you do drive, try your best NOT to idle your car. Turn off the ignition before you run into the store to buy the newspaper. Make sure your tires are full and your change your air filter monthly, which will improve fuel efficiency.

Consider buying a more fuel efficient car or even a hybrid. In addition to being poorly made, American-made cars are the absolute worst in terms of fuel efficiency

Weatherize your home, insulate your water heater, replace your AC filter, replace old appliances, use a push mower instead of a lawnmower, hand dry your clothes, fill the dishwasher, throw away the electric can opener and any other impractical gadgets that use electricity.

Buy locally grown and organic foods.

Use recycled paper. And stop wasting so much paper! Keep electronic files instead of paper files. Stop printing out drafts that you can read on your computer monitor.

Think It's Not Possible?

If you think these measures are too costly or impractical, consider the cost of a flood, hurricane, heat exhaustion, or contracting a deadly disease.