Environmental Issues - Global Warming - Part One - Overview

by Darren

Today we’ll begin a series that looks at important environmental issues. First we’ll examine the rather complicated subject of global warming. This is one debate that is as volatile as politics and religion to many. And it’s not hard to understand why people get worked up about Global Warming. The concept of Global Warming is scary to anyone. The idea that man has become powerful enough to actually “screw up” nature is alarming. We’ll do our best to take a look at this sensitive issue and try to examine both sides of the argument.

Global warming effects us all, and is a legitimate subject for debate

The Global Warming debate has achieved critical mass in the last several years. Environmental experts have been doing their best to exert pressure on politicians to push legislation concerning climate change, and they appear to be having some affect.

1. The historical issue of Global Warming
2. Greenhouse Gases
3. Pollution
4. Fossil Fuels
5. What does the average person know about Climate Change?
6. Carbon Dioxide
7. Is human activity the cause of Global Warming?
8. Can renewable and sustainable energy prevent or diminish global warming?
9. Are storms and natural disasters getting worse as a result of Global Warming?
10. Is Global Warming mainly media hype?
11. A list of activities that cause Global Warming
12. The effect of cattle raising and Methane production on Climate Change
13. A look at Deforestation and the effect it has on Climate Change
14. Observable and verifiable evidence of Climate Change
15. Ozone depletion - separate but related threat

Overview of the Global Warming Issue

Global warming is thought to be a new phenomena, caused by the activities of man. In particular, our wanton use of fossil fuels is the main contributor to this dangerous phenomena.

“Scientists have concluded that human activities are contributing to global warming by adding large amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Our fossil fuel use is the main source of these gases. Every time we drive a car, use electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heat our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the air. The second most important source of greenhouse gases is deforestation, mainly in the tropics, and other land-use changes.”

In other words, just about everything we do in Western Democratic countries effects the climate. If the “Union of Concerned Scientists” is to be believed, our very lifestyle of long car commutes, unfettered air conditioning, and unmetered gadgeteering is causing what could be the direct downfall of our Planet.

The first problem we run into when looking at the Global Warming issue is that there’s no consensus that the problem even exists. Plenty of groups, dispute the whole concept and claim that Global Warming theories are merely the realm of “Junk Science.”

One thing is certain, people are more concerned than ever with environmental issues, especially as a series of seemingly inexplicably dire disasters have touched down worldwide. Anyone who’s every flown a commercial airplane into a city’s airport at night can see the incredible buzz of human activity. Our highways are crowded with pollution spewing cars. Our spray cans might be burning permanent holes in our ozone layer. All of these lingering doubts are causing every day people to wonder aloud if this world will really be around for their grandchildren. And science doesn’t seem to have all the answers.

Now, things seem to be getting worse. In November of 2007, the UN IPCC issued it’s most dire warning to date, indicating that the entire nature of Earth was in imminent danger of changing.

“According to the UN panel of scientists, whose latest report is a synthesis of three previous ones, enough of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide already has built up in Earth’s atmosphere that it imperils islands, coastlines, and a fifth to two-thirds of the world’s species.

As early as 2020, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages. Residents of Asia’s large cities will be at great risk of river and coastal flooding, according to the report. “

The report continued on in such Apocalyptic fashion, foretelling of doom that will hit humanity. Since 2020 is not that long from now, it sure would appear that Global Warming would be of even more interest to everyone out there, since the lives of millions of people depend on some sort of solution bailing them out.

We’ll take a look at the many sides of this issue in this series.