Climate changes are nothing new to this planet. Giant glaciers have covered much of North America and Europe during numerous ice ages. The entire world experienced an extreme global warming event, referred to as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, about 55 million years ago.What caused sea surface temperatures in the Arctic to reach 73 degrees during the Eocene is still debated by scientists. Some scientists point to increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere caused by numerous volcanic eruptions, and others claim temperatures increased because huge volumes of methane gas were released from beneath the earth’s crust.But the fossil record shows the Thermal Maximum event caused changes in ocean circulation patterns leading to the extinction of millions of marine organisms while also giving rise to new mammal species.For years, scientists and politicians have used the natural climatic changes as proof that human activity was not causing the warming taking place today.Richard Kerr reported in the Feb. 9 issue of Science Magazine that as recently as 2001 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated there was only a “likely chance” that human activity was the driving force behind global warming.The IPCC, formed in 1988 by the United Nations, is comprised of scientists from the World Meteorological Organization and the U.N. Environment Program. They evaluate the risk that human activity poses to climate change by reviewing scientific and technical literature published throughout the world.According to the Science Magazine article, ìPhotovotaics in focus,î by 2007 the IPCC assessment of human-induced global warming had dramatically changed. Climatic warming is “unequivocal,” not merely a cyclical event, and there is a 90 percent chance the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause for increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.Scientists always talk in terms of probabilities, said Dr. Curt Holder, geography and environmental studies professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. They never say anything is “100 percent certain,î he added. “Scientists always leave room for doubt.îHolder said it is significant that more than 2,000 scientists (from IPCC) strongly agreed that human activity is the cause of the current global warming episode. ìHumans need to become proactive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,î he said.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Association Web site, three elements contribute to the majority of global warming: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. In nature, spikes in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are directly linked to volcanic eruptions. Slash and burn agricultural methods were the first of human-related activities to increase carbon dioxide levels. The advent of the industrial revolution, starting in the 1800s, brought an increased reliance on fossil fuel, mainly petroleum products and coal.Technological inventions since then, including gas-powered automobiles and electricity generated by burning those same fossil fuels, have increased greenhouse gases.Holder said combining those activities with rapid deforestation practices helps to accelerate global warming. Forests, through the process of photosynthesis, regulate carbon, oxygen and precipitation in the atmosphere, but the advent of agriculture led to the clearing of millions of acres of land, which created a human-related impact on the natural atmospheric filtering device.Methane is produced from decaying organic matter. Humans have increased the amount of methane in the atmosphere by animal husbandry practices. According to a November 2006 U.N. report, there are more than 1.5 billion cattle on earth. Because of their size, they are responsible for increasing atmospheric methane levels more than any other animal.Nitrous oxide, the “laughing gas” used in the dentist’s office, becomes a powerful greenhouse gas when released into the atmosphere, according to the EPA Web site. It is also used in aerosol propellants, rocket engines, and high performance race cars.Kerr reported in the Science Magazine article that, although the IPCC studied climate models showing that increased volcanism and solar activity caused global warming in the past, the IPCC found that todayís global warming ìcanít be anything but mostly human-induced.îGlobal warming trends have led to warmer winters (with variables), increased ocean temperatures, shrinking mountain and polar glaciers, rising sea levels and changing precipitation patterns.Chips Barry, Denver water manager, was interviewed for a February PBS special covering the impact of global warming in Colorado. ìChanges in atmospheric and sea temperatures can bring about extended periods of drought or periods of flooding in Colorado,î Barry said. ìIncreased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere add an element of uncertainty for the water supply, especially in the Rocky Mountain Region.”ìI am not a doomsayer when it comes to global warming,î Holder said. ìI don’t think the world as we know it will end tomorrow. But from what I have been reading, the United States will need to reduce its greenhouse emission by 75 percent in order to stop global warming.”Scientific and technological solutionsGenerating energy through solar, wind, biofuels and fuel cells is necessary to reduce greenhouse emissions and to end humanity’s addiction to oil, according to the Science Magazine article. The technology needed for these sources of energy has not been cost-effective. However, that may be changing.It currently costs $4.50 for solar cells that produce one watt of energy from sunlight, according to a Feb. 9 article in Science Magazine, ìEureka Moment puts Sliced Solar Cells on Track.î But Australian researchers Andrew Blakers and Klaus Weber said in the article that they are working on a new way to produce solar panels, reducing that cost to $1 per watt. Their process captures both direct and reflected light. The photovoltaic panels are flexible so they can be rolled up, reducing shipping costs and making the panels more convenient to install. They expect their product to be on the market within two years.David Faiman, a physicist who directs Israel’s solar energy program, has also developed a new solar reflector, according to the article. The reflector looks like a huge upside-down umbrella made of mirrors. Instead of spreading solar panels across a broad area to capture sunlight, Faiman uses a reflector to concentrate the light by a factor of 1,000 on a small target. The process has reduced costs, creating a 1 gigawatt solar energy plant that will pay for itself in two decades.The article cited wind turbine farms, common throughout Europe. However, ìWhen the wind doesn’t blow, the current doesn’t flow.î An Irish wind-power company is trying to resolve that problem by developing a sub-sea power grid linking wind farms along the coasts of Western Europe.The experiment, dubbed the “10GW (gigawatt) Foundation Project,” will link over 2,000 turbines across 1,860 miles. When the linkage is completed, it will supply energy to more than 8 million homes, and the distances covered should ensure the wind will always be blowing somewhere along the grid.Many countries, including the United States, have initiated extensive research and development of biofuels. Corn and soybeans are the primary crops used in this country to create a substitute for gasoline. Flaxseed and rapeseed are being used in Europe, and both Brazil and Hawaii are converting sugar cane waste into biofuels.Ethanol produced from corn has been added to gasoline for many years, but converting crops into 100 percent biofuels is more difficult. Plant material, agricultural wastes, paper pulp, wood chips or any other material containing cellulose can be broken down chemically or biologically into components of sugar. The sugar is then fermented to produce biofuels.However, Gregory Stephanopulos reported in the article that obtaining sugar from biomass is often a costly and time-consuming process. New methods for speeding up the process are now being developed, but Stephanopulos writes it may be 10 to 15 years before the full potential of converting biomass into fuel is realized.According to Science.com, MITís Dr. Daniel Noceraís is currently working on the most futuristic energy source – the fuel cell. Hydrogen combined with oxygen in a fuel cell produces water and electricity. There is plenty of hydrogen available in the universe, ìbut itís bound with other atoms in complex molecules, and it takes large amounts of energy to strip it free,” Nocera said in an interview on Science.com.Currently, fuel cells use a platinum catalyst to strip away the hydrogen. The platinum sells for $1,200 an ounce, and the limited amount of platinum on earth could never create enough fuel cells to replace the combustion engine.Nocera said he is developing a fuel cell powered by sunlight that runs backwards, splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen. He said increased public funding is necessary for this and other non-polluting energy programs.And he noted that if the reverse fuel cells were available today it would take 20 years to develop the infrastructure to change the petroleum-based society into one that relies on hydrogen and oxygen.ìEverybody who is rational is now acknowledging that we are changing our environment,î Nocera said.What you can doTen things individuals can do to stop global warming: suggestions from the movie, ìAn Inconvenient Truth.îï Change a lightReplacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.ï Drive lessWalk, bike, carpool or take metro transit more often. You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive!ï Recycle moreYou can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.ï Check your tiresKeeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more that 3 percent. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!ï Use less hot waterIt takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low-flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pound saved per year).ï Avoid products with a lot of packagingYou can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10 percent.ï Adjust your thermostatMoving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.ï Plant a treeA single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.ï Turn off electronic devicesSimply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo and computer when you’re not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide per year.ï Be part of the solutionLearn more and get active at ClimateCrisis.net.
