Global Warming Facts
The consumption of fossil fuels in last few decades has contributed much to the degradation of our
environment. Global warming, climate change, extinction of wildlife species, depletion of ozone layer,
and increase in air pollution are few of the problems from which our environment is suffering.
It may be quite a task for anyone to find some solid global warming facts to alarm for some action. Here are plenty of them, right on your platter.
What is Global Warming?
Global warming is the increase of earth’s average surface temperature due to the effect of greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb heat that would otherwise escape from earth. Global warming has emerged has one of the most biggest environmental issue in the two decades.
According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, the earth’s temperature has increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius over the past century. More than half of this increase has happened in the last 25 years. It seems that the temperature is rising at a rate faster than ever before. Human activities like burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrialization and pollution are considered as few of the factors responsible for global warming.
Below are 35 facts on global warming
Fact 1: Global warming is the result of increase in the earth’s average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These gases are required for the presence of human life on earth. However, global warming is happening due to over-emittance of these gases.
Fact 2: Emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other greenhouses gases will remain in the atmosphere for many years making impossible to eliminate global warming for several decades.
Fact 3: According to IPCC 2007 report, sea levels will rise by 7-23 inches by the end of this century due to global warming.
Fact 4: Since 1880, the average temperature has risen by 1.4-Fahrenheit degrees.
Fact 5: The last two decades of the 20th century have been hottest in the last 400 years, according to climate studies.
Fact 6: The Arctic is one of the worst places to be effected by global warming.
Fact 7: According to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004, the average temperature in Alaska, Western Canada and Russia have risen at twice the global average.
Fact 8: The Arctic ice is melting rapidly. By 2040 the region is expected to have a completely ice free summer, or even earlier.
Fact 9: The Montana Glacier National Park has only 25 glaciers instead of 150 that were there in the year 1910.
Fact 10: Due to global warming and pollution, coral reefs are suffering the worst bleaching with the highest dying record since 1980.
Fact 11: Global warming that is causing extreme weather changes has shown it implications in the way of forest fires, heat waves and severe tropical storms throughout the world.
Fact 12: There has been a tremendous increase of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane nitrous oxide and especially greenhouse gases due to polluting substances emitted as a result of industrialization, pollution, deforestation.
Fact 13: Humans are emitting more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, faster than the absorbing rates of plants and the oceans.
Fact 14: Sea levels have risen about 7 inches in the in the last 100 years, which is more than the previous 2000 years combined. The rising sea levels due to global warming could threaten the lives of people living along the coastal areas.
Fact 15: Around 100 million people live with 3 feet of sea level and many cities of the world are located near such vulnerable coastal areas.
Fact 16: Melting of glaciers will cause sea levels to rise on one hand and water shortages in areas that depend on natural sources of water.
Fact 17: More than 1 million species have become extinct due to disappearing habitats, ecosystems acidic oceans all caused due to global warming.
Fact 18: The global warming will completely alter the ocean’s conveyer belt which will cause a mini ice age in the Europe.
Fact 19: Increasing temperatures will release more greenhouse gases, unlock methane, and cause more evaporation of water.
Fact 20: 200o-2009 has been the hottest decade periods of the earth.
Fact 21: The rate at which carbon dioxide is being dumped in to the environment is 1000 tons per second until the 2011 records.
Fact 22: The carbon dioxide levels in the 20th century have been highest in 650,000 years. Till 1950, the levels rose by 11% and recently the levels have risen by 40%.
Fact 23: Due to industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas started on a massive scale. This not only increased greenhouse gases but was also responsible for large scale deaths due to asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Fact 24: Human activities release around 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Fact 25: Since the industrial revolution in 1700, the level of carbon dioxide on earth has increased by 34%.
Fact 26: By year 2100, the average temperature will rise by 5.8 degrees as a result of global warming.
Fact 27: Each year of the 21st century ranks amongst 14 hottest years since 1880.
Fact 28: In the last 30 years, the average consumption of fossil fuel by United States has been 80%. Fossil fuels are the most dangerous contributors to global warming.
Fact 29: Between 2000-2100, the heat related deaths will rise by 150,000.
Fact 30: Global warming is causing the colder areas of the world to become more hot, thereby becoming more vulnerable to diseases.
Fact 31: A failure in preventing global warming can cause a major economic collapse causing 20% of global domestic output to fix.
Fact 32: Droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, extinction on endangered species, melting of polar ice caps, storms are few of the effects of global warming.
Fact 33: The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) proposed the Clean Air Act to cut power plant emissions by 26 percent in the next 7 years.
Fact 34: The heat trapping gases have been increasing in the atmosphere at an alarming rate. The presence of large number of these gases has resulted in enhanced greenhouse effect. Heat waves caused by global warming is responsible for many heat related illness and deaths.
Fact 35: Global warming can lead to massive food and water shortages and has a life threatening impact on the wildlife.
If these figures do not startle, then it will be extremely difficult to prevent the world from collapsing from global warming. Many schools, organizations, government bodies etc are making efforts to encourage people to take steps that would prevent them from taking any action that would lead to global warming. The most important consideration however is to feel for the problem and to be fully awakened to the situation.
Unless the critical issue of global warming does not hit every person on earth, it will be very difficult to prevent the world from burning due to global warming in the near future.
References:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html
http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-global-warming
Image credit: ashleyhexum66
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