Global Warming
Rising Sea Levels
Throughout its long history, Earth has warmed and
cooled time and again. Climate has changed when the
planet received more or less sunlight due to subtle shifts
in its orbit, as the atmosphere or surface changed, or
when the Sun’s energy varied. But in the past century,
another force has started to influence Earth’s climate:
humanity.
What is Global Warming?
Global warming is the unusually rapid increase in
Earth’s average surface temperature over the past
century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released
by people burning fossil fuels.
How Does Today’s Warming Compare to Past
Climate Change?
Earth has experienced climate change in the past
without help from humanity. But the current climatic
warming is occurring much more rapidly than past
warming events.
Why Do Scientists Think Current Warming Isn’t
Natural?
In Earth’s history before the Industrial Revolution,
Earth’s climate changed due to natural causes unrelated
to human activity. These natural causes are still in play
today, but their influence is too small or they occur too
slowly to explain the rapid warming seen in recent
decades.
How Much More Will Earth Warm?
Models predict that as the world consumes ever more
fossil fuel, greenhouse gas concentrations will continue
to rise, and Earth’s average surface temperature will rise
with them. Based on plausible emission scenarios,
average surface temperatures could rise between 2°C
and 6°C by the end of the 21st century. Some of this
warming will occur even if future greenhouse gas
emissions are reduced, because the Earth system has
not yet fully adjusted to environmental changes we have
already made.
How Will Earth Respond to Warming
Temperatures?
The impact of global warming is far greater than just
increasing temperatures. Warming modifies rainfall
patterns, amplifies coastal erosion, lengthens the growing
season in some regions, melts ice caps and glaciers, and
alters the ranges of some infectious diseases. Some of
these changes are already occurring.
Causes and Effects
How Will Global Warming Change Earth?
The impact of increased surface temperatures is
significant in itself. But global warming will have
additional, far-reaching effects on the planet. Warming
modifies rainfall patterns, amplifies coastal erosion,
lengthens the growing season in some regions, melts ice
caps and glaciers, and alters the ranges of some
infectious diseases. Some of these changes are already
occurring.
1. Changing Weather
For most places, global warming will result in more
frequent hot days and fewer cool days, with the greatest
warming occurring over land. Longer, more intense heat
waves will become more common. Storms, floods, and
droughts will generally be more severe as precipitation
patterns change. Hurricanes may increase in intensity
due to warmer ocean surface temperatures.
2.
The weather isn’t the only thing global warming will
impact: rising sea levels will erode coasts and cause
more frequent coastal flooding. Some island nations will
disappear. The problem is serious because up to 10
percent of the world’s population lives in vulnerable areas
less than 10 meters (about 30 feet) above sea level.
3. Impacting Ecosystems
More importantly, perhaps, global warming is already
putting pressure on ecosystems, the plants and animals
that co-exist in a particular climate zone, both on land
and in the ocean. Warmer temperatures have already
shifted the growing season in many parts of the globe.
The growing season in parts of the Northern Hemisphere
became two weeks longer in the second half of the 20th
century. Spring is coming earlier in both hemispheres.
4. Impacting People
The changes to weather and ecosystems will also
affect people more directly. Hardest hit will be those living
in low-lying coastal areas, and residents of poorer
countries who do not have the resources to adapt to
changes in temperature extremes and water resources.
Hotter summers and more frequent fires will lead to
more cases of heat stroke and deaths, and to higher
levels of near-surface ozone and smoke, which would
cause more ‘code red’ air quality days. Intense droughts
can lead to an increase in malnutrition. On a longer time
scale, fresh water will become scarcer, especially during
the summer, as mountain glaciers disappear, particularly
in Asia and parts of North America.
 Ways to help.

GLOBAL WARMING
Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious
problem. We don’t need to wait for governments to find a
solution for this problem: each individual can bring an
important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle:
starting from little, everyday things. It’s the only
reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.

Here´s a list of things I will do to help reduce Global

Warming:

1. I will replace a regular incandescent light bulbs

with a compact fluorescent light bulbs (cfl). CFLs

use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalW
simple switch will save about 300 pounds of
arming/page1.php
carbon dioxide a year.

2. I’m going to choose energy efficient appliances

when making new purchases. I will look for the

Energy Star label on new appliances to choose

the most energy efficient products available.

3. I’m going to plant a tree. A single tree can absorb

one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

4. I’m going to have more walks while commuting to Causes, Effects and ways to
school instead of taking a bus whenever is help prevent it
possible.

5. I will tlk to relatives and friends about regular

maintenance of cars and vehicles. Regular

maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and

reduces emmisions.