questions about global warming?

Connie Dickirson: One answer for all of them: Imprison Al Gore.

Babette Deloe: Some gases ("greenhouse gases") let sunlight in, which warms the Earth, and then block that heat from leaving. That's the "greenhouse effect", and it's a natural thing, mostly caused by water vapor. It's like putting a blanket on the Earth.Man is making excessive amounts of greenhouse gases, mostly by burning fossil fuels. That causes the delicate natural balance to go out of whack and the Earth warms. That's global warming.It won't be a Hollywood movie style disaster. Gradually coastal areas will flood and agriculture will be damaged. But it will be very bad. Rich countries will cope, but it will take huge amounts of money. In poor countries many people will die of starvation, but not all of them.Most scientists say, in 20-50 years. But we need to start right now to fix it, fixing it will take even longer than that.Really good website for more information here:http://www.nrdc.org/global! Warming/f101.aspLots of numerical scientific data proving it real here:http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate...http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/a...Proof that most scientists think it's real and mostly caused by us here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on...http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/570......Show more

Foster Padgette: Yes, it exists. The big question seems to be whether or not human activity (specifically the production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide) is creating the problem, accelerating a natural cycle, or if the change in global climate is entirely natural. To me, this sounds like arguing about whether or not the fire in your house was deliberately set or an accident rather than actually dealing with the fire. Natural or man-made, we'll be just as dead. I'm thinking it's well past time we started actually making plans for what we're going to do when glaciers and ice caps melt, raising ocea! n levels and inundating the incredibly populous coastal cities! we've gone and built all over the map. We also might want to take a look at what effects it might have on crop production, fishery stocks and other climate dependent processes that we use to feed ourselves. What exactly do we do if droughts and warm weather cause global failures of rice and wheat crops three years in a row? Disease proliferation is another major concern. Malaria was once common all the way up the Ohio river valley and up into Canada. It won't take much to allow it to spread north again, just a two day extension of the development season that will allow the Plasmodium parasite to conquer North America again. Other diseases could also easily spread with warmer climates. Sure, it's a good idea to cut down on our greenhouse gas emissions. I don't think anyone rational can possibly argue that their actually doing anyone or anything any good. However, I think it's more important that we start planning on what we're gonna do if things really start to heat up....S! how more

Saran Stealy: CAUSESCarbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up EFFECTS an increase in global temperatures may in turn cause broader changes, including glacial retreat, Arctic shrinkage, and worldwide sea level rise. Changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation may result in flooding and drought. There may also be changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Other effects may include changes in agricultural yields, addition of new trade routes,[76] reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions, and increases in the range of disease vectors HOW TO PREVENT 1. Get acquainted with the Personal Five (P5).2. Conserve electricity.3. Reduce gas or petrol consumption.4. Grow plants.5. Get involved. WHAT IS BEING DONEGlobal warming is a very difficult ! problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing on what to do ab! out it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to do. But some people think that the federal government should make laws about it, while other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem....Show more

Ninfa Asby: What causes global warming? Many things cause global warming. One thing that causes global warming is electrical pollution. Electricity causes pollution in many ways, some worse than others. In most cases, fossil fuels are burned to create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants and animals. Some examples of fossil fuels are oil and petroleum. Many pollutants (chemicals that pollute the air, water, and land) are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.We use these so! urces of energy much more than the sources that give off less pollution. Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation, making electricity, and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives off a lot of pollution, it is used for 38% of the United States’ energy.Some other examples of using energy and polluting the air are: Turning on a light Watching T.V. Listening to a stereo Washing or drying clothes Using a hair dryer Riding in a car Heating a meal in the microwave Using an air conditioner Playing a video game Using a dish washerWhen you do these things, you are causing more greenhouse gasses to be sent into the air. Greenhouse gasses are sent into the air because creating the electricity you use to do these things causes pollution. If you think of how many times a day you do these things, it’s a lot. You even have to add in how many other people do these things! That turns out to be a lot of pollutants ! going into the air a day because of people like us using electricity. T! he least amount of electricity you use, the better.When we throw our garbage away, the garbage goes to landfills. Landfills are those big hills that you go by on an expressway that stink. They are full of garbage. The garbage is then sometimes burned. This sends an enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into the air and makes global warming worse.Another thing that makes global warming worse is when people cut down trees. Trees and other plants collect carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.Carbon dioxide is the air that our body lets out when we breathe. With fewer trees, it is harder for people to breathe because there is more CO2 in the air, and we don’t breathe CO2, we breathe oxygen. Plants collect the CO2 that we breathe out, and they give back oxygen that we breathe in. With less trees and other plants, such as algae, there is less air for us, and more greenhouse gases are sent into the air. This means that it is very important to protect our trees to! stop the greenhouse effect, and also so we can breathe and live. This gas, CO2, collects light and heat (radiant energy), produced by the sun, and this makes the earth warmer. The heat and light from the sun is produced in the center of the sun. (The sun has layers just like the earth.) This layer is called the core. Just like a core of an apple, it is in the middle. Here there is a very high temperature, about 27,000,000°F. This heat escapes out of this layer to the next layer, the radiative zone. This layer is cooler, about 4,500,000°F. Gradually, the heat and light will pass through the convection zone at a temperature of around 2,000,000°F. When it gets to the surface, the temperature is about 10,000°F. Finally, the heat and light is sent into space. This is called radiant energy (heat and light). The radiant energy reaches the earth’s atmosphere. As a result of this process we get light and heat. When you pollute, you send chemicals into the air th! at destroy our atmosphere, so more heat and light cannot escape from th! e earth’s atmosphere.What are people doing to stop global warming? People are doing many things to try to stop global warming. One thing people are doing is carpooling. Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television, computer, and the lights. A lot of people are taking time away from the television, and instead, they are spending more time outdoors. This helps our planet out a lot. Now, more people are even riding busses, walking to school, and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air. Planting trees and recycling also helps. If you recycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As a result, there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Watch what you buy. Many things, such as hairspray and deodorant, ! now are made to have less of an impact on the atmosphere. Less greenhouse gasses will rise into the air, and global warming will slow down.What is the government doing to stop global warming?The government is doing many things to help stop global warming. The government made a law called The Clean Air Act so there is less air pollution. Global warming is making people get very bad illnesses that could make them disabled, very sick, and sometimes even die. The Clean Air Act is making many companies change their products to decrease these problems. Part of the law says that you may not put a certain amount of pollutants in the air. Hairspray and some other products, like foam cups, had this problem. Making and using these products let out too much volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), ozone-destroying chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), and related chemicals (such as CO2) into the air. Now, almost all of these products have a label on them telling people what thi! s product can do to the environment and many people. By 2015 all produ! cts listed on the Clean Air Act will have this label on them:WARNING:contains or manufactured with (thechemical would go here. For examplechlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), a substance which harms public health and theenvironment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere. Almost all of the other chemicals that could be harmful will have this label on them hopefully by this time (2015) as well.The Clean Air Act has also made car companies change some of the things inside of the cars. Cars pollute a lot. While cars make more than half of the world’s smog (visible pollution in the air), many things that cars need to move and heat up make even more pollution. Some things that are inside of cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles, like gasoline, pollute the air when the fuel is burned. It comes out as a chemical and when mixed in the air, forms smog. Smog is a kind of pollution that you see in the form of a cloud. If you have ever been to California you can see a lot of smog ! in some places. Sometimes the smog gets so bad that you cannot see at all! Smog forms when car exhaust, pollution from homes, and pollution from factories mixes in the air and has a chemical reaction. The sun’s heat and light add to the reaction.Cars, buses, and trucks are also responsible for over 50% of dangerous chemicals let into the air. Some of these chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, trouble breathing, brain and nerve damage, lung injures, and burning eyes. Some of the pollutants are so harmful that they can even cause death.What are some of the other dangerous chemicals?Some other chemicals that cause air pollution and are bad for the environment and people are: Ozone- Ozone is produced when other pollution chemicals combine. It is the basic element of smog. It causes many different kinds of health issues dealing with the lungs. It can damage plants and limit sight. It can also cause a lot of property damage. VOC’s (volatile organic compounds, s! mog formers)- VOC’s are let into the air when fuel is burned. This ch! emical can cause cancer. It can also harm plants. NOx (nitrogen dioxide)- This chemical forms smog. It is also formed by burning sources of energy, like gas, coal, and oil, and by cars. This chemical causes problems in the respiratory system (including the lungs). It causes acid rain, and it can damage trees. This chemical can eat away buildings and statues. CO (carbon monoxide)- The source of this chemical is burning sources of energy. It causes blood vessel problems and respiratory failures. PM-10 (particulate matter)- The source of this chemical is plowing and burning down fields. It can cause death and lung damage. It can make it hard for people to breathe. The smoke, soot, ash, and dust formed by this chemical can make many cities dirty. Sulfur Dioxide- This chemical is produced by making paper and metals. This chemical can cause permanent lung damage. It can cause acid rain which kills trees and damages building and statues. Lead- This chemical is in paint,! leaded gasoline, smelters, and in lead storage batteries. It can cause many brain and nerve damages and digestive problems. Kid can help stop global warming, too!!Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids can do just as much. Kids can’t do hard things like making a law, but we can do easier things like not watching as much TV. You can listen to your parents when they say, turn off your lights or go play outside. Listening to them and actually trying to help can help you, your environment, and the world.Global Warming effectsGreen house gases stay can stay in the atmosphere for an amount of years ranging from decades to hundreds and thousands of years. No matter what we do, global warming is going to have some effect on Earth. Here are the 5 deadliest effects of global warming.1. Spread of diseaseAs northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north, bringing plague and disease with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in some ! countries thanks to global warming, malaria has not been fully eradicat! ed.4. Warmer waters and more hurricanesAs the temperature of oceans ris...Show more

Marti Declue: its here to stay! nothing we can do about it!