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What is Global Warming?


Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.1 The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.....
Check out the rest of the article here.

3nodding whee

I'll take a horse.
blaugh

I think it's a much more serious issue, there is evidence to support that at this current rate our ice caps can dissappear over the summers in as little as 34 years.
I don't know about you but I'm freaked.

Polar Bears are dying by some outragous number because they are drowing in the proceess of swimming longer distances to get to land.

Polar Bears are looking to go extinct in the next 10years.
You'll be lucky if you get to see one in a zoo then.

crying

True we all need to do our part, dont' go through the dirve though's get off and order food inside, walk when you can use public transportation, recycle as much as possible.
I'm trying to get into the habbit of recyling because that's like the easyiest thing one can do.
It's not always convinient to walk or to take a buss, but there should be no excuse for recycling.
Since I moved out I hand't been recycling, but now I've started again.
It's a little more inconvinient because I live in an appartment and I don't get a recyling service, but I still do it. I take my recycables to school or to my parents.

Another simple thing to do is be more energy efficient. Turn the lights off if your not using them, turn off electronic devices, use enegry efficient bulbs, they may cost a little more but they also last alot longer.
There are so many things one can do. It may not seem like alot but if everyone was doing this, it would make a huge impact.

I kinda made a refrnce to the movie didn't I?
And well, yeah, you two are prolly right, and really I should be more like, freaked cause I'm young, 13 actually, and like, have my life to go through and stuff, but I still don't see a huge issue.....okay yeah I do, but I dont see it as occuring like THAT quick. I mean, I do see it happening before the next century turn, but eather way, theres NO way to convence SO many people to do everything needed. I'm sorry but if what you all say is true about the window of fixing this is closing in the next 20-45 years, We're screwed.
I don't wanna Get into a HUGE arguement, cause I luff you guys, but
I'm gonna start living my life to the fullest, but its not like I wasent already....eh I lost the point of where I was going, think it was up a fue lines....idk.
All I know is I'm here to enjoy being around you guyses and guess now, life is too short....well at least my innocentce and childhood is, and I can't go off worring left and right about this, I know "Now" is the best time, but I have too much....to care for outside of 'future generations' so yeah, I'm out. It was fun typing so much though!
whee

eh true, but Im weary of any "open disscussion."
w/e as long as theres no tention, the world could end the day after tommarrow, and as long as Its not tommarrow, I'd be fine. rolleyes

OK I'm NOT saying global warming is a not-bad thing. And I'm NOT saying it doesn't exsist. But here are two of the main reasons no one is doing anything.

1) The ENTIRE world is run on oil. There are hundereds of small third world countries that there ONLY viable export is oil, and many more where the main one is oil. Also many important treaties and political moves are made with oil. For example, China recently went to the Sudan and bought up as many oil reserves and the built refiniries. This provided a) jobs and b) a alliance (however unstable) to both countries. Another example comes from recent Nuclear worries about North Korea, Which only stopped after the US promised to give Oil and aid to the small country. So from these two examples (and a million others) we can see how oil is a VERY politically important tool, which cannot be easily discarded by the larger powers of the world.

2) ALTERNITIVE ENERGY IS NOT EFFICIENT YET. Although major break throughs are happening, alternative energy is just not working on the large scale. several examples are:

a) Dams and water generators- Cause debris back-up and cause animal rights activists to get all up in arms about harming the fish.

b) WInd generators- NOT CONSTANT wind can either swell or stop all together. So, its just not practicale to run solely on wind power.

c) Fuel Cells- They're just giant batteries, and they just don't give enough power for construction or trucks. But for small cars this is Ideal (The exhast is pure water vapor!) but the big truck ford men would rather die than give up their four wheel drive.

There are are many other ideas why oil just won't Go away, and why we must be slowly removed from it. Unless we do something quick WE WILL BE SCREWED! (Did I mention how scientists estimate we have on the planet 25 years left worth of oil? After that...Alll gone ^^)




PS- I wrote this at night, for give the grammar please.

The worst thing about this Global warming issue is that we will not have to deal with the serious problems that are going to occur later. We're probably only going to see the beginning effects of Global warming, our children will suffer.

Even countries that are reliant on oil should know by now that it's going to run out. Which means that they should be discovering more ways to improve the economy, and anyway it's irresposible of a goverment to allow themselves to be so reliant on a limited resource.

Another thing to remember about countries that are dependant on one form of income in the economy, is that they are not always that poor. It's just that the government does not care about the people and spends the money on stupid things. eg. North korea and the nuclear experiment. You need money to do that. North Korea cannot support it's population, they are reliant on supply packs from other countries.

You forgot to mention tide energy. You can research that yourself. *can't be bothered explaining* It's a form of renewable energy that can provide enough energy for itself and a town. (It's being used in like switzerland, I think) The only bad point is that only counties that have seas around them would be able to use this form of renewable energy.

And Solar energy, many countries can use this and another form of renewable energy to almost get rid of limited resouces. I know that solar panels only work for say 20 years or so, but scientist may be able to find a way to make them last longer.

Australia has lots of SUN, Australia is SURROUNDED by SEA... And yet, we do not use any of these forms of renewable energy. Apparently it costs too much. D: I can understand that but why can't we just stop making weapons, i'm sure that'll allow us to have enough money to supply houses with solar panels.

I don't think people realise something thats very imporant. To the world humans are a VIRUS. We do not live in harmony like other animals. When we fill up an area and use up the resouces, we move outwards. We spread. All the problems that are occuring are our fault and we should try to do as much as we can to fix or repair it.

Many scientist say that whether there is global warming or not is irrelavant. The imporant thing is that we are damaging the planet and we need to figure out a way to stop damaging it and/or repair it.

Wow, that post was a little long. >_>