Global Warming

35 Critical Facts About . . . . Global Warming !!!

• The earth is a natural greenhouse and is kept warm by water vapors, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and other gases in the atmosphere, which absorb the sun’s energy and radiate it back toward the earth. This type of warming is called “natural greenhouse effect.” “Enhanced greenhouse effect,” on the other hand, causes global climate change due to excessive levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

• Without the atmosphere to create a greenhouse-type effect, the average temperature on Earth would be just 5° Fahrenheit (F).

• Natural levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere have varied throughout history between 180 and 300 parts per million (ppm). Today’s CO₂levels hover around 380 ppm, representing a 25% increase over the highest recorded natural levels.

• In the year 1997 alone, the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere increased by 2.87 ppm; this increase is more than any other year on record.

• The year 2005 was the warmest on record, and the years 1998 and 2007 are tied for the second warmest. The eight warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998.

• Scientists expect a 3.5° F increase in average global temperatures by the year 2100, resulting in the warmest temperatures in the past million years. During the Pliocene epoch 1.8 million years ago, when the earth’s temperatures were roughly equivalent to today, sea levels were 12-18 feet higher.

• Geologists believe sea levels could rise between seven and 23 inches by the end of the century if current warming trends continue.