How is global warming really affecting our world?

Question

I am scarred about the future first and foremost because of Global Warming. I do my part and recycle and dont pollute but I want to know how is it really affecting us and why?

Answer 1

First off, I am a scientist and specifically a meteorologist majoring in atmospheric science. I get the global warming question often.

The easiest way to explain global warming for me is to think of all the variables in a bell curve format. Highs and lows of all the extremes. For example, if you drew a line from the lowest surface temperatures to the highest surface temperatures and included all the temperatures in between, you would end up with a curved line going up and then again coming back down (much like the high and low temperatures within one day). The same would be true for pressure variables, wind variables, humidity...etc.

When all these curves meet at the highest points, you witness an extreme in warming. And, the same can be said when they meet at the lowest points for cooling. The Earth is constantly moving towards one of these two extremes.

Global warming would be better defined as Global fluctuation, or Global changing. The Earth is a living breathing organism, like humans...and is sustained within a constant changing environment with It's outside influences, or Universe. It adapts, it improvises and it will overcome.

Unfortunately, global warming data can only use the most recent of documented information to form its conclusions. The rest is a scientific guess...which until just over 400 years ago, also concluded that the world was flat.

So, use your common sense about making the world a better place with your contributions. Take a moment to separate recyclable trash...limit your exposure to the Sun...try to minimize harmful things to the Earth (i.e. - trash or toxic wastes). But, most importantly, enjoy the beautiful things the Earth gives you....rather than worry about all the propaganda that is put out there by uninformed money makers. And, definitely don't BUY into the crap.

Peace and enjoy!

Answer 2

The only thing to fear is fear itself. Don't be afraid, when I was very young I used to fear being blown up by an atomic bomb. It didn't happen, (I'm not sure it was by luck, divine intervention or human good sense, and I guess we could still be blown up by a nuclear bomb), but the fear was useless. If global warming is going to affect this planet adversely, or make us uncomfortable, or cause famines, then we should be looking for ways to deal with more heat than that we are accustomed. I personnally am not sure we can change it, stop it or anything, I think the sun is causing the earth to warm a little. I think it will sometime, cool, again....I would truely love to be able to grow a fuschia in my back yard, or a camilia, so for me, a little more heat is OK, but its probably not going to get high enough long enough for me to change my gardening habits. Think about the amount of change that is actually occurring, some glaciers are melting, and some icecaps are growing. Some areas seem to be warmer, some seem to be colder. Hmmm...Humans just by eating and drinking end up polluting. But those pollutants get broken down, worms and nematodes have a purpose. (Dung beetles too) Although its too cold for dung beetles where I live. Some people think that Ozone is good for individual's health, others think its a severely damaging polutant, yet we need a layer of it in the atmosphere. So relax, don't fear, enjoy!!

Answer 3

Global warming is real, it is a normal event that has occurred thousands of times in our past. The "FEAR" of global warming is what is new! Fear sells the news, with the break up of the Soviet Union and China now making themselves capitalists the press had to invent another bogyman to replace those Cold War fears! The threat that the world would be destroyed by global warming (climate change) is the new fear! Forget that our Earth has been even warmer in our past and we have survived as a race! Forget that Antarctica has been having bits and chunks fall off for 10,000 years - a normal annual event, not to mention that the center ice mass has increased - NOT decreased! Forget that we now have more trees in America than 1000 years ago (humans put out forest fires and re-plant trees - something that animals don't do!) Forget that there are MORE polar bears now than 40 years ago, they adapt by the way, when it gets warmer they adapt. The fear of global warming is also big business! Inventing cures for non-existing problems is a big money maker! General Electric is poised to make billions of dollars off of global warming cures! The FEAR of global warming has replaced the fear of being killed in a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union which brought about the Military Industrial Complex and made billionaires of so many people. Global warming will make billionaires of those select people who can make cures for imaginary GW dangers! There is nothing we can do about global warming, it will occur with or without any human beings being on Earth, GW is going on on Mars right now even! This particular global warming is just one more of thousands which have occurred in our past - we will survive!

Answer 4

Good question. I'll not bother to write some long essays to about global warming.. However, I will ask you some question so you can think more about what you are asking..

What is global warming? Is global warming really happening? If global warming is really happening, What can you do about it?

Btw, just by living.. you are consuming resources and polluting. Also, I would suggest you to read more about this subject.. there are many questions still unanswer..

Answer 5

well the eath will continue heating up and then it will cool down and go back into an ice age but global warming is making the earth heat up faster so it will be hotter longer and it will take the earth a longer time to cool down and go into an ice age. Also because of global warming climate changes are happening that are ruining the environment, ex. I live in philadelphia, pa and it snowed less here than it did in arizona

Answer 6

Global warming is changing the weather. It is making the storms bigger and more frequent. It's melting the icecaps at the poles. It's not clear what is the cause, man or natural effect. What ever the cause don't let it scare you, there are lots of very smart people working on away to stop it.

Answer 7

Basically if the big industrial countries don't get on board with this issue and do something to clean up their acts then the rest of us are wasting our time. (it may make us feel better by being greener but is not having any affect on global warming).
Sad but true.

Answer 8

Climate change is not a problem in isolation ,What people do is mixed up with it ,such as desertification because of overgrazing and intense and irresponsible farming ,using fertilizers and herbicides and pesticides,
As well as the overpumping of surface and carbon Aquifers,

Deforestation resulting in wind and water erosion or landslides.
And the forrest fires that are caused by slash and burn methods gone out of control
this also affecting wildlife because of loss of habitat

on top of all this is Soil.Water and Air polution caused by Humanity

PEOPLE

in North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss and desertification and some have died as a result,

And there have been heat waves or cold spells and floods that have killed people in France,Mexico,Africa,India,

ANIMALS &PLANTS

And now many animals are becoming sick because of changes in temperature ,
vital links in the food chains are disapearing affecting other species further along in the chain

90% of the feral (wild) bee population in the United States has died out.but this is mostly because of a parasite whether or not the increase of this mite is related to clomate change i dont know

In the Netherlands bee diversity is down 80 percent in the sites researched, and "bee species are declining or have become extinct in Britain."

wildflowers that depend on pollination have dropped by 70 percent

we are witness to a mass exstinction ,for the first time since the dinosaurs, of the earth's estimated 10 million species, 300,000 have vanished in the past 50 years. each years, 3,000 to 30,000 species become extinct.

everything is happening so fast it is not possible to monitor things any more.

FARMING,& DESERTIFICATION

,the Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year
and most of the desserts we know are a results of mans actions ,and they are increasing ,not getting less ,in the dinosaurs days ,there were few desserts.

collectively this planet is drying up ,

each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

and there is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate this production ,
and there are less and less farmers to do it..
Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.

Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people, are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.
This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.

WATER

25% of the planets surface is land
75%of the surface is water and it is rising

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97%of the Earths water is salt

fresh water is only 3% of all the Earths water
most of it is beyond out reach

STORAGE or Location of % of the fresh water

ice and glaziers 74%
groundwater 800 meters + 13.5 %
groundwater less than 800meters 11.o%
Lakes 0.3%
soils 0.006%
Atmospheric in circulation 0.0035%
rivers 0.03%
frozen land or permafrost is not included and represent an unavailable storage of 40%

now much ice is melting and running into the seas fresh water lost for ever.

the ice of the North pole is already in the water and it wont make a difference to sea levels ,but the ice of the Glaziers .mountain snow,Antarctica and Greenland is on the land and this WILL affect sea levels ,the lost of fresh water is the worst part of this ,and right now there is a rush to the ice bergs to save some of it to put in bottles.

so of the 3% about 11.6 ,is easily available to us ,in rivers, lakes and ground water surface aquifers,more and more of this is becoming contaminated

FOOTNOTE
Each year farmers have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil.

Over the last half century,
Population growth & rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million

In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise. .

potable water is getting at critical levels and people are already fighting over water this will only get worse Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has
come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,
his little book--a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into many languages and won the best book award in 2003

Answer 9

I think that global warming is affecting our earth because it is melting the glaciers.

Answer 10

warmer temperatures in the future, ice melting in arctictia and more dangeous things like tsumai, hurricanes. so plant a tree and help and dont use the cheap light bulbs cause they waste electricity!!!!