- Jan 28, 2003
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It's hotter than blazes out there. Its drier than a sermon by a 3rd string pastor. And what about all those whacky storms? Scientists have long predicted that, if we keep on putting carbon dioxide in the air, these things will happen. A recent international report confirms this (Report: Global warming linked to deadly, costly weather disasters â USATODAY.com).
The case for global warming is overwhelming. We have long known that carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere causes a planet to warm. And we have been able to verify that CO2 has been increasing in the atmosphere as a direct result of burning fossil fuels. We have seen that global temperatures have increased as CO2 levels rose, just as predicted.
So what do we do? Should we limit our CO2 emissions to the current levels? That will help, but won't solve the problem. For it is not the rate of CO2 emissions that is the problem, but the total cumulative emissions. When CO2 is emitted in the air, part is absorbed in earth and water, and the rest remains in the air for centuries. So even if we cut global emissions in half, we would still be adding CO2 to the atmosphere, increasing the cumulative level, and hence adding to global warming. And most of the CO2 we have put into the air will remain there for the lives of our grandchildren, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren. They won't be driving with gasoline engines in their cars--petroleum supplies won't last very long at its current usage rate--but they will feel the brunt of the resulting heat their entire lives.
The consequences are severe. We will see more of the same trends in climate conditions. But it could be much worse. We don't have a good feel for when global warming might cause the ice layers on Greenland and Antarctica to disappear. But they are melting at alarming rates. If the runoff waters weaken the supporting structures of the ice caps, much of this ice could slide into the sea, raising ocean levels worldwide, and turning New York City first into Venice, then into Atlantis. The scuba diving industry might sell a lot of tours, but a lot of other people will be upset.
Worse, if global warming causes methane releases and other feedback mechanisms that amplify the affect, it could greatly increase the temperatures and greatly increase the amount of water vapor in the air. Since water vapor itself tends to increase global warming, that is a problem. There is a point where the heating caused by CO2, methane, and water vapor exceeds the cooling from the evaporating oceans. Evaporation would then proceed at runaway rates, and turn the earth into a giant pressure cooker. Don't laugh. That apparently happened on Venus. OK, the risk of this is far off, but can we ignore it?
So what do we do about global warming?
The case for global warming is overwhelming. We have long known that carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere causes a planet to warm. And we have been able to verify that CO2 has been increasing in the atmosphere as a direct result of burning fossil fuels. We have seen that global temperatures have increased as CO2 levels rose, just as predicted.
So what do we do? Should we limit our CO2 emissions to the current levels? That will help, but won't solve the problem. For it is not the rate of CO2 emissions that is the problem, but the total cumulative emissions. When CO2 is emitted in the air, part is absorbed in earth and water, and the rest remains in the air for centuries. So even if we cut global emissions in half, we would still be adding CO2 to the atmosphere, increasing the cumulative level, and hence adding to global warming. And most of the CO2 we have put into the air will remain there for the lives of our grandchildren, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren. They won't be driving with gasoline engines in their cars--petroleum supplies won't last very long at its current usage rate--but they will feel the brunt of the resulting heat their entire lives.
The consequences are severe. We will see more of the same trends in climate conditions. But it could be much worse. We don't have a good feel for when global warming might cause the ice layers on Greenland and Antarctica to disappear. But they are melting at alarming rates. If the runoff waters weaken the supporting structures of the ice caps, much of this ice could slide into the sea, raising ocean levels worldwide, and turning New York City first into Venice, then into Atlantis. The scuba diving industry might sell a lot of tours, but a lot of other people will be upset.
Worse, if global warming causes methane releases and other feedback mechanisms that amplify the affect, it could greatly increase the temperatures and greatly increase the amount of water vapor in the air. Since water vapor itself tends to increase global warming, that is a problem. There is a point where the heating caused by CO2, methane, and water vapor exceeds the cooling from the evaporating oceans. Evaporation would then proceed at runaway rates, and turn the earth into a giant pressure cooker. Don't laugh. That apparently happened on Venus. OK, the risk of this is far off, but can we ignore it?
So what do we do about global warming?