Global Warming — Fact or Myth?

Global Warming — Fact or Myth?
6 common misunderstandings about global warming. Or is that climate change?

Myth or fact? There are a lot of misconceptions about global warming that have cropped up in recent months. Here's a look at some of them:

Fact or Myth? "Snowmageddon" and all those other weird U.S. snowstorms this winter prove that global warming isn't real.

Myth
The reaction to "Snowmageddon" is an example of a common misunderstanding about climate change. Weather events are not climate; climate is the accumulation of weather events over an extended period of time. So a cold summer day doesn't prove global warming is false any more than a heat wave in winter proves it's true. That said, the effects scientists predict from global warming are sometimes counterintuitive. While snow is associated with winter, warmer winter temperatures can result in more snow, since warmer air can hold more moisture. One of the most well-documented predictions about global warming is that it will result in more intense storms, in any season, but may leave longer droughts between those storms.

Fact or Myth? The U.N. scientific report on global warming was full of errors and should not be trusted.

Myth
There have been errors discovered in the U.N.'s landmark report on climate science. The errors concern facets of climate change, like how fast Himalayan glaciers have melted, or how fast sea levels will rise in the Netherlands. The errors are a black eye for an organization that won a Nobel Peace Prize for the authoritative work it has done on the subject. However, these errors amount to t's left uncrossed and i's left undotted. The sentences still read loud and clear about the overall consensus about fundamental issues: That the Earth is warming, that our pollution is a primary cause, and that continued warming would have consequences worldwide, many of them costly to human life and property, and to wildlife.

Fact or Myth? There has been no global warming in the past 10 or 15 years.

Myth
The hottest year ever recorded was in 1998, according to measurements by the British University of East Anglia, or 2005 (with 1998 ranking very close) according to measurements by NASA. Both agree that the first decade of the 21st century was the hottest ever recorded, which means the hottest since the 1880s. Comparing the temperature to other data hidden in the natural world, like tree rings or layers of Arctic ice, scientists can determine that we're likely experiencing temperatures higher than any time in thousands of years.

"Climate change" is a more accurate description for what's happening than "global warming."

Fact
While it is true that the world as a whole is warming, "climate change" is more accurate, particularly when it comes to how individuals in different regions will experience these changes. Global warming is the driving force, but climate change is what we will experience. What will climate change look like? It could mean more intense storms or more prolonged droughts. It could mean more risk of wildfires in one area, and more flooded basements in another. It could make one farmer's field more productive, while killing that of another. Some even have called the effects of climate change "global weirding." In general, scientists expect climate change will affect different regions very differently.

Fact or Myth? Carbon dioxide is natural. Breathing is not pollution.

Myth
There's nothing wrong with breathing, of course, and nothing unnatural about carbon dioxide. Breathing is not causing the world any harm. So if carbon dioxide exhaled in our breath is harmless, how can carbon dioxide "exhaled" by power plants, tailpipes and factories be a problem? A clue lies in the name we have for what we burn: fossil fuels. By burning coal, oil and gas, we take carbon that had been buried deep underground for millions of years, and we transfer it to the atmosphere. There, it acts as a chemical greenhouse, trapping more of the sun's heat close to the Earth's surface. There's about 40% more carbon in the atmosphere today than there was in pre-industrial times. In fact, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher today than at any point in the last 650,000 years, before humans walked the Earth -- before even Neanderthals walked the Earth. Natural processes also have an effect on the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (those early human-like species weren't driving SUVs), and other factors affect the climate beyond the makeup of chemicals in the atmosphere, but scientists studying the causes of global warming agree that human pollution is a driving force for the climate change we've documented in recent decades.

Fact or Myth? Even if we stopped driving cars completely today, the climate would not be affected.

Fact
Carbon dioxide, which is released from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, survives for years or decades. When you hear news reports stating that other gasses are "more potent" than carbon dioxide, it's often because they last even longer in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, trapping heat all the while. The fact is, the pollution we've emitted in the past will stay with us for some time. So why act now? We understand today that future generations will have to deal with planetary changes we're setting in motion. Past generations didn't have the knowledge we do.

Source: The Daily Green

OMG Facts about Algae & The Oxygen

Phytoplankton is tiny microscopic plants - algae - that form the base of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton is most abundant in colder waters where there is an abundance of nutrients.

It is estimated that between 70% and 80% of the oxygen in the atmosphere is produced by marine plants. Nearly all marine plants are single celled, photosynthetic algae.

Yup, that's right, good ol' scum on the pond…green gak…..slip slimein' away. Even marine seaweed is many times colonial algae. They are a bunch of single cells trying to look like a big plant (see seaweed photo), but they are really individuals.

We need marine algae a whole lot more than they need us. Think about it….70% to 80% of all the oxygen we breathe comes from algae! Without them we would really be sucking wind, but not for long! At this point you may be saying, "Yo! What about the trees and other land plants?" Well, trees and other land plants are very important, no doubt about it. But for pure survival, we couldn't make it without algae.

Why does so much of our oxygen come from algae? Well, first of all, remember that the oceans cover about 71% of this planet and land is only about 29%. If we assume that every square mile of the ocean produces as much oxygen as every square mile of land, then this makes sense. The oceans would produce about 71% and the land 29% of the oxygen we breathe. Looks like we are in the ballpark don't you think?

Seaweed is not plants, but are algae. Not only do algae provide much of the Earth's oxygen, they also are the base for almost all marine life. Green algae (pictured) get its color from chlorophyll and exist on or near the surface where there is plenty of sunlight. Green algae are not as common in the ocean as brown and red seaweed. It is also more closely related to land plants than any other type of algae.

Now the question is, "Are the oceans, indeed, as productive as the land?" At first you might not think so, after all when you look at the land there are trees and bushes and grass and all kinds of plants growing. They must crank out oxygen to beat the band! They do, but also remember that there are many places on land that don't have much in the way of plants. How about Antarctica or the Sahara Desert along with many others? These are pretty good sized chunks of real estate where plants are few and far between. How much oxygen is being pumped out in these areas?

I would venture to say there's not enough to keep a pack of wild hamsters (ever seen wild hamsters?) going for very long. So, some areas on land have an abundance of plants and produce a large quantity of oxygen while others have very few plants and produce very little.

Marine algae exist in different concentrations throughout the world's oceans, depending on the amount of nutrients that are available. The colder the surface waters, the more these essential nutrients -- like iron -- can flourish and support phytoplankton, which are microscopic algae. The above image indicates relative concentrations of marine algae throughout the world's oceans, with the highest concentrations in red and orange, and the smallest concentrations in dark blue and purple. (Image: NASA - SeaWiFS)

Now the question is, "Are the oceans, indeed, as productive as the land?" At first you might not think so, after all when you look at the land there are trees and bushes and grass and all kinds of plants growing. They must crank out oxygen to beat the band! They do, but also remember that there are many places on land that don't have much in the way of plants. How about Antarctica or the Sahara Desert along with many others? These are pretty good sized chunks of real estate where plants are few and far between. How much oxygen is being pumped out in these areas?

Rainforest's are the oldest living ecosystems on the planet. They cover 2% of the Earth's surface or 6% of land, and are an important source of oxygen. They also are home to many of the Earth's plant and animal species, but they also play a vital role in sustaining life beyond their ecosystems as they help regulate global climate and water cycle. Pictured above is a small section of the Brazilian rainforest, the Earth's largest. (Photo: University of Texas)

I would venture to say there's not enough to keep a pack of wild hamsters (ever seen wild hamsters?) going for very long. So, some areas on land have an abundance of plants and produce a large quantity of oxygen while others have very few plants and produce very little.

The same can be said for the oceans. There are some areas that have an abundance of algae living in the waters and other areas that don't. In the ocean there are areas of upwelling where cold, nutrient rich bottom water moves toward the surface. These upwelling waters mix with the surface water and produce an area that is like liquid fertilizer for plants. They go ballistic and there are billions of the little critters in the water just pumping out oxygen left and right. Other areas of the oceans don't have much in the way of nutrients in the water and they are like the deserts on land with very few plants.

Not All Are Green: Count Your Algae!

There are three types of algae: red, green and brown. Some algae in the ocean are very small and drift in the ocean water. Those algae are phytoplankton. The most abundant type of algae is brown algae, with over 5,000 species (not all are totally brown). Red algae has over 2,000 species, and lives where light is dim, in deeper waters, mostly in temperate and tropical waters. Green algae is more common on land and in fresh water systems, but is the least common in the ocean where about 800 are known to exist.

Overall, the production of oxygen in the oceans is at least equal to the production on land if not a bit more. Plants on land are easy to spot. Plants in the ocean are a bit more difficult to see since they are single cells floating in the water. Even though you may not see them, they are there. Remember, these little cells go down to over 300 feet below the surface so they have lots of room to spread out.

Plants on land and in the ocean are extremely important to us and we wouldn't be here without them. Land plants provide us (and other critters) with food, raw materials like wood, and fiber to make cloth and paper. They protect the land from erosion with their roots, provide beauty and shade on a hot day, and produce oxygen as an extra added bonus although we could probably survive with the oxygen.

Marine plants are also used as food, but we tend to forget about them because they are so small and difficult to see. But remember, the next time you wake up in the morning, stretch and open wide with that big morning yawn, that breath of fresh air you are getting is due for the most part to our friend, the algae. If we kill them by polluting the oceans, we are also killing our vital lifeline.

Source:Ecology Global Network

World's first zero-carbon city - Masdar City

1.       A masterplan of Masdar City. It is being built by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy company, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development, with the majority of seed capital provided by the government of Abu Dhabi.

World's first zero-carbon city - Masdar City, near Abu Dhabi

Masdar City, which is being constructed near Abu Dhabi, will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources, and hopes to become the first zero-carbon, zero-waste city

One of the most sustainable communities on the planet, Masdar City is an emerging cleantech cluster that offers a creative and entrepreneurial atmosphere where businesses can thrive and innovation can flourish, in part because the city itself serves as a model of what green urban development can be. This is especially the case because Masdar City is being designed and operated to provide the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint - all in manner that is commercially viable.

The Teflon-coated wind tower in Masdar City, which shows citizens how much energy the community is consuming

A model of an upcoming project at Masdar shows a conference centre suspended from the ceiling

The headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), to be located in Masdar City. It will be the first building in history to produce more energy than it consumes

A few hundred people will be guinea pigs in Masdar city, a Big Brother-style 'green policeman' monitoring their energy use.

Phase one of the city is now complete. By 2015, Masdar is expected to house 7,000 residents and 12,000 commuters from Abu Dhabi.

Two of the 10 magnetically controlled driverless vehicles that whiz people the 800 yards from the entrance of the city to the institute

first zero-carbon city - Masdar City

first zero-carbon city - Masdar City

Night Ariel View of Central Plaza in Masdar City

Night View of Central Plaza in Masdar City

Ariel View of Central Plaza in Masdar City

Amphitheater, Masdar City

Some of the Critical Facts of Global Warming

1. 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.
2. Without the atmosphere to create a greenhouse-type effect, the average temperature on Earth would be just 5° Fahrenheit (F).
3. Natural levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere have varied throughout history between 180 and 300 parts per million (ppm). Today’s CO₂ levels hover around 380 ppm, representing a 25% increase over the highest recorded natural levels.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Geologists believe sea levels could rise between seven and 23 inches by the end of the century if current warming trends continue.
8. Worldwide, one hundred million people live within three feet of sea level, and much of the world’s population is clustered in coastal areas.
9. The polar bear, while surviving in drastically reduced numbers, is already effectively extinct in its natural habitat—and no amount of change can save it. Scientists estimate that just 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears still survive in the wild.
10. The first forced relocation due to the effects of climate change occurred in 2007 when 100 residents of Tegua Island in the Pacific Ocean were evacuated due to rising sea levels and subsequent flooding.
11. For the past million years, cool climate conditions have primarily prevailed throughout the world. It was under these conditions that the human species evolved.
12. The earth has always experienced cyclical bouts of climate change. Recorded temperatures throughout history display graphs of peaks and valleys with occasional extreme periods, such as the Little Ice Age of the seventeenth and eighteenth century and the Medieval Warm Period of the eleventh century.
13. According to NASA studies, average temperatures around the world have increased 1.4° F since 1880, with most of the change occurring in recent decades.
14. During the twentieth century, the earth experienced two warming trends. The first was a burst in temperature from 1900-1930, and the second is a continuing increase in temperature beginning in the 1970s.
15. The last two decades of the twentieth century were the hottest decades in more than 400 years and may have been the hottest decades for several thousand years.
16. Climate models predict the loss of Arctic sea ice earlier and more rapidly than the loss of Antarctic land ice if warming trends continue.
17. Since the 1950s, Arctic sea ice has declined by 15% and the average annual duration of northern lake and river ice has decreased by two weeks.
18. As Arctic ice rapidly disappears, scientists believe the Arctic will experience its first ice-free summer as early as the year 2040.
19. Average temperatures in the Arctic climates of Alaska, Canada, and Russia have risen at twice the global average in the last century.
20. The effects of global warming could destroy the habitats of and threaten extinction for over one million species of plants and animals.
21. Between the years 1961 and 1997, the world’s glaciers lost 890 cubic miles of ice.
22. In 1910, Glacier National Park in Montana boasted 150 glaciers—today there are just 27.
23. Deserts worldwide are increasing as a result of warmer temperatures. At the end of the year 2007, Australia lost 25% of crop production due to desertification.
24. Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius realized as early as 1896 that human industrial activity was already surpassing the earth’s ability to reabsorb CO₂.
25. Fossil fuel burning currently adds nearly six billion tons of CO₂ to the atmosphere every year. Only half of this CO₂ is removed by forests and oceans.
26. Rampant deforestation currently causes 20% of the world’s global warming pollution by prohibiting the re-absorption of CO₂.
27. Between the first Earth Day in 1970 and the new millennium, human-made emissions of greenhouse gases rose 70%.
28. The earth’s atmosphere now contains 40% more CO₂ than before the Industrial Revolution.
29. The United States represents less than 5% of the world’s population, yet Americans account for 25% of the world’s commercial energy consumption and 22% of the world’s industrial emissions of CO₂.
30. Cars amount to three-quarters of all transportation emissions. At the current rate, the world will be driven on by more than a billion cars in 2030 and a billion more by 2050.
31. Roughly 75% of the annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ is due solely to the burning of fossil fuels.
32. About 20% of CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere comes from the gasoline burned in motor vehicle engines. The vast majority of emitted CO₂ is a result of fossil fuel burning in power plants for electricity generation.
33. While increased concentrationas of CO₂ in the atmosphere certainly can increase temperatures, many geologists believe that water vapor accounts for more than 90% of the greenhouse warming effect.
34. According to the Internal Energy Agency, the world will invest some $20 trillion in new energy research over the next 25 years in an attempt to slow the effects of global warming.
35. Global warming research is primarily conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a partnership formed in 1998 with the World Meteorological Organization and environmental agencies of the United Nations.

Source: Random Facts