2. Climate Change & Global Warming… Carbon Dioxide (CO ²) gas traps the sun’s energy in the earth’s atmosphere, this is known as the ‘Greenhouse effect’. Man’s increasing CO ² output is actually raising the temperature the planet achieves energy balance.
3. Climate Change & Global Warming… The Earth was hotter in the late 20th Century than it had been in the last 400 or possibly 1,000 years (a report requested by the US Congress).
4. Climate Change & Global Warming… In the last 100,000 + years the concentration of CO ² in the atmosphere has been around 180-280 parts per million (ppm). Since the industrial revolution (last 200 years) - the concentration of CO ² has increased to about 380ppm. If the planet reaches 400ppm (could be 10-15 years at the current rate of increase) then there would be a 2 ° C increase in global temperature, this could potentially trigger melting of the Greenland ice cap! What does all this warming mean?
5. Climate Change & Global Warming… The future: More heat waves, floods, ice melt, sea-level rise and droughts all driven by significant changes in weather.
6. Some facts on the future… By 2030 the number of automobiles in the world will increase by 50%. It took 125 years to consume the first trillion barrels of oil – the world will consume the next trillion in only 30 years Oil production is in decline in 33 of the 48 largest oil producing countries, 3 yet energy demand is increasing around the globe as economies grow and nations develop
7. The International Energy Agency estimates that the world will need to invest $16 trillion over the next three decades to maintain and expand energy supply Diseases such as malaria are predicted to spread as the world grows warmer, due to the carriers of disease spreading out over a larger geographical area Some facts on the future…
8. By planting a large tree that creates shade, one can reduce heating and cooling costs annually by up to 40%... End
