There are many aspects of life that are predicted to be altered by climate change. The images below are just a few of many that visually show some of the changes that are expected to be seen with climate change on both the global and local scale.
Although there is a lot to be said for the potential effects of climate change, the images and links provided below give a range of impacts and how humans and other aspects of the Earth will be affected.
A new movie on climate change called 'Thin Ice' has been released. In this film researchers on 4 different continents and ocean were visited as they studied different aspects of the atmosphere, ocean and ice sheets. This film allows for insight on how scientists work with theses topics, including the different instruments and proxies that are used to aid in their studies. The creators of the film said that
" The aim from the outset was to give people from all walks of the life the chance to see the astonishing range of human activity as well as scientific endeavor that is required to help us understand our changing climate. Our idea was then we would all be better able to decide both individually and collectively how we might deal with it."
Although there is not a consensus that extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Irene and the heat wave in Russia, are linked to climate change, scientists are beginning to lean in the directed that the two are connected. The links below are readings that further explain the ideas that scientists are beginning to explore further.
How can I help deal with climate change is a common though. Reducing your carbon footprint, the amount of carbon that is used and released back into the atmosphere, is a practical way of helping to combat climate change.
Here are two different carbon footprint calculators. They take a few minutes to get through but at the end there are great comparisons and information about where you use the most carbon and where you could reduce.
This short video also describes way that you can lessen the impact that you have by reducing your carbon footprint. By changing little things in your lifestyle reduce more than you may think.
Towns sometimes jump into renewable energy projects and not all the implications of the project are considers. For Scituate and Kingston Massachusetts, the residents that are located by the wind turbines that were placed, are not pleased with the negative effects that they are feeling. The top complaints are the noise and the shadow flicker effect that happens when the sun cuts through the blades at a certain angle. The stories below give more insight to the feeling for the residents near the turbines and the steps that the town to take.
Renewable energy is one approach that is suggested to help combat climate change. Although at this point, it is cheaper to use traditional types of of energies, such as natural gas, oil and coal, renewable energies are still an option. Some of the most common types of renewable energies are:
Here is a short video put out by a group in Wisconsin about how climate change is expected to effect the area. It also has a short, sweet and to the point explanation and comparison of mitigation and adaption.
How should climate change be dealt with? Should we learn to deal with the changes that will come along with climate change, adaptation? Or should policy be put in place to deal with the emissions before it has a large impact, mitigation? The back and forth battle between mitigation and adaption is current and ongoing. Both sides have their benefits and drawbacks. The links and images below give an overview of each side of this controversy.
A great site with a lot of different concepts maps that deal with issues surrounding climate change. Having a more visual representation of the impacts, the causes and other topics that deal with climate change is a great supplement to learning about the subject. The image below is one of many on concept maps archived on this site:
The article below, out of The Berkshire Eagle, shows the concern that some have with climate change. Many farmers and small business owners in the Berkshires in Massachusetts are looking ahead and trying to deal with what may happen with climate change. One of the main industries that will likely be seeing a decline is winter recreation, since snow fall totals are predicted to decline with climate change. An interesting read, especially since its a close to home story.
Depending on where you live climate change would have a different affect. Living in Massachusetts, some of the most critical areas that would be affected by by climate change would be the coast line. Also the temperature is expected to increase, creating summers similar to South Carolina and winters similar to Philadelphia. The link below is a adaptation report put out by Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the
Adaptation Advisory Committee of Massachusetts. This report gives examples of what impacts could affect Massachusetts and plans that could be implemented to adapt to these changes.
Trying to predict what the climate is going to do in future is a big project. Climate models are a main approach that is used when trying to predict the climate of the future. The process to create a climate model is no easy task and does not just happen overnight.The link below is a good resource to explore to learn the basics to the more in depth areas of climate modeling. The image below is an example of climate models. The back path is the current path of the Earth, while the colored paths are different outcomes that could be seen on the Earth depending on what choice are made about climate change.
William Ruddiman is a respected climate scientist. He has come out with a claim that climate change was kicked into gear way before we started burning coal and fossil fuels. Ruddiman suggests that the farming practices of our ancestors was the starting point for global warming. The link below will bring you to the article in the Scientific American
This paper written by Andrew J. Hoffman is an interesting and informative way to see how climate change is viewed by people in America. It gives examples of how and why people may view the topic one way or another. I think it gives a lot of insight into why people may be hesitant towards the topic. The graph below is used in the paper to show the outlook on the topic from the different political parties and how the divide on the topic has grown throughout the years. In the paper Hoffman talks about how political influence has an affect on how individuals may view climate change.
This video is made by BP and depicts world energy projections for 2030 according to them. Most of the information that was included was interesting to see since they are a conventional energy provider. The graphics that are used to show the different aspects of the projections are very visual.
The Polar Bear is the poster child for the animal affected by climate change and global warming but they are not the only ones that will be feeling the pressure from the change.
Sea turtles are another animal that are going to be feeling the effects of rising climate. The main effects that they will be feeling are in the loss of coast area. Many of the nesting areas for sea turtles eggs are in low lying coast area, which would be lost when the sea level rises. There would also be an issue with the with the temperature of the sand. The temperature of the sand would be too warm for optimal incubation. Lastly, the increase in sand temperature would bias the sex of the turtles since the temperature during incubation is how the sex of the turtle is determined.
Other animals that are affected by climate change are:
Data has been collected from 73 different site around the world and compiled to reconstruct the Earth's temperature over the past 11,300 years. The data reveals that the temperature on Earth today is warmer than it has been during 70-80% data collected. The graph below shows the main findings from the project. The project was based out of Oregon State University and was was headed by Shaun Marcott.
The Little Ace Age and The Medieval Warm are
perfect examples of why the Earth is not just going though a natural cycle of warming. It has been found that during the medieval
warming period that the Earth had an increase in solar activity and a decrease
in volcanic activity, both of which stimulate warming. Radiative forcing is
what is said to cause warming. This would not be consider a cycle that the Earth goes through. Similarly to the warming, the Little Ice Age is seen to have similar causes. Although the Earth does go through glacial and
interglacial periods, the current warming that we are seeing is not a direct
effect of an interglacial period, but more of a warming due to the forcing
effects that humans have on the Earth.
Tree Rings are also a common proxy that are used to help learn more about climate change. The width of each ring can help give information about precipitation or other stress that effect the tree during that one year of growth. The link below provides more information about how tree rings help determine information about previous climates.
Ice cores are a way that scientists are able to tell about past climates on Earth. Within each core that is taken, layers from each previous year created from layers of snow accumulation can be studied to see what was happening on the Earth. As shown in the image above, the air bubbles that are trapped can be studied to learn about different aspects of the climate. The link below provides more information about ice cores and how they are used as a proxy for the climate.
An interesting poll completed in California comparing current feeling about global warming to a poll completed in previous years asking the same questions. The link to the full article out of the San Francisco Times that goes with the field poll is provided below.
This video provides some information about the issues that surround the Ozone hole in the Antarctic. It explains how the hole was created and how humans have had an effect on what is happening with the Ozone.
The Montreal Protocol was a major piece of global environmental legislation. It's main purpose was to phase out the use of ozone depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons. Since its implementation problems surrounding the ozone have turned around.
This website provides you with an evaluation of Protocol and all that has happened surrounding the legistaltion since it was created.
This link provides you with a varity of graphs, like the one shown below, that show levels of differnt ozone deleting substances before the protocol and what the future may look like.
When dealing with the Ozone there are two different types. The'good'ozone and the 'bad' ozone. The 'good' ozone allows humans to live on the Earth, while the 'bad' ozone is created by humans and harming both human life and the Earth. These websites compares the two types of ozone and explains how the effect human life.
'Greenhouse' analogy is not a hundred percent correct. This website explains what is correct and incorrect about the term for this relationship that we have all come to know.
There are many different ideas out there about climate change and global warming. Some people say they are the same thing while others say that they are two completely different idea.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) see climate change and global warming as two separate entities. Global warming is causing climate change but it only represents one aspect of climate change. Whereas they see climate change as sustained change in temperature and other natural forces. The link above will bring you to their page on climate change.
NASA similarly says that the two are not the same with similar definitions NASA goes on to talk about how they are more aped to use the term climate change. They also talk about how the terms came out and why global warming is currently the more popular name to understand the situation.
Even with people out there knowing that there is a difference between the two terms, when you look up images for climate change the same images come up as when you look for global
This image of a Earth on fire is also a popular image found on both searches. But when I look at this image I mainly think of global warming not climate change.
This short video gives another perspective on the differences between climate change and global warming.
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