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A chemical oceanographer collects water samples from the Arctic Ocean.
AP Images
AP Images
The heat is on! And people are to blame. That's what a group of more than 2,500 scientists from 113 countries recently agreed. A report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that human activities are "very likely" the cause of global warming, or the gradual rise in Earth's average temperature.
The report is "sort of a report card on everything we've learned about climate change," explains Robert Lempert, senior scientist at the RAND Corporation (a nonprofit research and analysis institution).
Some of the report's projections for the future include a rise of 3.2–7.2 degrees Fahrenheit in Earth's average temperature by the end of the century. "That doesn't sound like a lot," says Lempert. "But the difference between the last Ice Age and today" is nine to 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists also predict that the increase in Earth's average temperature will melt glaciers and polar ice sheets, causing sea levels to rise by seven to 23 inches. That increase is enough to flood low-lying coastal land. The report also warned of an increase in heat waves and severe tropical storms if global warming continues at its predicted rate.
The Greenhouse Effect
Why are people to blame for global warming? Many scientists say the warming is caused by "greenhouse gases" in the air. Those gases are produced by burning fossil fuels. Coal, oil, and natural gas are some of the fossil fuels burned by people to power cars, heat homes, and create electricity.
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. Those gases collect in a layer and trap the heat from the sun. The process is called the greenhouse effect because the layer of gases traps heat much like the windows of a greenhouse.
Turning Down the Heat
Though the report's findings are bleak, it gives some scientists hope that people can lessen the effects of global warming. "If you see the extent to which human activities are influencing the climate system, the options for [reducing] greenhouse gas emissions appear in a different light, because you can see what the costs of inaction are," said IPCC chairman Dr. Rajendra Pachauri.
Links
Beat the heat in this Global Warming Word Search!
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The report is "sort of a report card on everything we've learned about climate change," explains Robert Lempert, senior scientist at the RAND Corporation (a nonprofit research and analysis institution).
Some of the report's projections for the future include a rise of 3.2–7.2 degrees Fahrenheit in Earth's average temperature by the end of the century. "That doesn't sound like a lot," says Lempert. "But the difference between the last Ice Age and today" is nine to 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists also predict that the increase in Earth's average temperature will melt glaciers and polar ice sheets, causing sea levels to rise by seven to 23 inches. That increase is enough to flood low-lying coastal land. The report also warned of an increase in heat waves and severe tropical storms if global warming continues at its predicted rate.
The Greenhouse Effect
Why are people to blame for global warming? Many scientists say the warming is caused by "greenhouse gases" in the air. Those gases are produced by burning fossil fuels. Coal, oil, and natural gas are some of the fossil fuels burned by people to power cars, heat homes, and create electricity.
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. Those gases collect in a layer and trap the heat from the sun. The process is called the greenhouse effect because the layer of gases traps heat much like the windows of a greenhouse.
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Though the report's findings are bleak, it gives some scientists hope that people can lessen the effects of global warming. "If you see the extent to which human activities are influencing the climate system, the options for [reducing] greenhouse gas emissions appear in a different light, because you can see what the costs of inaction are," said IPCC chairman Dr. Rajendra Pachauri.
Links
- Learn more about climate change at the EPA's site for kids.
- Join the Stop Global Warming March.
- Global warming and climate change from a penguin's point of view.
- Explore the science of studying global warming.
- Find out how big your "carbon footprint" is.
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