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Global warming effects discussed
By Nyssa Dahlberg
The sky is falling. Well not exactly, but considering the damages our planet faces through greenhouse gases, it may as well be. Jon Rosales and Gao Pornove gave a presentation in Atwood on global warming and climate change called "The Sky is Burning."
Rosales and Pornove are both members of the Greenhouse Network Organization that trains people to go out and educate others about climate change. Rosales will receive his doctorate in conservation biology Friday and Pornove is the executive director at the Earth Council in Geneva. The Earth Council is a 21st organization connected through the internet to reach out to more people on the planet. This Web site it located at learnSD.org.
The greenhouse effect is the idea that Earth is slowly heating over time, about one degree per year, as a result of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
"The greenhouse effect is basically a physical process you can test," Rosales said. "You can actually set up a lab and look at the physics of how heat operates in a controlled environment."
Global warming started 25-30 years ago as a theory, and through testing, scientists have known this to be a fact.
"We know that the greenhouse gas effect has been around for roughly 150 years," Rosales said. "Especially when you go out on a cold night without clouds. Things get cooler a lot quicker. When the clouds are around heat is trapped in and that's part of the greenhouse effect."
The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii keeps track of how thick the atmosphere is and also measures greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Starting in 1956, the observatory has concluded that carbon dioxide concentration levels have been going up as well as the levels of methane (natural gas) and nitric oxide, which is another greenhouse gas.
"The same is true for the south pole," Rosales said. "You can detect the temperature from glaciers (by pulling out a core or chunk of ice) and see that the temperature is going up."
There is a definite correlation between the rising amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the increase in temperature.
"Higher concentrations of CO2 makes the temperature rise," Pornove said. "You don't know if the temperature changes and CO2 follows or if CO2 goes up and the temp. follows."
In the future, things will warm tremendously. If things continue the way they are it will cause hazardous effects on the planet. "October 2003 was the warmest October ever recorded." Rosales said
So what kinds of things are happening to Earth as a result of global warming? First of all, the permafrost (frozen ground 10-12 ft down) is melting. As it melts, methane is released adding to the effects of global warming. Huge chunks of glaciers have broken off and the snow cap on Mt. Kilimanjaro is melting.
"One impact of climate change is that the central part of each continent is going to get dryer." Rosales said. "(Currently) people are just barely surviving as there is no water anywhere."
Rosales showed a picture of a lake in central India. In a place where a person could see animals bathing and feeding, there was nothing but a vast hole. Because icecaps and glaciers are melting there has been a rise in sea water. Bangladesh, a city of 17 million, will soon be under water if the sea levels keep rising. Other low lying islands will be effected as well, such as the islands of Tuluva. These islands are partly underwater already and are evacuating. Tuluva is looking for places to put their people, without much luck.
Not only does global warming effect other countries, but Minnesota will suffer as well. As the temperature warms, trees will be forced to migrate north.
"We will lose trees because soil in the north is rocky so it will be hard for the trees to grow," Rosales said.
One thing you can do to help slow global warming is carpool or take the bus. Burning one gallon of gasoline generates 22 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere after being mixed with the oxygen in an engine.
"So if you're thinking of how much it will cost you to go somewhere, just multiply the gallons of gas by 22. Then you'll know the exact cost to the environment." Pornove said.
"Imagine a different future," Pornove said. "If you can dream of having energy and live with less impact, follow that dream. I want young people to look at career opportunities to do something to fix this. There are a lot of things that need to be done."
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