Currie_Danielle_Wk8_Global Warming

According to the National Climate Assessment, human influences are the number one cause of global warming, especially the carbon pollution we cause by burning fossil fuels and the pollution-capturing we prevent by destroying forests. The carbon dioxide, methane, soot, and other pollutants we release into the atmosphere act like a blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm. Evidence shows that 2000 to 2009 was hotter than any other decade in at least the past 1,300 years.  As the years come the heat keeps getting hotter and locations that usually are wet areas are drying out.  Colorado being one of them.  Colorado has not had a so-called winter in about 5 years.  Wildfires are becoming a huge problem in Colorado and other states West.  This warming is altering the earth's climate system, including its land, atmosphere, oceans, and ice, in far-reaching ways.  Higher temperatures are worsening many types of disasters, including storms, heat waves, floods, and droughts. A warmer climate creates an atmosphere that can collect, retain, and drop more water, changing weather patterns in such a way that wet areas become wetter and dry areas drier.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2015 there were 10 weather and climate disaster events in the United States including severe storms, floods, drought, and wildfires that caused at least $1 billion in losses. Rising temperatures also worsen air pollution by increasing ground level ozone, which is created when pollution from cars, factories, and other sources react to sunlight and heat. Ground-level ozone is the main component of smog, and the hotter things get, the more of it we have. Dirtier air is linked to higher hospital admission rates and higher death rates for asthmatics. It worsens the health of people suffering from cardiac or pulmonary disease. And warmer temperatures also significantly increase airborne pollen, which is bad news for those who suffer from hay fever and other allergies.  The earth's marine ecosystems are under pressure because of climate change. Oceans are becoming more acidic, due in large part to their absorption of some of our excess emissions. As this acidification accelerates, it poses a serious threat to underwater life, particularly creatures with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, including mollusks, crabs, and corals.  The polar regions are particularly vulnerable to a warming atmosphere. Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere on earth, and the world's ice sheets are melting fast. This not only has grave consequences for the region's people, wildlife, and plants; its most serious impact may be on rising sea levels. By 2100, it's estimated our oceans will be one to four feet higher, threatening coastal systems and low-lying areas, including entire island nations and the world's largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami as well as other locations in the world.

Denchak, M. (2018, August 02). Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad? Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/are-effects-global-warming-really-bad