Global Warming
Created by: Jemma Wood
A Serious Problem
In the 1950's, Global Warming became an important discussion among scientists and governments. Studies have shown that human activities are contributing to the climate change that threatens out planet. While this was not always an issue, as the Earth cools and warms up (Ice Ages) now, temperatures are much higher than years before, and they're steadily continuing to rise.
What else is contributing to the problem
Factories release a huge amount of carbon dioxide
What the Earth is becoming
More and more greenhouse gases means a warmer Earth, and heat can be deadly.
Animals suffer too
Polar bears have become the most recognized animal that has been effected by Global Warming. Survival has become a greater challenge for these bears and it will only get worse.
How It Works
This is called the "Greenhouse Effect". Usually, this effect is not harmful. In fact , without it, the Earth would be too cold for organisms to survive, or too hot to the point of every organism alive gets fried to a crisp.
Now, however, the Greenhouse Effect is harming us.Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have added many more Greenhouse Gases (water vapor, methane gas, and carbon dioxide being the most common) to the atmosphere.
Alright, so the Earth is warmer. More time at the beach and a better tan, what's the problem?
It a problem because the more carbon that is released into the atmosphere, the more the atmosphere traps, and the hotter the Earth gets. Sure, people enjoy warmer lifestyles, but they'll regret it when they get a taste of what other areas have already endured.
Polar Bear Plummet
And that isn't the worst of it.
France suffered a death toll of over 14,800. That same heat wave took the lives of approximately 7,000 people in Germany, 4,200 in Spain, and over 2,000 in England.
Heat waves are silent killers, and can easily kill children, the elderly, and the sick.
But the heat isn't just killing humans, but animals as well.
Polar bears have become to most recognized animal that has been effected by Global Warming. These beautiful carnivores depends on the ever-lasting ice to survive. They use their icy wonderlands as prime hunting spots and shelters. Rising temperatures are creeping up to these icy environments, and the bears are suffering.
The ice beneath these 800 pound predators melts, leaving bears stranded, and left to drown. Polar bears can swim, but too much swimming in endless water leaves the bears cold and exhausted, and they cannot continue.
Female polar bears find it harder to hunt due to the lack of ice, which the bears use to catch seals, and she finds that her cubs are always begging for food.
In addition, if a female and her cubs come across a starving male, being much bigger and stronger, the make will kill and eat the cubs.
Polar bear migration patterns will change with the climate, and they will arrive on land earlier and stay there longer due to the changing ice. The bears must rely on fat preserves to survive their time on land until the ice freezes again.
Polar bear numbers dwindled in the 1950's by a staggering 5,000 bears. Efforts were made to protect the bears, and numbers have been slowly increasing, but the threat of the numbers drowning again still stands, and so long as the climate changes, polar bears will find it very difficult to survive and thrive.
What Else Is In Store?
Because oceans absorb carbon dioxide, just like your car, the ocean will get warmer with the more CO2 it traps.
Warmer areas greatly impact creatures that live under water like fish and corals. Warmer weather also contributes to weather patterns and storms.
Storms like hurricanes, snowstorms and rainstorms will become stronger, and happen more frequently. This effects populated areas and the organisms that dwell there.
Not only will the oceans get warmer, but their become more acidic as more and more carbon is dissolved into the water.
Acidic oceans make it harder for corals to build skeletons. These skeletons provide homes for many other aquatic life, and without them, the ecosystem will be damaged. Acidic water also creates problems for shellfish because it'll make it harder for them to make shells that they use for protection.
Just when you thought it was over...!
Since the 1970's, droughts have became a major problem, extending for long periods of time with extreme conditions.
Tropics and subtropics are particularly vulnerable to droughts.
Droughts make available drinking water scarce, and with less water means that crops will also suffer. In addition, electricity created by hydro dams will be unavailable to locals.
Fun Fact!
What Polar Bears are left with
Polar bears are left with little ice to survive on
S.O.S
SAVE OUR SOULS indeed! Polar bears need our help if this beautiful species is to survive.
Cannibalism
Bears are so desperate to survive they will kill their own kind...
Without Ice...
Without ice for his mother to hunt on, this youngster will not survive...
Heat is deadly
Young cubs are vulnerable to extreme heat.
Cute, aren't they?
Well, if nothing is done, these innocent faces will only been seen in pictures...
In Africa
Global Warming effects all ends of the Earth
Wild Fires!
Hotter weather sparks wild fires that devastate the area.
What the Future holds.
Maybe...
Well, guess what?!
Believe it or not, its happening!
Your new ride to school
Please fasten your life jacket.
Storms be a brewin'
And you thought SANDY was bad! Imagine Sandy's bigger badder relatives!
Alternatives
Solar Power
Solar Power:
Harnesses the Sun's light and heat!
Pro's:
1) Clean and quiet — has no moving parts , and doesn't create waste from chemical reactions
2) Solar power is available whenever the sun is shining!
3) Solar panels require minimal maintenance
4) Many homeowners qualify to own solar panels.
Con's:
1) Panels are only useful when the Sun is out.
2) Weather may decrease the efficiency of the panels
3) Solar panels are only about 20% efficient
Wind Power
Wind blows against a turbines blades that power a generator.
Pro's:
1) Produces clean energy — no waste because no chemical reaction takes place
2) Don't take up too much space
Con's:
1) Wind is not always constant in some areas, and installing them there, makes no sense
2) Wind turbines can alter the landscape and natural aesthetics
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity:
Water movement is converted into electrical energy if it spins an electric turbine.
Most used alternative energy source today!
Pro's:
1) Also produces clean energy — produces no harmful waste because no chemical reaction takes place
2) Water that passes through the turbine doesn't get contaminated and is safe to use afterwards.
3) With dams, water flow can be altered and regulated to match demand.
Con's:
1) Dams are expensive to build and may damage the ecosystem.