#1 THE WORLD IS WARMING
The heat in 2016 broke the
historic record set in 2015, which broke the one from 2014. Last year’s average
global surface temperature, compiled from measurements made by thousands of
weather stations, buoys, and ships, was 1.69 degree Fahrenheit warmer than the
20th-century average. Satellites probing the atmosphere also have
documented a clear warming trend.
#2 IT’S BECAUSE OF US
El Nino added to last year’s
record by temporarily releasing heat from the Pacific. But no natural cause
explains the half-century warming trend. The sun’s output cycles up and down
every 11 years; volcanic eruptions sporadically cool the planet. Meanwhile
human-emitted greenhouse gases from a steadily thickening blanket that traps
heat at Earth’s surface.
#3 WE’RE SURE
More than 9 out of 10
climate scientists agree; Carbon emissions cause global warming. We’ve known
about the greenhouse effect since the 1800s. Swedish physicist Svante
Arrthenius even predicted in 1896 that carbon dioxide from coal burning would
warm the planet. He saw it as a good thing – and just how bad it will be is
debatable. But it’s real, and it’s dangerous.
(Summarized from National Geography Magazine, April 2017)
Verdict: Climate
change isn’t a hoax or a scientific conspiracy, it’s a grand challenge!
Lord, Give
Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
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