Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface
temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions
from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise
escape from Earth.
Global Warming Impacts
Many
of the following "harbingers" and "fingerprints" are now
well under way:
1.
Rising Seas--- inundation of fresh water marshlands (the
everglades), low-lying cities, and islands with seawater.
2.
Changes in rainfall patterns --- droughts and fires in some areas, flooding in
other areas.
3.
Increased likelihood of extreme events--- such as
flooding, hurricanes, etc.
4.
Melting of the ice caps --- loss of habitat near the poles. Polar bears
are now thought to be greatly endangered by the shortening of their feeding
season due to dwindling ice packs.
5.
Melting glaciers - significant
melting of old glaciers is already observed.
6.
Widespread vanishing of animal populations --- following widespread
habitat loss.
7.
Spread of disease --- migration
of diseases such as malaria to new, now warmer, regions.
8.
Bleaching of Coral Reefs due to warming seas and acidification
due to carbonic acid formation --- One third of coral reefs now appear to have been
severely damaged by warming seas.
9.
Loss of Plankton due to warming seas --- The enormous (900 mile
long) Aleution island ecosystems of orcas (killer whales), sea lions, sea
otters, sea urchins, kelp beds, and fish populations, appears to have collapsed
due to loss of plankton, leading to loss of sea lions, leading orcas to eat too
many sea otters, leading to urchin explosions, leading to loss of kelp beds and
their associated fish populations.
Alternatives to Fossil Fuels
Bioenergy or Biofuels:
Bioenergy can be produced from a variety of biomass feedstocks,
including forest agricultural and livestock residues; short-rotation forest
plantations; energy crops; the organic component of municipal solid waste; and
other organic waste streams.
Direct solar energy:
These technologies harness the energy of solar irradiance to
produce electricity using photovoltics.
Geo thermal energy
Utilizes the acceptable thermal energy from the earth interiors,
where the heat is extracted from a
reservoirs that are naturally sufficient hot and permeable(Hydrothermal
Reservoirs)used to generate electricity, analogue to fuel source
Hydropower:
Uses
the potential energy stored in the water(at rest) by making the water to flow
from higher to lower elevation. used to produce hydro electricity, encompasses
the large centralized urban needs of energy.
