Artifact Eight: Global Warming

Loven, Zazel. "Make every day earth day: 10 easy things you can do to
help the environment. (Landmark)." Country Living Gardener 11.2 (April
2003): 38(1). Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Centennial
High School (MD). 23 Jan. 2007
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None of us can save the world on our own but if we all pitch in and help, we can make a big impact. Even the little things that we do in our day to day will have an impact on our enviorment. Some creative ways that we all can do to help are as follows...

"1 Create a backyard wildlife habitat by turning a section of your lawn into a fauna-friendly garden or wildflower meadow.

2 Start a rain garden. Set up a rain barrel; learn how to practice water conservation.

3 Plant a row for the hungry and donate the extra produce to your local shelter, soup kitchen, or food distribution center.

4 Encourage beautification in your town by entering your community in the annual America in Bloom contest.

5 Urge your municipality to plant rooftop gardens to lower indoor temperatures in summer and improve air quality year-round.

6 Join your Community Supported Agriculture program and purchase fresh seasonal produce while supporting local farmers. If there is noCSA nearby, shop at a farmers' market.

7 Be aware of what you put in the ground. Don't use arsenic-treated wood for outdoor projects, decks, and raised beds (try bricks or naturally pest-resistant cedar). Avoid using pesticides when possible.

8 Start gardens in your town. Whether they're in schools, hospitals, or dotted throughout neighborhoods, gardens benefit everyone.

9 Learn about plants native to your region through the Cooperative Extension Service, local botanical garden, or garden club, and cultivate them in your garden.

1O Recycle. Start a compost pile for appropriate kitchen refuse, shredded leaves, and lawn clippings. Recycle plastic pots. Reuse plastic food containers for starting seeds."

Artifact Seven: Global Warming

Kluger, Jeffrey. "Polar Ice Caps Are Melting Faster Than Ever... More And More: Land Is Being Devastated By Drought... Rising Waters Are Drowning Low-Lying Communities... By Any Measure, Earth Is At ... The Tipping Point The climate is crashing, and global warming is to blame. Why the crisis hit so soon--and what we can do about it.(Cover/Global Warming)(Cover story)." Time 167.14 (April 3, 2006): 28. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Centennial High School (MD). 23 Jan. 2007
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Carbon Dioxide is a tiny component of our atmosphere that helps warm the earth to the comfortable temperatures we are used to, but it also can cause a lot of damage when there is an excess. The gas is measured in parts per million or (p.p.m.) Having too much Carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is very dangerous because it allows sunlight to stream in, but it does not allow heat to radiate back out. "During the last ice age, the atmosphere's CO2 concentration was just 180 p.p.m., putting Earth into a deep freeze. After the glaciers retreated but before the dawn of the modern era, the total had risen to a comfortable 280 p.p.m. In just the past century and a half, we have pushed the level to 381 p.p.m., and we're feeling the effects. Of the 20 hottest years on record, 19 occurred in the 1980s or later. According to NASA scientists, 2005 was one of the hottest years in more than a century."

"Icebergs don't raise sea levels when they melt because they're floating, which means they have displaced all the water they're ever going to." Unlike these icebergs, ice on land, such as Greenland, pours into oceans that are already rising because of the expanding warm water. Greenland alone could raise the sea level 23 ft. This would cover a lot of the coastal region of Floridia and most of Bangladesh. "The Antarctic holds enough ice to raise sea levels more than 215 ft."

One of the main reasons the surface area of the ice is shrinking is because as the bright white surface shrinks it changes the relationship of the Earth and sun. Polar ice reflects 90% of the energy it recieves. "The more energy it retains, the warmer it gets, with the result that each mile of ice that melts vanishes faster than the mile that preceded it." Permafrost is land that has been continually frozen for two or more years, but most permafrost has been frozen for much longer -"since the end of the last ice age, or at least 8,000 years ago." The permafrost contains layers of partically decayed organic matter. This stuff is rich in carbon. In areas where the soil is getting warmer such as high-altitude regions of Alaska, Canada and Siberia, the permafrost is melting and turning into methane and CO2. This can lead to more warming and permafrost melting. David Lawrence of the National Center for Atmospheric Research says there may be 200 to 800 gigatons of carbon in the soil.

The Gulf Stream is what keeps Europe's climate relatively mild. When it is cut off, the temperature will plummet. The Gulf Stream works because the warmer, more salty water which is ligher floats on top of the more dense colder water. As it reaches Europe it gets colder and more dense it flows back down south where it crosses under the northbound Gulf Stream until it reaches the tropics and begins to warm up again. The system will continue to work as long as the water stays salty enough, but with the freshwater that is being added in, the system may break down.

Artifact Six: Global Warming

"DUBIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS.(Brief Article)." The Amicus Journal 21.4 (Wntr 2000): 4. Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Centennial High School (MD). 23 Jan. 2007
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I wanted to find out more about the largest cause for carbon dioxide pollution, and that is fossil fuel producers. I found this article and i think it is very informative. I learned that 22% of the world's carbon pollution comes from only 20 companies! That is close to a quarter of the carbon pollution! In a new article, "Kingpins of Carbon: How Fossil Fuel Producers Contribute to Global Warming, co-authored by NRDC," it reveals some of the deep secrets of the fossil fuel producers. Until recently, a lot of pressure has been put onto those who purchase from the fossil fuel companies, or the consumers, but now the pressure has been moved to the "pollution pushers." "For example, the carbon production of just one mega-company, Saudi Aramco, exceeds the combined emissions of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Korea." Companies of this size use their power to get around the barriers of pollution regulation. These big companies are the main cause of global warming and something definitely needs to be done about it.

Artifact Five: Global Warming

"Natural Resources Defense Council." Natural Resources Defense Council 9 January 2006. http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp 22 January 2006


Global Warming is caused by air pollution, mainly Carbon Dioxide collecting in the atmosphere. It acts as a "thickening blanket" to trap the sun's rays. This consequently causes the planet to get warmer. The largest source of U.S. Carbon Dioxide pollution is in coal burning power plants. They produce 2.5 billion tons per year. The second largest source of carbon dioxide pollution is automobiles. They create about 1.5 billion tons annually. Although the U.S. only has 4% of the worlds population, we produce 25% of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuel burning. This is more than any other nation. "In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India, and Japan, combined."

Global warming is causing many bad things to happen. "In 2002, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon endured their worst wildfire seasons ever." Also in 2002, the droughts caused major dust storms in Montana, Colorado, and Kansas and major flooding in Texas, Montana, and North Dakota. Another effect of global warming is that since 1950 the snow accumulation has declined 60% and the winter season has shortened in many areas of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington. Global warming is also causing hurricanes to worsen. With the higher ocean temperatures, hurricanes can pick up more energy, which makes them much more powerful.

Global warming is a big deal. People need to know the consequences that will occur if they don't take action. Glaciers will melt and early snow melt will cause serious drought and water shortages in America's west. Rising sea levels will cause flooding on the Eastern seaboard in Florida and in many other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico. Imagine how many people could be become homeless. It would be a catastrophe. The warmer sea temperatures will cause more dangerous hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coast. "Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito- borne diseases." Habitats will be disrupted and it will drive many plant and animal species to extinction.

Artifact Four: Global Warming

The Inconvenient Truth. DVD. Rodale Press, May 26, 2006.

The Inconvenient Truth is a movie by Al Gore about global warming. It discusses how global warming is a fast paced topic and a very dangerous one too. The movie follows Al Gore as he travels around the United States presenting his "traveling global warming show." He presents his audience with charts, graphs, and real pictures showing the effects of global warming. He also shows himself traveling all over the world to show how global warming will affect all kinds of things and people.

I really enjoyed this movie because it provided me with cold hard facts. It gave a lot of statistics and put everything into perspective. Some of the facts that I gained from the movie are that the 10 hottest years are in the past 14 years and the hottest one was this past year. Also this year there was an all time record of the number of typhoons in Japan. Another fact that i got was that the Artic Ice Cap has thined out 40% in the past 40 years, and in within the next century there will be no more snows at Mt. Kilamanjaro in Africa. Some more information that i recieved that i thought was very important was about how the oceans are getting warmer. The higher temperatures are causing more storms. As the water temperature increases, wind increases and mositure content increases. This not only creates more storms but more powerful and bigger storms. In India there was a recorded 37 inches of rain in 24 hours and there has been mass flooding in China. Also because of these warmer water temperatures, Hurricane Katrina's size and power was greatly increased. As the hurricane passed over the warmer water it turned in to a disasterous storm. Although the facts were really helpful and insightful, my favorite parts of the movie had to be where Al Gore talked about how there were 928 peer review articles about global warming and none of them had and doubt about global warming. This shows how true of an issue it is and how people really need to pay attention to it. My other favorite part was at the end where there was a list of easy things that everyone can do to help with global warming. Some of the suggestions were, cut back on the use of electricity, plant a tree, recycle, etc. But the best one in my point of view was to spread the word about global warming. A lot of people either don't understand global warming or are not aware of it. It is Al Gores mission to help inform people about it and I really would like to do my part to help aswell. I watched this movie with my friend and after watching she said, "I knew a little about global warming, but i didn't know it was this bad." I believe this is how most people are, they need to be informed, and i hope that it happens soon so that we can do something about it before it is too late.

Artifact Three: Global Warming

Tidwell, Mike. "Fight global warming for $1 a day ... and still live comfortably; a Maryland freelance writer combines solar energy, efficient appliances and a corn-burning stove to lighten his family's impact on the planet.(Statistical Data Included)." Natural Life (May-June 2002): 8(2). Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Centennial High School (MD). 21 Dec. 2006
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This article shows how one family in the Western United States understands the effects of global warming and the things that are causing it in our everyday lives. This family knows about the planetary warming of approximately 10.4 degrees by 2100. They were frustrated with the government not taking any action so they decided to do it on their own. They use "photovoltaic panels on the roof" for electricity, a "potbellied stove that burns corn kernels" to provide cooking and heat, and "a separate rooftop panel that converts sunlight to heat energy" for hot water. The family only pays $30 for all of these devices and they are available for many North Americans. This family also said, "We switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs, bought an extremely high efficiency refrigerator and we began drying our clothes on a line." All of these actions dramatically help to reduce the amount of energy used and it was very easily done. They cut their electricity use by 52%.

Not only will you immensely cut your bills, but even here in Maryland, they will offer you a grant "up to $3600 toward solar photovoltaic systems plus a generous tax deduction." How could anyone deny an offer like this? Also, thanks to a subside from the U.S. Department of Energy the Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity dropped the prices of solar panels. By making all of these switches this family saves $578.00 a year. But more importantly than any of the money, all of these changes will help save the enviornment. If everyone made theses changes, it would make such a big difference. I find myself in my day to day making changes in the way s i do things. I will make sure there arent any unecessary lights or electronics on, i recycle more and more, and i'm informing my friends about the effects of their daily activities on the enviornment. I know i will keep up the changes i have made in my lifestyle and i hope that many more people can change the way that they live so that global warming can get under control.

Artifact Two: Global Warming

Mohammadi, Kamin. "Calling Robinson Crusoe: the Maldive islands are
renowned for their pristine beaches and spectacular diving. But global
warming is a dark cloud on their horizon. (Responsible travel)."
Geographical 74.5 (May 2002): 88(5). Student Resource Center - Gold.
Thomson Gale. Centennial High School (MD). 12 Dec. 2006
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The Maldives are a "chain of about 1,192 small coral islands arranged
in a series of clusters, or atolls." They are located in the southern
part of the Indian Ocean, about 600km south of Sri Lanka. They stretch
up from the equator to cover a vertical strip of about 750 km. Only 202
of the 1,192 islands are inhabited and "99% of the country's territory
is made up by the sea." "There are no rivers or mountains and the
islands lie low in the ocean, averaging only about a meter above sea
level." Not only are the actually islands beautiful but the aquatic
life is breathtaking. There are reefs and lagoons filled with an
assortment of brilliant fish. "The waters of the Maldives contain
three-quarters of the world's reef-fish species and are world famous
for diving."
As far back as 1992 after the Rio de Janero's Earth Summit, President Gayoom
warned people of the effects of global warming. He said that "his
country could well disappear some time during the 21st century." The
Maldives along with many other small islands are very worried about the
rising sea level. Scientists also believe that global warming can lead
to increases in maximum tropical clyclone wind speed and lower the
central pressures, which can lead to more damaging storms. These storms
can destroy not only the islands but the coral reefs. The Maldives
coral reef suffered much damage in 1988 after the EL Nino storm and the effects of global warming could do much more damage.
The danger to the Maldives is real and the islanders are doing their part to help. At the Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huraa every night they host a "'Fish Talk.' It is a serious 45 minute lecture given by the resorts marine biologist and aimed at raising awareness of the underwater environment, including the creation of coral and the recent bleaching phenomenon." The Alliance of Small Island Nations (AOSIS) has helped recognize the plight of the Maldives and many other small islands. The Four Seasons Hotel has also launched a "adopt a reef ball project." This project aims to help the damaged reef around the resort. At the Soneva Fushi resort on the Baa Atoll, the owners were so concerned about maintaining the natural habitat that they asked their guests to cycle through therain forest to their cottages and they recycled everything that they could. Many resorts are big on recycling and shops refuse to stock endangered corals and shells. The truly sad part about this situation is that the Maldives islands are paying the price of global warming even though
they had little cause for global warming. The Maldives have no heavy industries and they own fewer than 3,000 carbondioxide-emitting vehicles. The natives may loose everything and a precious part of our earth is slipping away.


My Questions:
1. What else can be done to help prevent the Maldives from slipping away?
2. What can we do to help the Maldives?
3. How are the rising sea levels due to global warming effecting other areas such as the Inner Harbor in Baltimore?