ORIGINAL: Earthy Issues
Climate is the temperature, humidity, precipitation, winds, radiation, and other meteorological conditions characteristic of a locality or region over an extended period of time.
Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences. Average weather may include average temperature, precipitation and wind patterns .
The term Global Warming refers to the observation that the atmosphere near the Earth's surface is warming. This warming is one of many kinds of climate change that the Earth has gone through in the past and will continue to go through in the future. It is reasonable to expect that the Earth should warm as the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases. It is known for certain that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are rising dramatically due to human activity. It is less well known exactly how the increases in these greenhouse gases factor in the observed changes of the Earth's climate and global temperatures.
The major greenhouse gases are:
- water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds)
- carbon dioxide, which causes 9–26%
- methane, which causes 4–9%
- ozone, which causes 3–7%.
It is not possible to state that a certain gas causes a certain percentage of the greenhouse effect, because the influences of the various gases are not additive. (The higher ends of the ranges quoted are for the gas alone; the lower ends, for the gas counting overlaps.)
Other greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons.
Human beings can contribute to global warming and climate change by polluting and cutting down rainforests, but humans can not control the climate or change it. The climate system is very complex and has many variables and components. Human beings do not control all the variables and components or the Planet Earth.
Any organization or person that is saying things like "we can solve the climate crisis" or "we can stop global warming" are making statements that are just "Advertising Slogans" impossible to accomplish.
To actually "stop global warming" or "solve the climate crisis" human beings would have the ability to control the following to name a few:
- The Sun
- Volcanic Activity
- The Weather
- The Atmosphere
- All Human Activities
- The Oceans
No matter how aggressively heat-trapping emissions are reduced, some amount of climate change and resulting impacts will continue. Consequently, there is a need for adaptation and mitigation.
“Adaptation” – improving our ability to cope with or avoid harmful impacts or taking advantage of newly favorable conditions
Mitigation is defined as -to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate- to make less severe. At best human beings can slightly modify climate change.
“Mitigation” – reducing the amount of climate change, for example, by reducing heat-trapping emissions or increasing their removal from the atmosphere
We should try to be the best protectors of the planet as much as we are capable and adapt to and prepare for the changes in the Earth's Climate that are inevitable.
NASA:Clouds and Earth's Radiation Budget
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| Credit:NASA |
There are three main factors that directly influence the energy balance of the earth and it's temperature:
- The total energy influx, which depends on the earth's distance from the sun and on solar activity
- The chemical composition of the atmosphere
- Albedo, the ability of the earth's surface to reflect light.
Solar Variability: Striking a Balance with Climate Change NASA Video
Credit:
GRACE Goddard Space Flight Center NASA, UNEP, EPA, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, NOAA, University of Colorado, CIA, U.S. Department of Energy
Data compiled from The British Antarctic Study, NASA, Environment Canada, UNEP, EPA and other sources as stated and credited Researched by Charles Welch-Updated daily This Website is a project of the The Ozone Hole Inc. a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization http://www.theozonehole.com
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© Charles Welch 2012
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