Global Climate Change | ||||
The Issue Climate change is a global challenge that our generation must creatively address together. Sun rays warm the surface of Earth. Earth absorbs some of the heat from the rays and also reflects some of it off the Earth's surface. But only a small amount of the heat energy emitted from the surface goes through the atmosphere and back into space. Methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere create a kind of shield which holds the incoming solar heat in the atmosphere. As greenhouse gases are increased, the shield thickens and traps even more heat, thus increasing the warming of the surface. This is what is known as the greenhouse effect. During the Industrial Revolution, machines took over the work that had been done by human and animal labor. Coal, which was cheap and abundant, supplied the power for the factory system that replaced homemade goods. Although industrialized cities noticed the rise in air pollution, no one realized that a by-product of burning coal - carbon dioxide - was accumulating in the atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution began - around 200 years ago - our use of oil, coal and gas has forced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in disturbingly large amounts. Right now we are pumping 23 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Climate scientists see a distinct correlation between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and rising global temperatures. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reports that degradation of ecosystem services is harming many of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people, and is sometimes the main factor causing poverty. "The most vulnerable among us are poor people, who cannot afford to import resources from elsewhere when their ecosystems fail." According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "There is a discernible human influence on global climate. . . Coming changes will affect all aspects of the environment and societal well-being. . . The problem is expected to disproportionately affect the poor, the vulnerable, and generations yet unborn." Despite the potentially catastrophic consequences of global climate change and the opportunity for new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Americans frame environmental issues in opposition to jobs and a sound economy. IHMs in Action
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