What causes global
warming? You do,silly!
Kevin Cummins
Sierra Club Volunteer
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Increases in carbon dioxide cause
the earth to get warmer
Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) (plus
other gases like methane) in the atmosphere absorb
heat radiating from the earth.
This trapped heat increases the evaporation of water from
the oceans into the air to cause a greater increase in
warming of the atmosphere. CO2 has a forcing effect
on climate.
The combined effect of water vapor, carbon dioxide and
methane controls the temperature of the earth.
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Source: OSTP

Carbon dioxide levels in the
atmosphere are increasing
Carbon dioxide is produced from burning
wood, coal, gas, etc.
The amount in the atmosphere has risen
from 280 ppm (100+ years ago) to 370
ppm today.
This increase in carbon dioxide is the
atmosphere is increasing the heat being
absorbed from the earth.
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CO2,CH4 and estimated
global temperature
(Antarctic ΔT/2
in ice core era)
0 = 1880-1899 mean.
Source: Hansen, Clim.
Change, 68, 269, 2005.
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Today’s atmosphere blanket is too
thick!
The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere
traps more heat and causes more water
vapor to evaporate into the atmosphere.
Our new blanket around the world is
simply making the earth too warm!
We need a thinner blanket for our earth!
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What can happen if we don’t
produce less CO2 ?
Temperatures will get warmer.
Glaciers will melt, ice sheets in Artic will
melt (Polar Bears hunt on ice sheets)
Sea levels will rise. Utah will be on Pacific
Coast…. NOT!
More droughts in dry areas and more rain
and snow in wet areas.
More violent weather around the world.
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2100 If nothing is done to slow
greenhouse gas emissions. . .
• CO2 concentrations will likely
be more than 700 ppm by 2100
• Global average temperatures
projected to increase between
2.5 - 10.4°F
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Source: OSTP

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Surface Melt on Greenland
Melt descending
into a moulin,
a vertical shaft
carrying water
to ice sheet base.
Source: Roger Braithwaite,
University of Manchester (UK)
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How can we stop the earth’s
“blanket” from getting us to warm?
We must start putting less carbon dioxide into
the air.
Most the CO2 in the air will be around for 100
years.
We need to burn less gasoline in our cars.
Burn less coal (or burn it cleaner) for our
electricity.
Use less gas to heat our homes.
Use less gas and electricity in our factories and
on our farms.
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What can we use for energy to
replace carbon based fuels?
Solar
Biofuels
Wind
Nuclear Power (may be necessary
whether we like it or not!)
Geothermal
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We can also use less fuel
Higher mileage cars
Live and work closer to home
Walk, ride bikes
Better insulated homes
Use more efficient lights (fluorescent/LED)
More efficient factories
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What can you do about?
Discuss it with your parents, friends and
relatives
Conserve more yourself.
Write your elected officials
Go to college and find new and better
solutions for the future.
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So what’s the bad news/good news
if we don’t act soon?
Bad news: We could lose control of the
temperature rise of the earth. CO2 and methane
from warm tundra and oceans could be released
to atmosphere. This could be beyond our
control. A “run away condition”
Good news: Schools would close. NOT!
Good news: Maybe global engineering could
save us! (reflectors in space, dust in space)
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What can the future hold for you
children?
More community spirit- we all must work
together to solve the global warming
problem
A safer world with fewer enemies. GW
can only be solved with world cooperation.
Less proverty in the world. Solving the
world’s GW problem cooperatively will
require that proverty be reduced.
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As my high school teacher used to
say:
“Don’t be a carbuncle on the butt of
society!”
Get out there and make the world a better
place to live!
And also don’t forget to take care of the
elderly along the way (Myself included)
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References
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, www.ipcc.ch/
“The New Scientist.com”, A Special Report on Climate Change,
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change.
“Defusing the Global Warming Time Bomb” by James Hansen,
Scientific American, 290, no. 3, March 2004, pp. 68-77. (available
for download at http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/)
EPA global warming Website:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
“Climate Change and Utah”, USEPA, EPA 236-F-98-007z. Sept.
1998, available at :
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/us-utah.html
For young children (story book style):
http://www.unep.org/PDF/TORE.pdf
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Disclaimer
The preceding is my opinion and does not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the Sierra
Club.
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