In class, we learned that the first three consequences of a warmer earth include:
1. expansion of seawater
2. melting of land based ice (increase in sea-level, flooding of low lying cities)
3. ecosystem shift – because of precipitation and temperature changes
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) estimated that there would be a sea level increase of 9 to 88 centimeters in the 21st century. If there was a 50 centimeter increase, many coastal areas would be flooded and made much more prone to damage from storms, displacing millions of people. (yes, that was a homework question!!)
These are all consequences we learned COULD happen with a warmer earth, but when there’s a real threat, things seem a lot different.
On Monday, Indonesia’s environment minister announced that the country could lose about 2,000 islands due to climate change. He said that studies by U.N. experts showed that sea levels were expected to rise about 89 centemeters by the year 2030. Indonesia is a country of 17,000 islands. If there was a sea-level rise of 89 centemeters, 2,000 small islands would be completely underwater.
Map of Indonesia from Wikipedia
Indonesia has been trying to keep such a crisis from happening by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and switching to biofuels, which would reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. When fossil fuels are burned, “greenhouse gases” such as CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere. When IR light hits these greenhouse gases, the way electrons are arranged in a molecule can change- so the gases can become stretched or bent. A stretched or bent molecule is a high-energy molecule, and when it collides with other molecules, it transfers the energy and results in a higher kinetic energy, or a higher temperature. Therefore, with less greenhouse gases in the air, the temperature doesn’t have the ability to rise as much.
Rachmat Witoelar (Indonesia’s environment minister) is confident in the countries efforts.
“We are optimistic it can be prevented. Switching to biofuels is not only good for the environment but also will benefit us economically considering the volatile state of oil prices,” he said.
Another problem Indonesia is having due to climate change is a shortage in rice production. A draft U.N. report that will be released on February 2nd projects a big rise in temperatures this century and warns of more heat waves, floods, droughts and rising seas linked to greenhouse gases.
Currently, 35 industrial nations have agreed to cut emissions by 5% by 2008-2012 under the Kyoto Protocol. George Bush pulled the U.S. out of the agreement in 2001 because “it would damage our economy.”
In Paris right now, scientists and government officials are attempting to come up with the next authoritative report on global warming that is due to be released on Friday. (this will the the fourth report since 1990) In the bluntest language used yet, the report from the IPCC will warn the world that global warming is here and worsening. Hopefully, this will be the one to wake people up and make them realize that global warming is really happening.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16867998/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16904378/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Id-map.png
