Page 39 - 200704 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - April 2007

Facts About Global Warming 39 Facts About Global Warming 39 Global Warming Fast converted forests and rangelands into farms, anthropogenic changes in land use, which have Global Warming Fast Facts began to develop about 10,000 years ago. the effect of reducing the net uptake of carbon Facts dioxide. ~ The agricultural revolution caused a reduction in standing biomass in the biosphere and ~ Anthropogenic changes in land use occur reduced the uptake of carbon dioxide in when forests are converted to rangelands, midlatitudinal regions, indirectly contributing, rangelands to agriculture, and agriculture to however so slightly, to global warming. urban areas. ~ The concentration of carbon dioxide in the ~ Other patterns of land degradation-- atmosphere increased gradually from a low of deforestation, overgrazing, overcultivation, 190 ppm 21,000 year ago, to about 290 ppm in desertification, and salinization--reduce the net the year 1900, i.e., at an average rate of 0.00478 uptake of carbon dioxide, indirectly ppm per year. contributing, however slightly, to global warming. by Victor Miguel Ponce by Victor Miguel Ponce ~ The industrial revolution, where humans developed machines (artificial animals, since Global Warming by the Global Warming by the ~ The Earth was formed about 4,540,000,000 they consume fuels, which are mostly organic Numbers years ago. matter), began in England about 240 years ago Numbers (1767). ~ In the beginning, the Earth's atmosphere contained very little oxygen (less than 1% ~ In October 1999, the world's population Chilling statistics to think Chilling statistics to think oxygen pressure). reached 6,000,000,000, which is double that of about the year 1959 (the doubling occurred in 40 about ~ Early plants started to develop more than 2 years). billion years ago, probably about 1 - Rank of 2005 as hottest year on record 2,700,000,000. ~ The world's population is currently increasing (tied with 1998), according to NASA. at the rate of about 80,000,000 per year (about ~ Through photosynthesis, plants uptake carbon 1.2 %). 100% - Increase in intensity and duration dioxide into the biosphere as organic matter, of hurricanes and tropical storms since the and release oxygen as a byproduct. ~ The current world population is 1970's, according to a 2005 MIT study. 6,575,000,000 (February 2007). ~ Through geologic time, oxygen accumulated $100 Billion - Estimate of damage caused gradually in the atmosphere, reaching a value of ~ The global fleet of motor vehicles is estimated by hurricanes hitting the U.S. coast in 2005 about 21% of atmospheric gases at the present at 830,000,000 (2006). alone, according to the National Climatic Data time. ~ The global fleet of motor vehicles has been Center. ~ Through geologic time, surplus organic matter recently growing at the rate of 16,000,000 per has been sequestered in the lithosphere as fossil year. 2030 - Year by which Glacier National Park organic materials (coal, petroleum, and natural will have no glaciers left, according to the U.S. gas). ~ Motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses, and Geological Survey predictions. scooters) account for 80% of all transport- ~ Early animals (the first organisms with related energy use. 400,000 - Square miles of Arctic sea ice that external shells) started to develop around have melted in the last 30 years (roughly the 600,000,000 years ago. ~ The concentration of carbon dioxide in the size of Texas), threatening polar bear habitats atmosphere, which was at 290 ppm in the year and further accelerating global warming ~ Animals operate in the opposite way than 1900, rose to 316 ppm in 1959, or at an average worldwide, according to the Arctic Climate plants: they take up oxygen, burn organic matter 0.44 ppm per year. Impact Assessment. (food), and release carbon dioxide as a byproduct. ~ Measurements of the concentration of carbon 15% - 37% - Amount of plant and animal dioxide since 1959 (316 ppm) have revealed an species that global warming could wipe out by ~ Early humans (Australopithecus anamensis) increase to 378 ppm in 2004, or at an average 2050. began to develop about 4,100,000 years ago. 1.38 ppm per year. 1 - Rank of the United States as a global ~ Cool climatic conditions have prevailed ~ The concentration of carbon dioxide has warming polluter compared to other large during the past 1,000,000 years. The species increased an average of about 1.8 ppm per year nations. Homo sapiens evolved under these climatic over the past two decades. conditions. 6 - Number of former U.S. Environmental ~ The concentration of carbon dioxide increased Protection Agency leaders who say the U.S. is ~ Homo sapiens dates back to more than 2.87 ppm in 1997-98, more than in any other not doing enough to fight global warming. 400,000 years. year of record. ~ Estimates for the variety Homo sapiens ~ The year 1998 was the warmest of record. The 0 - Number of bills passed by Congress to cut global warming pollution.[] sapiens, to which all humans belong, range from year 2002 was the second warmest (to that 130,000 to 195,000 years old. date). The year 2003 was the third warmest (to that date). The year 2004 was the fourth ~ The concentration of carbon dioxide in the warmest (to that date). Last year (2005) equaled atmosphere was as low as 190 ppm during the 1998 as the warmest of record. last Ice Age, about 21,000 years ago. ~ About 75% of the annual increase in ~ The last Ice Age began to recede about 20,000 atmospheric carbon dioxide is due to the years ago. burning of fossil fuels. ~ The agricultural revolution, where humans ~ The remaining 25% is attributed to