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The Top Ten Facts About Global Warming

Global warming is the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere. It is believed to be caused in part by the greenhouse effect -- the trapping of the sun's warmth. The burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas also contributes to the atmospheric rise in temperatures.

  1. Scientific Consensus

    • More than 90 percent of the scientists and official government participants in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report that global warming is occurring and humans are causing it.

    Carbon Dioxide

    • Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Since 1990, carbon dioxide emissions have increased by 20 percent each year. Humans dump about 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per second into the atmosphere. The United States is responsible for 19.91 percent of these emissions worldwide.

    Higher Temperatures

    • The high temperatures of the last 50 years are out of the ordinary for the last 1,300 years. The year 2000 to the year 2009 was the hottest decade on record. Additionally, 11 of the last 12 years were the hottest years ever recorded.

    Sea Level

    • Rising temperatures are causing glaciers to melt at an unprecedented rate, which contributes to the rise in sea level. The sea level has risen between four and eight inches during the last century. Experts predict that sea levels could rise by as much as two feet in the next 100 years.

    Severe Weather

    • Global warming produces increased incidences of severe weather. Fierce hurricanes -- which derive their power from warm waters -- can be attributed to the warmer oceans caused by global warming. Hot, dry conditions are ideal for sparking wildfires. Warmer temperatures can increase the rate of evaporation and lead to droughts and water shortages that can put crops and livestock at risk. Scientists predict that global warming will also increase incidences of heat waves.

    Heat-Related Deaths

    • According to the World Health Organization, about 150,000 deaths can be attributed to the effects of global warming each year. This includes extreme weather, heat waves, drought, the spread of diseases such as malaria, and decreases in food production.

    Migration

    • Global warming has resulted in the migration of hundreds of plants and animal species worldwide. At least 279 species have responded to the warmer temperatures by shifting habitat ranges northward. According to Camille Parmesan, biologist at the University of Texas at Austin, 99 species of birds, butterflies and alpine herbs shifted habitat range northward an average of about 3.8 miles per decade.

    Coral Reefs

    • Global warming has caused corals to respond to the stress of warmer temperatures by expelling the algae that lives within them -- a process called bleaching. Many times the coral dies and its ecosystem virtually disappears. A total of 16 percent of the world's reefs were wiped out in one year alone.

    Extinction

    • The effects of global warming could result in the extinction of 25 percent of the world's species. If temperatures continue to rise, more than 1 million species of plants and animals will vanish in the next 50 years.

    Prevention

    • It is too late to completely stop global warming, but steps can be taken to limit it. For example, we can limit greenhouse gas emissions by reducing fuel and energy consumption. This could help prevent the most extreme scenarios, such as mass extinction, from occurring.

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