Global Warming: What is Our Role?

You have probably heard that global warming is accelerating at a faster pace all the time.  The question is this; how much of it is due to human, or anthropogenic, activity?  The answer may surprisingly be not as much as you may think.  We can still, however, get the ball rolling toward becoming free from fossil fuel dependence and ensuring that we do not create a negative effect on the atmosphere.  

Global warming has been a concern for decades.  Garnering much attention beginning around the 1950’s, global warming refers to the rise of the average temperature of the air and oceans around the Earth.  Since that time until the end of the 20th Century, the Earth’s average temperature rose 0.74   0.18°C which is 1.33   0.32°F.  The discrepancy results from the different sensitivities of the models used  toward greenhouse gas concentrations.  The bottom line is this; the temperature rose.  

There is debate whether greenhouse gases that lead to global warming reach harmful levels due to human activity.  Fossil fuels are of course burned as we travel from place to place in our cars and trucks.  As the fuel burns, carbon emissions are released that make their way into the atmosphere, possibly damaging the ozone and trapping the sun’s rays.  Some media outlets with an agenda would have you believe that humans are solely responsible for the negative effects of global warming, but the amount of CO2 needed to make a difference does not reach high enough into the atmosphere.  

Quite frankly, humanity’s hand in global warming may be exaggerated.  This does not mean that we should ignore it.  We can still engage in practices that will limit our role in adding to the problem.  Many major cities (and even intermediate ones) provide mass transit systems such as buses, subway/tube systems, and even trolleys.  Granted, buses burn fossil fuels, but think of the amount of emissions created by one vehicle compared to the many vehicles that all of the riders would drive on their own.  Is it so difficult to allow a few extra minutes each day to follow the mass transit schedule?  It seems that sometimes people wish to come and go at their leisure and therefore drive their own vehicle to and from their destination.  

Here is where some controversy arises.  I will freely admit that switching to common renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and water may not have a huge effect on reducing global warming.  The problem is that we could have been fossil fuel free as early as the middle 20th Century.  Many of the executives in the coal and oil industry, however, used their considerable resources to suppress the proliferation of advanced alternative energy technology.  Research into areas such as electromagnetic systems and high-end physics has continued for over a century, but has been largely ignored.  The Orion Project, for example, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing alternative, clean energy sources by supporting investors and scientists intent on bringing these technologies to light.

Until this project gains ground and advanced alternative energy is developed, the groundwork is being laid to being independent of fossil fuels.  So how do we go about the admittedly drastic change from fossil fuels to renewable energy?  World governments are helping by creating initiatives that encourage the proliferation and implementation of renewable energy sources.  In fact, as of late 2009, 187 countries and states have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.  This plan is intended to stabilize the amount of greenhouse gas concentration in our atmosphere as a result of human, or anthropogenic, activities.  Though not as drastic as some outlets would have you believe, human contributions toward global warming can still be limited.  In 2007, the American Solar Energy Association released a report outlining a method that would displace around 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions that possibly lead to global warming by 2030.  The Kyoto Protocol is more ambitious with its timeline, as it calls for all participating countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from 1990 levels by 2012.  This may seem like a daunting task, but if everyone does his or her part, it is achievable.  Though the effects of humanity on global warming may be exaggerated, what’s wrong with operating cleanly anyway?

Many governments are offering grants and other assistance to encourage homeowners to outfit their vehicles and homes with renewable energy operations.  Some of these outfits include fuel cells for cars and solar panels for homes.  And on a national level, countries are able to participate in emissions trading.  In brief, countries are held to certain limits regarding carbon emissions. Countries that do not create an abundance of emissions are able to trade “credits” to those countries that may emit more so that they do not violate the international limits agreed upon.  As previously mentioned, much of this carbon does not reach high enough into the atmosphere to cause great damage, but leveling out the emissions now certainly won’t hurt the cause to limit human effects on the environment.
Change is never easy.  We are used to the comforts of our homes and vehicles without sacrifice.  But how much of a sacrifice is it really to allow beneficial change?  From supporting programs such as The Orion Project and allowing for renewable energy to become part of our lives, we can stay out of the global warming loop.  Whether global warming is simply the natural course of life or not, humankind can do its part to help in any way it can.

By Robert Deckard for New-Energy-Portal.com