CHAPTER 1 – The Global Warming

The Global Warming

Fusion reactions that occur on the inner regions of the Sun release very high amounts of energy. This energy is conveyed slowly to the Sun’s surface and from there it is spread to the space as electromagnetic waves in all wavelengths. The planets in the Solar System share a small part of this energy depending on their distance to the Sun while the rest continues to be spread in the space.

About a quarter of the beams that come to the Earth are reflected back to the space from the clouds. About one quarter of the remaining energy (28%) is absorbed by the ozone layer at the stratosphere and clouds and water vapor at the troposphere. 90% of the beams that are absorbed by the atmosphere are ultraviolet rays that we cannot see and 10% are visible rays. In other words, the atmosphere does not hinder nine tenth of the visible rays coming from the Sun from passing to the Earth. The Earth is warmed by such rays that reach it. The warm air that rises from the tropics moves to the poles and cold polar air moves to the Ecuador. Thus, life continues on Earth with processes such as atmospheric events, cycle of water, cycle of carbon, etc.

The Earth that is warmed with Sun beams start to act like a giant radiator. However, it cannot reflect this heat in all wavelengths like the Sun but can only reflect them in ultraviolet rays. Only a small part of such radiated rays can go to the space. This is caused by the water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane molecules in the atmosphere absorbing and then reflecting such rays to the ground. Thus, the Earth’s ground and troposphere become warmer than they should be. This incident resembles greenhouses that are warmed by the sunlight but cannot let go of the warmth inside and for this reason it is known as the natural greenhouse effect.

Since beginning of human life on Earth, this natural greenhouse effect had kept its natural balance that supported the life until humans achieved the Industrial Revolution and increased its population.

With human hand and its civilization, the natural greenhouse effect in the last fifty years has ceased to be natural, became abnormal and lost the ability to balance itself. The loss of balance of the greenhouse effect introduced the concept global warming to our lives and became an increasingly powerful nightmare.

The global warming is a representation used to describe the increase in average heat of the atmosphere which covers our world like a thin membrane and is the source of life and oceanic waters that compose two thirds of the planet that we live in.

Physical Effect of the Global Warming – Climate Change

Carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane gases prevent radiation coming from the Sun to reflect out of the atmosphere. As a result, heat of the radiation coming from the Sun increase heat on the Earth.

Due to intensive fossil fuel consumption by the humans, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere in very high amounts. As a result of erosion, floods, and illegal housing, plant species have been disappearing which prevents transformation of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The plant cover has been disappearing and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that holds sunlight has been fast increasing. This inverse proportion between these two factors that are among causes of global warming has been intensifying the greenhouse effect.

Increasing heat on our Earth leads to increased vaporization on the surface of the planet which in turn accelerates creation of clouds in the sky. Radiation coming from the Sun is either reflected out or absorbed by the clouds. The radiation that is sent out of the atmosphere hits cloud layers that are increased because of water vapor and again, either reflected out or absorbed. In short, increased density of clouds prevents radiation reflecting out at one time or at all. Radiation hits clouds more than once and returning to the Earth, contributes to increasing greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.

In 1960’s 20 per cent of the glaciers had already been melted. Because of faster increase of heat in the North Pole, glaciers at this region continue to melt down. It is estimated that in case glaciers continue to melt down in today’s pace, by 2050 there would be no glaciers left on Earth.

“Keeling Curve”* established that in the North Hemisphere the amount of carbon dioxide released in every fall with decaying trees and plants is higher than the carbon dioxide absorbed by plants in the North Hemisphere every spring. This demonstrates theta every year our fossil fuel addicted civilization releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere more than the amount that plant cover can clean. Consequently, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would double in amount and accelerate the global warming. In case global precautions are not put in place, average heat of the globe might rise from 3 degrees to even 6 degrees. Scientists describe this (the effect caused by human intervention) as the cause of 80 per cent of direct and indirect global warming.

*Subtitle; Masters of Climate, Tim Flannery, in Silent Spring by Richard Carson pioneering book of the environmentalist movement.

Causes of Global Climate Change

13 thousand years ago our planted entered into a stable climate zone. Stable climate allowed for a civilization to grow on the Earth. The current known as Gulf Stream in the Pacific Ocean contributes to creation of a stable climate on the Earth. In the last 50 years the global warming has been causing cold sweet waters of the glaciers melting down in the Atlantic to flow and mix into the Pacific Ocean. This current from the glaciers has been effecting current in the Pacific Ocean and slowing it down.

Scientists determined that the oceanic current that stabilizes the climate is not as strong as it was in the past. Slowing of the current in the Pacific Ocean effect stability of climate and leads to global climate change. Climate change in turn effects sources such as agriculture, energy, settlement of population, and drinking water and leads to hunger, poverty, unrest and war. The first points to be effected shall be the most civilized places because of their dependence on technology. Scientists estimated that with 50 per cent probability the oceanic current might stop completely in 100 years.

The natural causes of climate change are not completely known. Although there are a number of theories trying to explain the climate change, none of them is able to explain fully various fluctuations happened in the past. The most important reason of this is the number of factors effecting climate change and their complex interactions. One of the main theories explaining the Global Warming and Climate Change is the “Fossil Fuel Theory”. Another one is based on the gamma ray explosions and is known as the “Sekar-John/Velikovsky Theory”.

We do not know more than what the scientists predict about the direction climate change will take as a result of the global warming. Since we do not know what will happen in the future, decreasing spread of greenhouse gases and pollutant materials would definitely help the humanity. On the report (IPCC, 1996) prepared by the International Panel on the Climate Change (IPCC) that was organized jointly by the World Meteorology Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) is was noted that there was a pronounced human effect on “global” climate and that “the climate had changed in the last century”.

As a result, scientists cannot predict exactly the global warming that might be unstoppable due to the actions humans take considering nothing but their own existence on Earth and disasters the global warming would bring. However, global and regional climate change has begun. Abnormal increase in heat, floods, changes in precipitation, regional crop scarcity, drought, and desertification have been fast continuing.

RESOURCES; *Ahrens, D. C. (2000). Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment (6th Ed.). Brooks/Cole, CA.

  *IPCC. (1996). Climate Change 1995, The Science of Climate Change. Contribution of Working

  *Group I to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

  *Change, Houghton J, T., et al., eds., WMO/UNEP. Cambridge University Press, New York.

  *http://www.iklim.cevreorman.gov.tr/

  *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

  *http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/

  *http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

Reflections of the Global Warming on the Earth

In Alaska, which is the closest part of the U.S to the North Pole, temperature can rise up to 28 degrees Centigrade. And people can swim in where there were glaciers in the past.

In Siberia it is established that 11 thousand year-old marsh glaciers as wide as areas of France and Germany combined has started to melt down because of the global warming. With frozen earth melting down, the fossils in the soil will come into open and decay. This means billions of tones of methane gases will come out. This mass that is 20 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide will double the greenhouse effect.

We are losing the Amazon Forests in Brazil every year. Trees that absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) when they are alive release it back after they die. In case there is three years of drought in the Amazon Forests, the trees disappear in the fourth year. In the last 2 years precipitation in the Amazons has been very low due to the global warming.

The changes in North Atlantic currents are accelerated. Gulf Stream is slowing down because of melting glaciers, etc. This slowing down decreases temperature and changes the climate.

Greenland is melting down. In case it melts down completely, the level of seas and oceans is expected to rise up to 10 meters. This means we will lose the most intense (civilized) settlement places in the world.

In the recent years it was established that the Global Warming cools down stratosphere, which is the top layer of the atmosphere. Cooling stratosphere prevents the ozone layer from recuperating itself and delays its balancing.

Thinning ozone layer leads to disappearing of the planktons. Planktons live in the sea and oceans and compose the lowest layer of food chain. Most of the sea creatures feed on planktons. Yet other creatures feed on the creatures that feed on planktons. A rupture of the food chain means the complete chain shall be affected and will disappear in time.

The Saharan Desert becomes smaller every year. Regional winds carry dust from the desert to the oceans and feed the planktons with its minerals. As the Saharan Desert becomes smaller and the ozone layer continues to become thinner, planktons will approach extinction.

The Himalayas and its glaciers act as mirrors and reflect sunlight back. This reflection meant balancing temperature of the earth. Now since glaciers on the Himalayas are melting down, the temperature is not balanced as it was in the past. Also, rivers that flow from the mountains and lakes are drying and leading to drought and famine.

Munson rains have lost their balance. They either rain too much and lead to flood or do not rain enough and cause drought. This means terrible rain and flood disasters and disappearance of agriculture and settlement areas in India.

It is estimated that enormous amounts of frozen methane gases beds on the ocean beds will be exposed with global warming and increase the temperature.

Also, 500 billion tons of a new carbon source unknown so far was found in these frozen earth. It is estimated that these earth will thaw and increase the temperature. This means, we will not be able to stop the disasters after a point even if we want to.

With increasing global warming El Nino oceanic current may appear every year. That might create floods and hurricanes.

There are signs of drought in Europe. In German agriculture alarm bells are ringing. The farmers are taken aback. In Spain fires have turned hectares of land into ash and have been destroying plant coverage every day. In India floods are taking thousands of lives. China is covered with hurricanes.

In the last 20 years, 20% of the Amazon Forests have been destroyed by humans. Cutting of trees in the Amazon Forests has been increasing at a pace of 25% every year and continuing to destroy lungs of the Earth.

Resources***World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Reports,

United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis reports,

Statements of Dr. James Hansen who gave the first warning about climate change

Extinction of species means disappearance of some ecosystems. Extinction of some species leads to disruption and rupture of food chain. Disruption of food chain results in unrest due to interregional or interspecies hunger and thirst. Hunger and thirst are messengers of new conflicts and war over diminishing resources.

We are not alone on this planet. We are not lonely. We are living together with our children, other human brothers, plants, animals in sea and on land. This planet is our home. It is where we continue our existence. This planet and us are one and only. We are just like a living organism.

We have an obligation towards our planet and other living creatures on it which allow us to exist for centuries as an intelligent and conscious species.

Individuals living on the Earth can take responsibility of their lives, humanity, others and the planet and change after learning what has been happening to the Planet Earth.

Changing, changing our consumption habits, building a life style that would not pollute the nature, and affecting other people around us to change in this direction are our responsibilities towards this world. Gaining consciousness as a society, claiming our lives, planet, and future will bring with it change of human consciousness and change every individual’s thoughts, perception of the world and others, emotions and actions. We can realize a greener and cleaner world, a human civilization that exists and shares with love and that melts in the friendship pot to serve the humans.

We, as adults, are responsible for what is happening to the Earth.

And we can change by assuming the responsibility of “change.”

The POWER OF LOVE in all of us in enough.

IF WE CHANGE, EVERYTHING WILL HAVE TO CHANGE.

Our change has the power to change dark systems, corrupt institutions, production modals that pollute the earth and consume our lives, selfish political structures that dispossess us of the power of being human, ossified relations, in short, EVERYTHING you can think of.

Systems exist for humans. Humans do not exist for systems. If we do not exist and participate in the system, the system cannot exist as well. It can not sustain itself. If humans rebel and do not participate in the existing order, systems will need to change. “Consciousness and Power of Love” in humans can rebuild new systems and a livable world if we all act together.

Then, every moment and tomorrow will be wonderful for ourselves, our children, our human brothers, other species and our world.

WHAT CAN BE DONE AGAINST THE GLOBAL WARMING

You can visit www.kuresel-isinma.org for more information on what can we do individually against the global warming.