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Students! Thinking about your future?
Click here for a special
section of our site made just for you. Tons of career
and homework resources.. |
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The Future
of Earth
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Global Warming
The National Academy of Sciences,
a private organization of top scientists that advises the
U.S. government on scientific matters, reported on June
22, 2006, that the "recent warmth is unprecedented for at
least the last 400 years and potentially the last several
millennia" and that "human activities are responsible for
much of the recent warming".
The report goes on to say
that from the start of the 20th century, there were sharp
rises in the "greenhouse" gases, carbon dioxide and
methane. These two gases are believed to be the main
contributors to global warming, by trapping heat in the Earth's
atmosphere, similar to the way that a windshield traps
heat in a car.
What is producing enough
greenhouse gases to change the climate of our planet?
Since the industrial age began, factories, power plants,
and cars have burned coal and gasoline. Spitting out an
endless stream of carbon dioxide. We produce millions of
pounds of methane by allowing our trash to decompose in
landfills and from agricultural sources like cattle and
fertilizer.
Scientists all
over the world agree that humans are the cause of global
warming and that it could have catastrophic effects. It is
important for all countries to reduce emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases now, to limit the
future effects of global warming.
As a society,
we must break our dependency on fuels
that cause pollution by supporting clean, renewable energy sources.
Each of us can slow global warming by reducing the amount of
energy we use and the pollution we produce as individuals
every day.
The
Impacts of Global Warming
What effects will global
warming have on the Earth and its inhabitants in the
future? Are there any effects from global warming visible
now?
Due to the enormous complexity of the
atmosphere, the most useful tools for gauging future
changes are 'climate models'. These are computer programs
which simulate the climate's behavior.
Climate models are
constantly improving based on both our understanding and
the increase in computer power. However, climate models
are just simulations and they can only be as good as the
knowledge and skill of the people who create them. With that in mind, here are
what some scientists are predicting as the
potential consequences of global warming.
Earth
A number of geologists suggest that
glacial melting due to climate change will release
pressures in the Earth's crust, causing extreme geological
events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic
eruptions.
Wind
The number of powerful and dangerous hurricanes could
increase. Warmer water in the oceans pumps more energy
into tropical storms, making them more intense and
potentially more destructive.
Fire
Heat
waves could be more frequent and severe. This could cause
more heat related
deaths.
Warmer and dryer conditions could bring drought conditions
and increase the risk of wildfires.
More on
Global Warming
Here are some of the
articles and sites I found on global warming.
*Linking to an article
does not imply endorsement
Human Cause, Global Effect
60 Minutes interview of James Hansen
How to Fight Global Warming
Hurricanes and Global Warming
The Cooler Heads Coalition
EPA - Global Warming
Sierra Club
Greenhouse gases
Environmental Defense
Potential Outcome
Earth Observatory
ClimateHotMap.org
Union of Concerned Scientists
Geoengineering: How to Cool Earth at a
Price
The Kyoto
Protocol
Over a decade
ago, most countries joined an international treaty, the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), to consider what could be done to reduce global
warming and to cope with potential temperature increases.
Recently, a number of nations have approved an addition to
the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has more powerful
and legally binding measures.
The Kyoto
Protocol
The
Rainforests
Rainforests are forests where more than
100 inches of rain fall each year so they are always green
and full of life. More than half of the world’s plant and
animal species live in rainforests.
Rainforest Alliance
Here are some sites about rainforests:
The Road to Recover
The Tropical Rain Forest
The Living Rainforest
The
future of tropical forests
Tropical Rainforest Coalition
Save The
Rainforest, Inc.
Rainforest Portal
Rainforest Information Centre
Passport to the Rainforest
Erasable Paper
Xerox is developing a printer with disappearing ink.
Special paper erases itself after 24 hours, allowing
it to be reprinted on up to 100 times. This green
printer, that currently prints only in black, could
save trees and energy.
Erasable Paper
Good
CARMA
CARMA reveals the carbon emissions of
more than 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power
companies in every country on Earth.
Carbon Monitoring for Action
Our Future Water Supply
In the future, global
warming and increased population could cause water
shortages. Even today, there are millions of people that
do not have access to clean water. Can technology provide
the world with fresh, abundant water?
The eco machine that can magic water out of thin air
Video - Stephen Colbert puts inventor Dean Kamen's vapor
compression distiller to the test.
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The Doomsday Vault
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, or the Doomsday
Vault as the media have called it, is a shining
example of people looking towards the future,
considering what could happen, then preparing for
the worst case scenario.
Arctic Seed Vault
Vertical Farming
A vertical farm, 20 stories
high and the size of a city block, would have the capacity
to grow enough organic vegetables to supply a whole town.
There are plenty of positives. 24/7 crop production, no
crop failures from droughts, floods or pests. The
problem? The estimated cost of developing and maintaining
such large scale urban agriculture, with its massive
artificial lighting and hydroponic systems, puts the price
of vertical farm produced tomatoes at around $7(USD) each.
Obstacles to vertical
farming could soon be overcome by technology. Vertical
farms may be a good application for
metamaterials, the
new stuff scientists are creating that can bend light.
Advances in solar cell technology, lighting, fiber optics,
building materials and biotechnology could also make vertical farms
more viable.
Vertical farms appear to be
a practical solution to the growing demand for food and
farmland.
Image from
PlantagonBlog.com
More information
on vertical farming:
The
Vertical Farm
Large Scale Urban Agriculture
Could vertical farming be the future?
Vertical Farm Plans Keeps Growing
Food, Fuel and Farming: the Sky's the Limit
Agriculture In The Urban Landscape
Wikipedia
Sky Farm Proposed for Downtown Toronto
More Links
Earth Impacts Linked to Human-Caused
Climate Change
A new NASA-led study shows
that human-caused climate change has impacted a wide range
of Earth's natural systems, from permafrost thawing to
plants blooming earlier across Europe to lakes declining
in productivity in Africa.
Human-Caused Climate Change
A Census of Marine Life
The Census
of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more
than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative
to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and
abundance of life in the oceans. The world's first
comprehensive Census of Marine Life-past, present, and
future-will be released in 2010.
Global Ecological Overshoot
Overshoot
could be the biggest issue you’ve never heard of, yet its
causes and effects are as simple as they are significant.
For example, in any given year if we cut down trees faster
than the forests can grow them back or catch more fish
than the oceans can replenish, we begin liquidating the
planet’s assets. The consequences of our annual overshoot
is an accumulating ecological debt, with consequences
including global climate change, species extinction,
insecure energy supplies, water shortages, and crop
failure.
Global Footprint Network
Is genetic engineering the future of our
food supply? The first genetically
engineered product went on the market in 1994. The FDA
determined that a new tomato, which could be shipped
vine-ripened without rotting rapidly, was as safe as other
commercial tomatoes. Since then, more than 50 other
genetically engineered foods have been determined by the
agency to be as safe as their conventional counterparts.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America
estimates that between 70 percent and 75 percent of
all processed foods available in U.S. grocery stores
may contain ingredients from genetically engineered
plants. Breads, cereal, frozen pizzas, hot dogs and
soda are just a few of them.
Soybean oil, cottonseed oil and corn syrup are
ingredients used extensively in processed foods.
Soybeans, cotton and corn dominate the 100 million
acres of genetically engineered crops that were
planted in the United States in 2003, according to
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through
genetic engineering, these plants have been made to
ward off pests and to tolerate herbicides used to
kill weeds. Other crops, such as squash, potatoes,
and papaya, have been engineered to resist plant
diseases.
More than 50 biotech food products
have been evaluated by the FDA and found to be as safe as
conventional foods, including canola oil, corn, potatoes,
soybeans, squash, sugar beets and tomatoes.
Sources:
Council for
Biotechnology Information, Food and Drug Administration
Genetically Modified Links
Biotechnology Primer - Monsanto
Understanding Genetics - The Tech Museum of Innovation
Our Future Food Supply
For many of the same
reasons that water shortages are predicted, much of the
world population could face food shortages.
Half of world's population could face climate-induced food
crisis by 2100
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