Global Warming

I am taking a class on Major Environmental Issues this semester in order to fulfill a gen ed. I was hoping this class would help me make sense of the crazy winter we are having or more appropriately not having.
As of now I know how ozone is created and much to my surprise it is not the hole in the ozone that is the main contributor to this crazy heat wave we’re having in the middle of winter. In fact the ozone layer is recovering now a day and is expected to be back to its normal condition by 2050. This recovery is due to the international ban placed on the production of CFCs, an element used in cooling systems and aerosols.
I also have learned the difference between global warming and global change. Global warming is an increase globally averaged surface temperature. According to my professor, Robert G Keesee, the level of Carbon Dioxide in the air increases the risks of global warming. The majority of this Carbon Dioxide comes from burning coal and raw fuel.  One of the largest fears of global warming is its ability to cause a global change. If this occurs the ecology and or social environment would change which would change the world as we know it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I wore flip flops when I walked my dog today and loved every second of it. I definitely don’t miss trudging through the tundra in order to get to class either.  But I would miss blue skies and green grass if carbon dioxide continues to be emitted into the air.  

February 9, 2006. Uncategorized, Weather/ Travel, Weather/Travel.