Global Warnings Dr. Molly Barrow Expert author of Matchlines relationships self help

Our atmosphere is holding on to too much CO2, a waste product that comes from our dirty little habits like coal and oil burning. About 75% of the annual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is due to the burning of fossil fuels. The remaining 25% happens when forests are converted to rangelands, rangelands to agriculture, and agriculture to urban areas, which have the effect of reducing the net uptake of carbon dioxide (http://globalwarming.sdsu.edu/). Temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8 °C this century which is a much more rapid rate of warming than during the 20th century. Heat holding CO2 is bad news but the really uncomfortable part is that severe consequences are happening faster than expected. Factual evidence before our eyes like drowning polar bears and penguins may break our hearts, but still not make us change our light bulbs.

In its most recent (2007) report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that surface temperatures could rise up to 10.4 degrees F over this century, and sea levels could rise nearly six meters. Since scientists under reported or missed the current effects in previous scientific papers, can we assume the actual facts are much worse than reported. If we list the annual death to Americans, humans, or species in a chart, terrorism is way at the bottom and global warming is way at the top. That is the strange disconnect. The tunnel vision politicians spend our tax money like a college girl with Daddy’s credit card and sweep more important issues under the rug for the next generation to solve. If only the people who voted for bad decisions were the only ones to suffer, but never have so many lives been controlled by so few individuals. When global mistakes are made or problems ignored, we all suffer and so will our grandchildren. Yet, we have been warned.