FACT: Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil-fuel combustion, is a greenhouse gas, which traps solar radiation in the atmosphere. (Sources for my first seven “facts” include NASA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)
FACT: Increased human fossil-fuel consumption over the past two centuries has increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 recently surpassed 400 parts per million, the highest level in more than 800,000 years.
FACT: As a result of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, global surface temperatures have increased by about one degree centigrade since 1880. The 10 warmest years ever recorded—with the exception of 1998—have occurred since 2000. 2014 was the warmest year ever recorded.
FACT: Arctic ice and glaciers around the world have shrunk markedly in recent decades, although in 2014 “ice surrounding Antarctica reached a new record high,” according to NASA.
FACT: Sea levels have risen 6.7 inches over the past century as a result of human-induced global warming. This sea-level rise, which is accelerating, makes coastal storms more destructive.
OPINION: If humanity does not take dramatic steps to curtail fossil-fuel consumption, civilization may collapse.
OPINION: Climate change could make armed conflict, including wars over water, more likely.
OPINION: Global warming is already causing “extreme” weather events, such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the current drought in California.
OPINION: Nuclear energy is necessary for countering climate change.
OPINION: The natural-gas boom, made possible by advances in fracking, has on balance been good for the environment, because it has reduced reliance on coal, a far more damaging pollutant.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
FACT: Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of fossil-fuel combustion, is a greenhouse gas, which traps solar radiation in the atmosphere. (Sources for my first seven “facts” include NASA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)
FACT: Increased human fossil-fuel consumption over the past two centuries has increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 recently surpassed 400 parts per million, the highest level in more than 800,000 years.
FACT: As a result of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, global surface temperatures have increased by about one degree centigrade since 1880. The 10 warmest years ever recorded—with the exception of 1998—have occurred since 2000. 2014 was the warmest year ever recorded.
FACT: Arctic ice and glaciers around the world have shrunk markedly in recent decades, although in 2014 “ice surrounding Antarctica reached a new record high,” according to NASA.
FACT: Sea levels have risen 6.7 inches over the past century as a result of human-induced global warming. This sea-level rise, which is accelerating, makes coastal storms more destructive.
OPINION: If humanity does not take dramatic steps to curtail fossil-fuel consumption, civilization may collapse.
OPINION: Climate change could make armed conflict, including wars over water, more likely.
OPINION: Global warming is already causing “extreme” weather events, such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the current drought in California.
OPINION: Nuclear energy is necessary for countering climate change.
OPINION: The natural-gas boom, made possible by advances in fracking, has on balance been good for the environment, because it has reduced reliance on coal, a far more damaging pollutant.
Source: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/climate-change-facts-versus-opinions/
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