Myths and Facts

Myth #1:Global warming is not real.

Fact: The fact is that for most of the world, the issue of global climate change is very real. Global warming is a phenomenon that has been described the world's leading scientists, and the global scientific community has come to a consensus. They have agreed that global warming indeed exists; that it is caused by human activity; that it is happening right now; and that if our world's leaders do not take immediate action, global warming can have dramatic and devastating effects on this world.

Myth #2: Global warming exists, but we don't have to worry about it for several more decades, if not hundreds of years more.

Fact: Even though many in the media speak of global warming as a future threat, the truth is that global warming began during the Industrial Revolution. The truth is that global warming is already happening. Scientists have measured the shorelines and they are receding. The polar ice caps and glaciers have already begun to melt. Moreover, we can actually measure the rise in temperature. Other evidence of the effects of global warming can be seen in the lasting droughts in the American Southwest, the longer and more intense hurricane season in the Atlantic, the greater number of undersea seismic earthquakes and tsunamis as well. In short, there is ample scientific evidence that global warming is happening right now.

Myth #3: Some scientists say global warming is a problem; others say it isn't. The science is still being debated.

Fact: The views of scientists on greenhouse gases, climate change, and the likely impacts are even more lopsided than the two examples above. The overwhelming consensus opinion is:

* the earth is warming;
* human activities are responsible;
* left unchecked, the impact will be large, potentially catastrophic.

Yet, somehow, climate change is portrayed in news reports as an area where scientists are still not sure. Folks—they are sure!

The only debate in the science community about global warming is about how much and how fast warming will continue as a result of heat-trapping emissions. Scientists have given a clear warning about global warming, and we have more than enough facts — about causes and fixes — to implement solutions right now.

Myth #4: Man-caused greenhouse gases are insignificant relative to naturally released greenhouse gases; thus, we humans are not the problem.

Fact: The world's climate scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that the current rise in the atmospheric greenhouse gas level is due to man's activities on the planet. You may be the type of person that refuses to trust any data coming from international bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But at least dont neglect the over whelming evidence around yourself. Open your eyes.

Myth #5:The increase in global temperature over the last 100 years was only about 1 degree F, and if the temperature goes up a similar amount in the next 100 years, it's no big deal.

Fact: That’s the way you think. Well lets have a A FEW HOT FACTS

- The 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 1990.

- The decade of the 1990s was the hottest in the last millennium.

- The planet is warming at a rate faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. This accelerated rate is of great concern to scientists

In the last 10,000 years, humans have prospered, partly due to a long-term period of climatic stability—the Earth's average temperature hasn't varied by more than 1.8°F (1.0°C). Temperature increases of 2.5-10.4 degrees are far beyond the norm and will put us into uncharted territory. The climate in 2100 could be as drastically different from our climate today as the Ice Age was.

Myth #6: Global warming and extra CO2 will actually be beneficial — they reduce cold-related deaths and stimulate crop growth.

Fact: Any beneficial effects will be far outweighed by damage and disruption.

Even a warming in just the middle range of scientific projections would have devastating impacts on many sectors of the economy. Rising seas would inundate coastal communities, contaminate water supplies with salt and increase the risk of flooding by storm surge, affecting tens of millions of people globally. Moreover, extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts and floods, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity, causing loss of lives and property and throwing agriculture into turmoil.

Myth #7: We can adapt to climate change — civilization has survived droughts and temperature shifts before.

FACT: Although humans as a whole have survived the vagaries of drought, stretches of warmth and cold and more, entire societies have collapsed from dramatic climatic shifts.

The current warming of our climate will bring major hardships and economic dislocations — untold human suffering, especially for our children and grandchildren. We are already seeing significant costs from today's global warming which is caused by greenhouse gas pollution. Climate has changed in the past and human societies have survived, but today six billion people depend on interconnected ecosystems and complex technological infrastructure.

Myth #8: Global warming can’t be happening because some glaciers and ice sheets are growing, not shrinking.

FACT: In most parts of the world, the retreat of glaciers has been dramatic. The best available scientific data indicate that Greenland's massive ice sheet is shrinking.

Between 1961 and 1997, the world’s glaciers lost 890 cubic miles of ice. The consensus among scientists is that rising air temperatures are the most important factor behind the retreat of glaciers on a global scale over long time periods. Some glaciers in western Norway, Iceland and New Zealand have been expanding during the past few decades. That expansion is a result of regional increases in storm frequency and snowfall rather than colder temperatures — not at all incompatible with a global warming trend.

Myth #9: Global warming is just part of a natural cycle. The Arctic has warmed up in the past.
FACT: The global warming we are experiencing is not natural. People are causing it.

People are causing global warming by burning fossil fuels (like oil, coal and natural gas) and cutting down forests. Scientists have shown that these activities are pumping far more CO2 into the atmosphere than was ever released in hundreds of thousands of years. This buildup of CO2 is the biggest cause of global warming. Since 1895, scientists have known that CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat and warm the earth. As the warming has intensified over the past three decades, scientific scrutiny has increased along with it. Scientists have considered and ruled out other, natural explanations such as sunlight, volcanic eruptions and cosmic rays.

Myth #10: There's no real environmental concern - we have an unlimited supply of resources.

Fact: Today we think of food and water as something that will always be available. But changing climates effect the entire ecosystem - since wildlife and plants rely upon water, reductions in water will greatly affect their ability to reproduce and grow.

Myth #11: I cant do anything. I’m helpless. All this data is scaring me. Someone please find a solution

Fact: This thinking is wrong. Though the impact you do individually will be small it can have a huge effect. If all the people can do one single solution that might help reduce Carbon emission, we can still get back to the carbon PPM concentration of the Industrial Revolution days. There a lot of things u can do. Don’t feel helpless.