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EARTH DAY

Information gathered by Anisa Amir Ali Khimani

During the period of 1970 there was a widespread degradation of the environment in US. In response to this problem Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental, or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Thus on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held and over 20 million people participated that year. Now the Earth Day is observed each year on April 22 by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries. The purpose of celebrating this day is to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day)
On each year groups of people working in Earth day network talk about different environmental problems such as oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, the loss of forest and the extinction of wildlife. As the millennium approached, a new campaign is started, this time earth day is focused on global warming and a push for clean energy.

GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather. ((en.wikipedia.org/wiki/global_warming)

Causes of global warning:

Global warming is a complex phenomenon, and its full-scale impacts are hard to predict far in advance. But each year scientists learn more about how global warming is affecting the planet, and many agree that certain consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue. Among these:
• Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages in the American West.
• Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern seaboard, in Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
• Warmer sea surface temperatures will fuel more intense hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
• Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases.
• Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.

Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. This results in an increased emission of greenhouse gases. Short-wave solar radiation sinks into the Earth's atmosphere and warms its surface; while long wave infrared radiation emitted by earth's surface is absorbed, and then re-emitted by trace gases. Climate changes occur in our earth's atmosphere due to a buildup of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can occur naturally as well as a result of human activities. The greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases occur naturally. The Earth uses those gases to warm its surface. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels, wood, and wood products are burned. Each greenhouse gas absorbs heat differently. If natural gases did not occur, the temperatures would be 91.4 degrees cooler than the current temperatures. These gases trap heat and cause the greenhouse effect, rising global temperatures. Human activities add to the levels of these gasses, causing more problems. The burning of solid waste, fossil fuels, and wood products are major causes. Automobiles, heat from homes and businesses, and factories are responsible for about 80% of today's carbon dioxide emissions, 25% of methane, and 20% of the nitrous oxide emissions. The increase in agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining contribute a significant share of emissions too

Effects of global warming:

Global warming is a danger to a human's health. Its affect on climate can adversely affect humans. Global warming will lead to more infectious diseases and skin diseases. Global warming can affect our future ability to obtain food. First, the quality of crops would be affected by an increase in precipitation. Second, increasing rain could lead to an increase in soil erosion.
There are ways that can help prevent global warming. Car pooling, reducing energy consumption at home and buying fuel-efficient cars, are ways to help prevent global warming.
A warmer temperature creates bad things to happen such as Global warming is already causing damage in many parts of the United States. In 2002, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon endured their worst wildfire seasons ever. The same year, drought created severe dust storms in Montana, Colorado and Kansas, and floods caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Texas, Montana and North Dakota. Since the early 1950s, snow accumulation has declined 60 percent and winter seasons have shortened in some areas of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington.
Of course, the impacts of global warming are not limited to the United States. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. And in what scientists regard as an alarming sign of events to come, the area of the Arctic's perennial polar ice cap is declining at the rate of 9 percent per decade.

Remedies to cut global warming pollution

It's simple: By reducing pollution from vehicles and power plants. Right away, we should put existing technologies for building cleaner cars and more modern electricity generators into widespread use. We can increase our reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind, sun and geothermal. And we can manufacture more efficient appliances and conserve energy.

What can a single person do fight against it

There are many simple steps you can take right now to cut global warming pollution. Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine. Each time you choose a compact fluorescent light bulb over an incandescent bulb, for example, you'll lower your energy bill and keep nearly 700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air over the bulb's lifetime. By opting for a refrigerator with the Energy Star label -- indicating it uses at least 15 percent less energy than the federal requirement -- over a less energy-efficient model, you can reduce carbon dioxide pollution by nearly a ton in total.

People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Earth Day has spread all over the planet. People all over the world know that GLOBAL WARMING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THIS NEW MILLENIUM we need to work on it and this is our special day to think that how can we contribute in making it safe for us and for generations to come.