Global Warming: Rumours of Catastrophe?!

Anyone with any common sense knows that the media like to exaggerate everything; especially things that they don't understand. Introducing 'Global Warming', I have no doubt that you will have all heard about this impending 'doom' in the media recently, anything strange that occurs in the weather (flash floods, huge amounts of snow, an unusually warm winter month) instantly is labeled as a consequence of global warming.

However, the question is, should we jump to these conclusions?

The Independent: January 8th 2004

If we are to believe this headline, it seems inevitable that we are 'doomed' to the consequences of global warming. But what is the truth? Is there anything that can be done to stop this?

It is difficult to distinguish whether an unusual weather event is linked to global warming, though in some cases it is easier to see a drastic event than in others. Take a look at this image for example:

With this image of an ice shelf on the Antarctic peninsula you can see the rapid disintegration of an area of 3200 km² that occurred during a mere 35 days. Of course this leads to another of those big questions: Is the sea level rising? How gradual is this rise?

Well, according to a report published in 2001 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), by 2100 the average global sea level is likely to rise between 0.09 m and 0.88 m. Although I realise these figures do not seem like much, but a gradual rise in sea-level will inevitably destroy many coastal regions, which in some countries these coastal regions are the most productive and most populated. The overall loss of these coastal regions will most likely be caused by the rise in occurrence of flooding, so it can cause severe consequences on a very short timescale.

Global Warming is a very real thing and we need to take action now to prevent the devastating events it may cause. The media should probably focus on the positive things we can do to slow down the effects of Global Warming instead of focusing on the 'impending doom' we are powerless to prevent.

I am going to investigate this subject a lot further over the course of the next few weeks, starting with Greenhouse gases and their effects and the use of fossil fuels!

I would love to hear your opinions on this subject!

Pippa Jayne xx