global warming

NASA released the images below which show NO2 levels in 2019 (on the left), before the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2020 (on the right). The reduction in NO2 pollution levels is dramatic. The pandemic gave NASA a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study human impact on the climate. Even before the pandemic has ended, it is already clear that mankind produces a dire impact on the planet's climate - and shows us how easily and quickly we can turn it around if we try.

Courtesy Columbia University Global warming is stressing plants around the globe. Higher temperatures, longer-lasting droughts, and extreme weather events are all bad for trees and forests. But if trees and forests decline, global warming will accelerate even faster. Trees and forests remove carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to carbon during photosynthesis. The carbon is then stored in wood and leaves through a process called "carbon sequestration". Trapping carbon dioxide is a crucial role in the battle against climate change. Thus, scientists are trying to figure out how to maximize the ability of forests to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. It seems logical that having more trees in a forest would be better for carbon storage. However, only areas around the equator and tropical areas receive

Big cities don't just contribute to the pollution problem, the lack of trees and other greenery robs the landscape of its ability to heal itself. But scientists have found a way around this problem - photocatalytic paints. Located on a busy metro street in Warsaw, the mural on the side of this building was painted with photocatalytic paint dosed with titanium dioxide. Photocatalytic paints use light energy to neutralize pollution. Add a bit of titanium dioxide and the chemical reaction is even stronger. The reaction between the paint and pollutants converts Nitrogen Oxides and other harmful airborne pollutants into harmless nitrates. The paint is called KNOxOUT (nitrogen oxide, NOx - get it?) and it absorbs the nitrogen oxides created by cars, factories, and power stations. Sunlight acts

Researchers in Nebraska analyzed 46 years’ worth of bird data collected for the North American Breeding Bird Survey, a program designed to track bird populations. The survey discovered the areas where specific species of birds lived had changed across the United States. Researchers found that coinciding with climate change, the habitats of birds have shifted. The northernmost ecosystem shifted more than 366 miles north – the length of an entire state. The southernmost boundary moved about 160 miles northward. The northernmost ecosystem shifted more than the southernmost area because of a well-known phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Arctic amplification, or polar amplification, is a phenomenon that any change in the balance of solar radiation across the plant tends to produce a larger change near the earth’s

The jet stream drives weather patterns The jet stream is a strong wind current flowing about 10 miles above the ground. In the Northern Hemisphere, it almost always blows from west to east and always in a fairly straight line. The jet stream is extremely important to weather systems – it drives the weather patterns throughout the year. The strength of the jet stream, and to what degree it impacts our weather, is determined by the temperature difference between the Arctic and the southern half of the world. CO2 causes temperatures to rise The level of CO2 in our atmosphere has been measured atop the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii since around 1958. At the time measurements began, the CO2 measured 315 parts per million (ppm). Today it

As we consume oil (by driving cars) and coal (by generating electricity) that we extracted from the ground, it releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes our planet to heat up. Kids around the world say the same thing – “Let’s just remove all the carbon dioxide from the air and put it back into the ground where it came from.” Meanwhile, scientists pooh-poohed the “silly idea” saying, “They’re just kids! What do they know!” Well today kids can triumphantly raise their fists in the air and shout “We told you so!” A company out of British Columbia has created a machine that can suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and put it back into the ground! The company is Carbon

Conservationists issued a chilling warning this week telling New Scientists magazine that global wildlife populations are set to have fallen by more than two thirds of 1970 levels by the year 2020 – and there is no sign that declining wildlife numbers will slow down in our lifetime. Researchers say mammal, bird, fish, amphibian, and reptile populations have fallen by 58% from 1970 to 2012. At the current rate (about 2% reduction per year), by 2020, the populations will have declined by more than 67%. This has prompted experts to warn that we are facing a global “mass extinction” for the first time since the demise of the dinosaurs. Mike Barrett, director of science and policy at World Wildlife Foundation, said: “For the first time since the demise of

Scientists this week admit that they goofed (again) when estimating the increasing sea levels that result from global warming. If you live in any of the eleven of the fifteen largest cities in the world, you might want to make sure you have a bathing suit handy. Eleven of the fifteen largest cities in the world are located on the coast with lovely oceanside views. Typically these seaside residents take great pride in their sunny beachfront locations, proclaiming with renewed fervor, “Nah, nah, nah, we live by the ocean and enjoy frolicking on the beach all day!” In 100 years however, these cries of joy may change tune and sound more like, “Blub, blub, blub” as the Oceanside residents wonder how the waters rose so fast (and

If the satellite image above doesn’t make your skin crawl then you’ve got eh, skin made of steel. A very rare meteorological event occurred on Saturday when three Category 4 hurricanes plowed through the Pacific Ocean at the same time. The three hurricanes, Hurricane Kilo, Hurricane Ignacio, and Hurricane Jimena [cricket] had all reached sustained wind speeds of at least 130 MPH at the same time turning the Pacific Ocean into the world’s largest blender. How rare is this weather event? It is the first time in recorded history of three Category 4 hurricanes in central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time. In fact, it’s the first time with three major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) in those basins simultaneously. As of the time

Global warming is a serious problem and if we wait for governments to propose a solution, it may be too late. In fact, it may already be too late to stop the unnatural warming of our planet.  Many think the solution to the global warming problem lies in someone else's hands but there are things each of us can do to minimize the problem. Below are 50 simple things that Global Warming Facts has suggested we implement in order to combat the global warming problem. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb. CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Install a programmable thermostat Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the