14 Shocking Environmental Facts???

Question

I'm president of my school's environmental club, and for the 14 school days leading up to Earth Day (22 April) I am going to present a fact for each day, something really shocking that will motivate the students to be more eco-friendly.

Any suggestions of facts? I need 14.

Thanks!

Answer 1

How about:

Earth is in its most stable climatic state ever. Changes in the climate were far more drastic in Earth's first 4 billion years.

or

Natural events can affect Earth far more than humans. Tephra particles from Krakatoa's eruption in 1883 spread throughout the stratosphere and lingered for years. An orange color to the sky and halo around the sun were visible. Global temperatures were lowered by 1.2°C. Weather patterns continued to be chaotic for years, and temperatures did not return to normal until 1888.

or

Geologic evidence indicates that about 15 million years ago Earth was about 4.7°C warmer than it is today, most certainly not caused by industrial pollution.

or

Oceans hold 50 times more CO2 than the atmosphere. Much of the scientific community now agrees that it is not an increase in CO2 that causes the Earth to warm but that warming of the Earth causes increases in CO2, or both.

or in the IPCC report:

"The fact that the global mean temperature has increased since the late 19th century and that other trends have been observed does not necessarily mean that an anthropogenic effect on the climate system has been identified. Climate has always varied on all time-scales, so the observed change may be natural. A more detailed analysis is required to provide evidence of a human impact."

or:

In most cases recycling is worse for the environment, because it consumes more energy to recycle than it does to make new items. Fuel used and pollution generated in collecting, sorting, transporting, and cleaning outweigh the benefits.

or:

Almost all tree products come from trees grown on tree farms, planted to make tree products. Total U.S. forest land remains level from around 1940 to today at 745 million acres, even as the population continues to rise.

or:

Ice core data shows temperature leads CO2, as Earth warms more CO2 enters the atmosphere.

or

In August of 2007, Steve McIntyre of Climate Audit identified an error in the climate data from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. A change in the algorithm used to adjust weather station raw data skewed it. It turns out the warmest year on record was 1934, and not 1998. In fact 6 of the top 10 warmest years in the U.S. were in the 1930s. And 1921 comes in as the third warmest.

or

Water vapor is a 'greenhouse gas' accounting for 2% of the atmosphere while CO2 accounts for only .04% and is less reflective than water. As a result water vapor is responsible for around 70% of the atmosphere's greenhouse effect.

or

So far the Kyoto Protocol has wasted almost $470 billion (U.S.) and counting.  And the result is CO2 emissions have been reduced enough to only account for a potential .000004°C. And that's potential, assuming CO2 is the killer we're led to believe it is.

or:

Ice core and other geological evidence shows that temperature, CO2 and methane, follow solar output.

Answer 2

GLOBAL WARMING!

Go to any site that talks about global warming and you will be appalled at the statistics and data.

Answer 3

This one will amaze you;

You can be extremely environmentally friendly and not believe in man made global warming.

Answer 4

Recycling~

Answer 5

We are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are beginning to appreciate their true value. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.

Answer 6

co2 is not the cause - look at the sun heating up - water on mars and jupiter have been melting as well.

Answer 7

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

some here and 3000 species of animals have gone extinct in 50 years

and half of the worlds forests half gone

here is the clock it has some nice info

http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

Answer 8

-Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers.

-In 2 weeks, Americans throw enough glass bottles and jars out to fill the New York Trade Center’s twin towers.

-Already over half of the world's tropical forests have been lost.

-500,000 trees could be saved from being cut down if every family in the United States recycled their newspaper.

-The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours

-The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years

-84 percent of all household waste can be recycled.

-Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, and 4,100 kilowatts of electricity.

-Composting saves limited landfill space and turns garbage into a valuable resource. It can reduce your trash and improve plant health and retain soil moisture with the use of the compost.

-cutting your shower by 2 min saves 10 gallons of water

hope these help you! :-)