Is it possible to reverse global warming?

Question

Can we reverse global warming or is the damage irreversible? Please include links!

Answer 1

Since emitted CO2 remains in the atmosphere for centuries and the worlds not about to stop all emissions tomorrow, there is no way to prevent additional warming in the near term (next 50 years).  But we can slow the uptrend (by emission reduction) and mitigate the consequences.

Answer 2

yes we can do things to ease the impact on poor people that some people in rich countries have caused

Answer 3

Well there is a sort of resistance to change.  Why buy a new hybrid car if your old one works fine? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as the saying goes.

Or, we can take the Matt Groneing solution and add a large ice cube into the ocean each year.

Answer 4

I think it already is going back to cooler.

1998 was the warmest year in recent memory and we were told to expect more years like it and even warmer years than that. It's been 10 years now.

Probability says that if we were warming then as warm or warmer years should have happened but, I think the tide is turning and we are going back to cooler since the years are not being warmer than 1998. In fact it seems to be starting a cooling trend.

Answer 5

Anything is possible but with this problem that has been developing since the seventies I feel and this is my own opinion that we will need divine intervention.

I mean the damage that has been done and that is getting worst by the day as we watch this unfold is going to take longer to reverse than it did for us humans to start it but like I said anything is possible.

Answer 6

I also think the only way possibly to correct this is ta maybe

STOP polluting the atmosphere. Praying may help but ultimately we are responsable for our actions.

I do believe global warming exists.

Answer 7

it is definitly possible to reverse global warming ---- some of the major things you can do to help are buying a hybird or electric car, recycle all plastic, glass, and paper, buy less groceries so less goes to waste, buy efficient light bulbs, lower your house heating by at least one degree, buy enegery efficient house appliences, buy enegery efficient windows, buy eco-friendly cleaning products,, if everyone does theire small part, it would make a world of a difference ;)

Answer 8

WE WILL BE ABLE TO DO SO , IN YEARS TO COME.

Answer 9

You can't no, but irreversible? no, not at all, the 'global warming' that is apparently happening to our planet now, has happened before. There is evidence of such occurances in the fossil record, and worse than now too! And it recovered ^^

Answer 10

i really dont think so

Answer 11

Perhaps if we REALLY knew what is the root cause of global warming, we could do something about it. Same is true with global cooling, which was the big concern a few years back.

Humans may or may not have a measurable impact on the earth's climate. The sun definitely does. The sun goes through phases/cycles that have a huge impact on our climate. The rotational speed of the earth has an effect on the earth's climate. The axis of the rotation has a slight wobble to it, bringing us closer to the sun at semi-regular intervals.

Trying to understand the climate of earth and the causes of it's fluctuations is akin to predicting the weather. Only a million times more complex. And we're lucky to get a decent 1 week forecast from our weather people.

Do all the GREEN things you can. They are beneficial and make good common sense. But beware of falling into the GLOBAL WARMING PHOBIA that can end up costing a fortune and possibly have no impact whatsoever.

Answer 12

yes you can

Answer 13

Hello,Mike

Buy a fuel-efficient car - Even more important is the choice of car or truck you buy. If you buy a new car that gets 10 more miles per gallon than your old car, the amount of carbon dioxide reduction realized in one year will be about 2,500 pounds. The new hybrid cars, using efficient gas-electric engines, can cut global warming pollution by 30% or more.

The abundances of CO2, methane, and other important greenhouse gases, which have been increasing steadily over the past 200 years, must become constant. This will require  zero emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels -- in other words, to prevent global warming from getting worse, the world's countries must stop burning oil, coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. A complete switch to alternative energy sources is necessary.

In the meantime, a variety of solutions can decrease our CO2 emissions and hence slow -- though not stop -- global warming. Increasing vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, adopting energy-efficient building codes, placing more reliance on alternative energy sources, and urban planning that encourages mass transit (e.g., subways and buses) can all help reduce our CO2 emissions. Scientists are also evaluating stop-gap solutions such as capturing CO2 at power plants and pumping it underground (rather than releasing it into the air).

There are several possibilities for reducing our own personal carbon dioxide emissions. Five examples of simple changes you can make in your everyday life to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions are:

* Drive less and drive smarter: try to walk, ride or use public transport whenever possible. If you do need to drive, try to combine as many different errands into one trip. Maintain your car so that it runs as cleanly as possible. Consider a hybrid car the next time you're buying a new car.

* Use energy efficient lighting: common incandescent light bulbs are very inefficient with approximately 10% of the energy used going to light. The rest ends up as heat. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are much more efficient making them cooler and less expensive to run and use less energy than common light bulbs. Using less energy reduces the carbon dioxide emissions.

* Change to using green power: solar and wind power both emit significantly less carbon dioxide than traditional fossil fuel powered electricity generators. Install your own photovoltaic cell at your house or buy green power from your local provider.

* Heat and cool wisely: on average, almost half of a households energy usage goes to heating and cooling. Raising your thermostat by just 2 degrees during summer and lowering it by 2 degrees during winter can produce big reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

* Recycle: Production of paper, plastic, and metals from raw materials requires substantial energy. Recycling these materials reduces energy usage and leads to lower CO2 emissions than producing these materials from scratch.

Answer 14

Due to overpopulation of the earth, carbon dioxide (which people breathe out) is building up and being trapped, so thats not going to change unless there is a severe population drop.  Global warming can, however be slowed down tremendously if people do little everyday things to help the environment.

Answer 15

PARIS (AFP) - Don't eat meat, ride a bike, and be a frugal shopper -- that's how you can help brake global warming, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel on climate change said Tuesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080115/sc_...

Follow these action items to reverse global warming:

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_act...

Answer 16

No..... man is incapable of reversing Earth's climate cycles.  Perhaps in the year 5000....we will learn such climate-changing technology from the Klingons!

Answer 17

After gleaning some data on these articles, I would say that there is extreme hope that WE CAN eliminate our dangerous level impact on the greenhouse and ozone problems. We have made significant progress already.  We can reach equilibrium by protecting the forests we have, restoring some of the important forests we had, AND controlling our emissions. The "damage" is not irreversable. However, we are not going to be able to stop any natural trends dictated by the cycle our Earth follows. That is still beyond our control. That would be like the fish in your fish tank trying to control their environment to survive. There are external natural forces we do not understand in terms of thier power vs. our ability to alter the environment to negate them.

We can stop this trend of global warming, unless the natural trend is already in progress.

In the articles following, we have avoided decimating the ozone and the damage is beginning to reverse. Our great concern now lies in the atmosphere regarding CO2 closer to the ground.

Yes, I believe we can eliminate our contribution.

No, we can’t stop the next ice age that’s right around the corner in a couple hundred thousands years or starting tomorrow.

Perhaps we should leave behind some enduring record of all this for the next masters of the earth to read about. Perhaps we could forewarn them before it is too late, and share the solutions our technology has provided. Our trouble has been that in the learning process, we needed to expend great amounts of energy to raise up the greater innovation.

I’ve tried to create a balanced fish tank that doesn’t need to be cleaned. The answer was either put up with mucky glass you can’t see through, keep it clean yourself, or throw the fishy back in his river that is maintained by nature. The lesson was that an enclosed ecosystem is impossible to maintain without a lot of maintenance. That is a job that will never end. Live clean or perish.

The following articles answered quite a few questions for me about where we are now, and how much further we could and should go. It seems that doing something about it has done much, and doing more sensible things will do more.

Corn for fuel? I don't think so. We burn too much fuel to produce it. That is a waste of valuable land that could better be used for forestation.

Very lengthy information on CFC’s and the gases we are continuing to use today that are damaging the protective ozone atmospheric layer of our Earth. It also describes other  greenhouse gases that do not destroy the ozone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haloalkane

Some promising news on cfc 11 and cfc 12 is that they do decompose and this report seems to show leveling off or decline of these in the atmosphere, now that we’ve got them under control.

http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/2__Ozo...

This site backs up that information and is easier to digest. It is a course written for a student audience and is immensely more comprehensive. It also shows that  our problems closer to the ground are also a great cause for concern. Last updated 2005

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum...

It also discusses Ice ages, climatic changes, past climates, causes of millennial scale change, recent global warming… lots of goodies. I’m going to give it a good read through.

This site is very comprehensive in explaining the growing human contribution of greenhouse emissions, discusses the measured amounts of  carbon in the geologic record (and the trouble verifying the sample measurements due to possible contaminations), the role of water vapor, the break down time of green house gases.  It is well graphed, charted and illustrated. A little more than half way down the page, just after the graph titled Global Major Greenhouse gas trends 2003, it mentions in the paragraphs following that carbons produced by the natural breakdown of methane are not accounted in this article.

This article also shows  examples of the atmospheric lifetime and GWP for CO2 (200-450 yrs), methane (12 yrs), Nitrous oxide (120 yrs), CFC-12 (100 yrs), HCFC-22 (12.1 yrs), Tetrafluoromethane (50,000 yrs), Sulfur hexafluoride (3,200 yrs). But go here and read the whopping  GWP on carbon and what that means. Your hat will flip right over!

http://www.solarnavigator.net/greenhouse...

Make informed choices.

ADD:

This site makes a certain point about how the Earth orbit cycles closer and farther from the sun. I can't think of any scientific basis for what would cause an orbit that shortens then lengthens. Either the Earth is spiralling into the sun (hence warmer climates) or, well orbit decay is the only option of a satillite. But not if you live in the world that follows:

http://www.aloha.net/~johnboy/orbitalV.h...

Interesting fact about our geological history. This link brings you to an impressive scaled chart of the Earth's geological timeline. Notice the top of the page is our era. At the very top of our era is indicated with an "X". The legend on the left (and down)describes this time (Pleistocene previous to this era) as the first of four and ice ages. I'll leave you to your own impressions.

http://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/geologi...

Why do we relate ourselves to the dinosaurs? Reptiles and amphibians are very delicate. Many other species flourished and diversified at the time of "great extinctions".

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timefo...

Answer 18

I actually am part of the camp that believes the "threat" of global warming is an over blown myth.  I believe that cyclical climate changes are just part of our natural history that is only marginally infuenced by the actes of manking.

Answer 19

No you can't remember this is real not a Al Gore movie .This has been the way of nature since the start of time .You ,ME have nothing to do with the MYTH of global warming.

Answer 20

it would be if it were real

Answer 21

Global warming is a panic mongers wet dream. The planet goes through cyclical climate changes, with or without man's interference. Mt. Pinatubo was supposed to destroy the atmosphere, it put out more pollutants in two days that mankind does in a year. The area is almost completely recovered. In 1970, when Earth Day first started, the panic was the fear of another ice age on the horizon. There were studies conducted, what happens if North America is covered by a glacier.... millions of dollars later the answer was, "People would move south." Thank you Captain Obvious. If you took all the people on the planet and stood them shoulder to shoulder in one place, say, Texas, there would still be plenty of room for longhorns! The point is man's effect on this planet is about as noticeable as a BB gun fired at an aircraft carrier!

Answer 22

Easy-peasy play an Inconvenient Truth in rewind mode [it will be just as factual as the original]

Answer 23

not really.  about 5 years ago, National Geographic had a small filler piece about our galaxy; it was about what cosmologists described as "energy bursts" that emanated from the center of our galaxy.  

Since that time, almost as if 'triggered' by the energy transmission, our entire solar system has heated up.  This is more than just carbon dioxide buildup, and more closely related to the activity of our sun.

So no.

Unless you can reverse galaxy-wide changes.

Answer 24

The world goes through cycles of global warming and global cooling.  Our science and engineering has not yet advanced to the point that we can change this (mess with how much energy is coming from our Sun to planet Earth etc.), but we can alter the intensity of the cycles by such means as:

* Build coastal cities such that the population and industrial centers are sufficiently above historical sea level altitudes that normal fluctuation will not cause any flooding, or build in such a way that any minor fluctuation in water levels will cause us great expenses.

* Have wetlands along coastal areas to soak up bad storms, so they not hurt us much, or have development right up to the beach front so each storm is potentially devastating

* Take care to conserve the natural world's biocycles so we will always have ample supply of resources we need, as opposed to polluting the oceans to kill off algae that replenish our oxygen, and cut down all the forests and other greenery that replenish our oxygen so that at some future date Earth will no longer be able to sustain human life.

* Influence size of ozone layers or ozone holes, so that we have our choice of moderate effects, or serious effects.

In all of the above examples, we humans have chosen to go the route of maximum damage to ourselves.

Answer 25

Probably not..

I'd say the only way to help

& keep the atmosphere where it is

is to completely stop polluting

then we'd be fine

Answer 26

yes it is possible to reverse global warming. we have to reverse our thinking.

Answer 27

Are you still suffering from the last Ice Age?

In other words, though we might not be able to directly repair any damage done, it'll come out in the wash.

Answer 28

Yes, first you must stop all volcanic activities, kill all animals that breath, stop all power plants in the world, give up all cars, do not burn anything than you may stop global warming.

Answer 29

Take Action!

The Stop Global Warming calculator shows you how much carbon dioxide you can prevent from being released into the atmosphere and how much money you can save by making some small changes in your daily life. It’s our hope that the calculator will promote action, awareness and empowerment by showing you that one person can make a difference and help stop global warming.

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life — what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home — that can have an effect on your immediate surrounding, and on places as far away as Antactica. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference.

•

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year. Take the Energy Star pledge.

•

Inflate Your Tires

Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

•

Change Your Air Filter

Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.

•

Fill the Dishwasher

Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

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Use Recycled Paper

Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

•

Adjust Your Thermostat

Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

•

Check Your Waterheater

Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.

•

Change the AC Filter

Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.

•

Take Shorter Showers

Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

•

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead

Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.

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Buy Products Locally

Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

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Buy Energy Certificates

Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

•

Buy Minimally Packaged Goods

Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

•

Buy a Hybrid Car

The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid

•

Buy a Fuel Efficient Car

Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

•

Carpool When You Can

Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

•

Don't Idle in Your Car

Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait for more than 30 seconds.

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Reduce Garbage

Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

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Plant a Tree

Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

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Insulate Your Water Heater

Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

•

Replace Old Appliances

Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

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Weatherize Your Home

Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.

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Use a Push Mower

Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.

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Unplug Un-Used Electronics

Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

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Put on a Sweater

Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

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Insulate Your Home

Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.

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Air Dry Your Clothes

Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.

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Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.

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Switch to Double Pane Windows

Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.

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Buy Organic Food

The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

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Bring Cloth Bags to the Market

Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

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Buy The Bracelet

Made from 100% scrap leather by Roots — 100% of net proceeds go the Stop Global Warming Fund.

•

Turn off Your Computer

Shut off your computer when not in use, and save 200 lbs of C02. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.

•

Be a Meat Reducer

The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_act...

Learn More About Global Warming

If you're not already convinced that global warming is an issue that you need to care about, click here to learn why.



Buy The Bracelet

Made from 100% scrap leather by Roots — 100% of net proceeds go to the Stop Global Warming Fund.

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http://green.nationalgeographic.com/envi...

We call the result global warming, but it is causing a set of changes to the Earth's climate, or long-term weather patterns, that varies from place to place. As the Earth spins each day, the new heat swirls with it, picking up moisture over the oceans, rising here, settling there. It's changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely upon.

What will we do to slow this warming? How will we cope with the changes we've already set into motion? While we struggle to figure it all out, the face of the Earth as we know it—coasts, forests, farms and snow-capped mountains—hangs in the balance.

Greenhouse effect

The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. These gases let in light but keep heat from escaping, like the glass walls of a greenhouse.

First, sunlight shines onto the Earth's surface, where it is absorbed and then radiates back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, “greenhouse” gases trap some of this heat, and the rest escapes into space. The more greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere, the more heat gets trapped.

Scientists have known about the greenhouse effect since 1824, when Joseph Fourier calculated that the Earth would be much colder if it had no atmosphere. This greenhouse effect is what keeps the Earth's climate livable. Without it, the Earth's surface would be an average of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. In 1895, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius discovered that humans could enhance the greenhouse effect by making carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. He kicked off 100 years of climate research that has given us a sophisticated understanding of global warming.

Levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have gone up and down over the Earth's history, but they have been fairly constant for the past few thousand years. Global average temperatures have stayed fairly constant over that time as well, until recently. Through the burning of fossil fuels and other GHG emissions, humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect and warming Earth.

Scientists often use the term "climate change" instead of global warming. This is because as the Earth's average temperature climbs, winds and ocean currents move heat around the globe in ways that can cool some areas, warm others, and change the amount of rain and snow falling. As a result, the climate changes differently in different areas.

Aren't temperature changes natural?

The average global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone.

However, for thousands of years now, emissions of GHGs to the atmosphere have been balanced out by GHGs that are naturally absorbed.  As a result, GHG concentrations and temperature have been fairly stable. This stability has allowed human civilization to develop within a consistent climate.

Occasionally, other factors briefly influence global temperatures.  Volcanic eruptions, for example, emit particles that temporarily cool the Earth's surface.  But these have no lasting effect beyond a few years. Other cycles, such as El Niño, also work on fairly short and predictable cycles.

Now, humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by more than a third since the industrial revolution. Changes this large have historically taken thousands of years, but are now happening over the course of decades.

Why is this a concern?

The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt. Also, a new and more unpredictable climate poses unique challenges to all life.

Historically, Earth's climate has regularly shifted back and forth between temperatures like those we see today and temperatures cold enough that large sheets of ice covered much of North America and Europe. The difference between average global temperatures today and during those ice ages is only about 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit), and these swings happen slowly, over hundreds of thousands of years.

Now, with concentrations of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly.

As the mercury rises, the climate can change in unexpected ways. In addition to sea levels rising, weather can become more extreme. This means more intense major storms, more rain followed by longer and drier droughts (a challenge for growing crops), changes in the ranges in which plants and animals can live, and loss of water supplies that have historically come from glaciers.

Scientists are already seeing some of these changes occurring more quickly than they had expected. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, eleven of the twelve hottest years since thermometer readings became available occurred between 1995 and 2006.

Answer 30

Once you knock down the first Dominoe, can you stop the rest of the Dominoes from falling?  How easy would it be to put the fallen Dominoes upright again?

Answer 31

What we done stays that way. But the good thing is if we stop now, then the consequences would be reduced.