Global Warming

Global Warming Debra A. Miller Global Warming by Debra A. Miller © 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Miller, Debra A. Global warming / by Debra A. Miller. p. cm. — (Hot topics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4205-0049-3 (hardcover) 1. Global warming. I. Title. QC981.8.G56M56 2009 363.738'74—dc22 2008025678 Lucent Books 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48331 ISBN-13: 978-1-4205-0049-3 ISBN-10: 1-4205-0049-X Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 11 10 09 08 Foreword 4 INTRODUCTION Global Warming: A Planetary Emergency 6 CHAPTER ONE The Science of Global Warming 11 CHAPTER TWO Predicting the Future 29 CHAPTER THREE Threats Posed by Global Warming 45 CHAPTER FOUR Solutions for Global Warming 62 CHAPTER FIVE Preparing for a Warmer Future 79 Notes 94 Discussion Questions 99 ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTACT 101 FOR More Information 105 INDEX 108 PICTURE CREDITS 119 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 120 Y oung people today are bombarded with information. Aside from traditional sources such as newspapers, television, and the radio, they are inundated with a nearly continuous stream of data from electronic media. They send and receive e-mails and instant messages, read and write online “blogs,” participate in chat rooms and forums, and surf the Web for hours. This trend is likely to continue. As Patricia Senn Breivik, the former dean of university libraries at Wayne State University in Detroit, has stated, “Information overload will only increase in the future. By 2020, for example, the available body of information is expected to double every 73 days! How will these students find the information they need in this coming tidal wave of information?” Ironically, this overabundance of information can actually impede efforts to understand complex issues. Whether the topic is abortion, the death penalty, gay rights, or obesity, the deluge of fact and opinion that floods the print and electronic media is overwhelming. The news media report the results of polls and studies that contradict one another. Cable news shows, talk radio programs, and newspaper editorials promote narrow viewpoints and omit facts that challenge their own political biases. The World Wide Web is an electronic minefield where legitimate scholars compete with the postings of ordinary citizens who may or may not be well-informed or capable of reasoned argument. At times, strongly worded testimonials and opinion pieces both in print and electronic media are presented as factual accounts. Conflicting quotes and statistics can confuse even the most diligent researchers. A good example of this is the questio