The industrial activities of mankind are fundamentally altering the Earth's atmosphere with society altering consequences. These slides present the fundamentals of human driven global warming and climate change, show how the effects of climate change are already have a significant impact on both human and ecological systems, and clarify why urgent action to address the most challenging issue facing us today is an absolute necessity. The solutions to climate change are within our grasp and present world-altering possibilities. But it will take will power and a globally coordinated effort to make them a reality.

1. Earth: Our Life Support System
How human-driven climate change is impacting
our world and what we can do about it

2. Scuba divers rely on a life support system to survive in a
beautiful but hostile surrounding.
A sudden change to that system
can be life-threatening…
…We’re now making sudden changes
to our own life support system.
Image: SteelCityHobbies / Flickr

3. Every day we bet that our future…
…will be a lot like our past
..where we get
our water…
…and how we
design our
Climate dictates infrastructure
how and where we
build…
..what food we grow…
Climate is not the same as weather. Weather
helps us decide what clothes to wear. Climate
helps us decide what clothes to buy.

4. How do we know the Earth
is warming?

5. -1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1880
1885
1890
1895
1900
1905
1910
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
Global Surface Temperature
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Source: NASA GISS
2010

6. Indicators of a Warming World
Glaciers retreating
Humidity rising
Air temperature near surface rising
Permafrost retreating poleward
Tree lines shifting poleward & upward
Ice sheets declining
Spring arriving earlier
Sea levels rising
Sea ice declining
Image concept: Species migrating poleward & upward Ocean heat content rising
Skeptical Science

7. Are we the cause?

8. Some scientific conclusions or theories have been so
thoroughly examined and tested, and supported by so many
independent observations and results, that their likelihood
of subsequently being found to be wrong is vanishingly
small. Such conclusions and theories are then regarded as
settled facts. This is the case for the conclusions that the
Earth system is warming and that much of this
warming is very likely due to human activities.
– U.S. National Research Council

9. What is “man-made global warming”?

10. “Man-made”
Global Warming
Certain industrial activities of
mankind including…
Fossil fuel power production
Automobile combustion
Deforestation
…and many more
Have fundamentally changed the
composition of Earth’s
atmosphere.
These atmospheric changes have
increased the Earth’s greenhouse
effect and altered the global climate
with significant impacts on both
human and ecological systems.

11. Five Key Points to Discuss
The greenhouse effect is vital to the Earth’s climate
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is vital to the greenhouse effect
Human activities are significantly impacting global CO2 levels
Changes in climate can have significant detrimental impacts
There are significant opportunities in solutions

12. What is the greenhouse effect?

13. The Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere trap some of this
heat, keeping the Earth warm.
Some becomes
heat.
Some sunlight
is reflected back
into space.

14. How important is the greenhouse effect
to Earth’s climate?

15. Mercury Venus Earth Mars
The Inner Solar System

16. Mercury is over 2 ½ times smaller than the Earth
Mercury is over 2 ½ times closer to the Sun
Mercury
Image: NASA

17. Image: NASA
Average maximum temperature
800oF (427 C) o
Average minimum temperature
-280oF* (-173 C) o
With no greenhouse effect, Mercury cannot
retain the energy received from the Sun.
Mercury
* The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128.6oF in the middle of Antarctica!

18. Image: NASA
Average global temperature
864oF (462 C) o
Despite being further from the Sun, Venus gets
hotter than Mercury thanks to its dense atmosphere
and immense greenhouse effect.
Venus

19. A Thin Blue Line Without the greenhouse effect, Earth would
be a frozen ball of ice, floating in space.
The troposphere extends only
about 12 miles above the
Earth’s surface at its
maximum…
…thinner than an apple’s skin

20. OK. So, the greenhouse effect is important.
But how important is carbon dioxide (CO2)
to the greenhouse effect?

21. Image: NASA
Earth’s Atmosphere
Oxygen
20.95%
Water Vapor
0 – 4%
Greenhouse
Argon
0.93%
Gases
Nitrogen
78.08% Carbon Dioxide
0.04%
The entire greenhouse effect is dependent on
less than 3% of the Earth’s atmosphere
Source: Encyclopedia of Earth

22. The Water Cycle
Condensation
Precipitation
Transpiration
Snowmelt
Runoff
Evaporation
Surface Runoff Water vapor cycles through the
atmosphere in only 7-10 days.
Image concept: NOAA

23. Water Vapor in the Atmosphere
Total Precipitable Water Vapor (mm), May 2009
Data acquired by AIRS, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on NASA's Aqua Satellite
National Geographic
National Geographic
Due to its short atmospheric lifetime, water
0 15 30 vapor varies wildly from place to place
45 60

24. The Carbon Cycle Short Term
Emissions Once elevated, CO2
can remain in the
Respiration
atmosphere for
Volcanic Photosynthesis hundreds of years
Eruptions CO2 Exchange of CO2
Long term
Exchange of CO2
Fossil
Fuel
Emissions
Waste & Decay of
Rock Weathering
Dead Organisms
Marine Deposits
Fossil Fuels Image concept:
U.S. National Research Council

25. Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
Carbon Dioxide in the Mid-Troposphere, July 2009
Data acquired by AIRS, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on NASA's Aqua Satellite
Unlike water vapor, CO2 gets well
mixed throughout the atmosphere

26. The Game Of The Rules
Heat Plinko • All heat leaving the surface must eventually
Desert Earth Surface Jungle return to space
• The longer heat takes to escape, the warmer a
region can become on average
• Carbon dioxide “pegs” get evenly distributed
throughout the atmosphere
Earth’s Atmosphere
• Water vapor “pegs” vary both laterally and
vertically in the atmosphere
• As greenhouse gases, both water vapor and
carbon dioxide delay heat escaping to space
• Heat can be reemitted
in any direction
• Additional carbon
dioxide can remain in
the atmosphere for over
100 years
Space Result: The effects of additional carbon dioxide
are felt everywhere for a very long time
Heat Carbon Dioxide Water Vapor

27. So how are human activities impacting
the level of CO2 in the atmosphere?

28. Changing the Face of a Planet
U.S. Geological Survey
Deforestation is the 2nd largest human contributor to
CO2 emissions after fossil fuel combustion
The Bagger 288 is ½ the height of
the Empire State Building
In 2008, there were 852 surface coal
mines in the United States alone
Over 1 billion cars drive on
the world’s roads
Stephen Codrington

29. Changing the Face of a Planet
The impact of humans is unprecedented in
the 4.5 billion year history of planet Earth.
Source: NASA

30. How do human emissions of CO2
compare to natural emissions?

31. The Carbon Balance, Single Year – 1990s
Fossil Fuel Vegetation
Ocean Carbon Balance
Burning & Land
+ 444
+ 332 Sources
+ 23
+23 +444 -450
-444 +332 -332
-338 - 450
Sinks
- 338
+ 11 TOTAL
Industrial emissions are throwing off a natural
balance achieved over thousands of years
Figures are in billion tonnes of CO2 Image concept: Skeptical Science Data source: IPCC AR4

32. Tipping the Scale, Carbon Accumulation
Sources Sinks % of 5K
Day 1: +1 lb. 0.02%
Day 2: +2 lb. 0.04%
Day 3: +3 lb. 0.06%
. .
5,000
. .
5,000 5,000 . .
Day 30: +30 lb. 0.60%
5,000
TOTAL: 465 lb. 9.30%
While single year emissions are dismissible, multi-year
accumulation can result in a climate imbalance

33. Global Fossil Fuel Carbon Emissions
9000
8000 2010 emissions jumped by 564 million metric tons,
Million Metric Tons of Carbon
an increase of 6% over 2009 levels, a new annual
7000 record and exceeding worst-case scenarios Total
6000 Liquid fuel
5000 Solid fuel
4000 Gas fuel
3000 Cement
2000 Gas flares
1000
0
81
96
11
26
41
56
71
86
01
16
31
46
91
06
51
66
61
76
17
17
18
18
18
18
18
18
19
19
19
19
19
20
17
17
19
19
Year
Source: U.S. DOE CDIAC

34. Atmospheric CO2
for 800,000 Years
“Generally accepted modern understanding of the global carbon cycle
indicates that climate effects of CO2 releases to the atmosphere will
persist for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years into the future.”
- Archer et al., Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jan 2009
Source: US Global Change Research Program

35. Checkpoint
The greenhouse effect is vitally important to the Earth’s climate
This greenhouse effect is provided by an incredibly thin atmosphere
Over 97% of the atmosphere has nothing to do with this effect
Water vapor and CO2 are the primary natural greenhouse gases
Water vapor is far too short-lived to drive long-term climate
CO2 levels can remain elevated for hundreds, even thousands, of years
The effects from CO2 on the atmosphere are both global and long-term
Human actions have risen CO2 levels by 40% in just over 100 years

36. What about natural climate influences?

37. Scientific evidence strongly indicates that natural influences
cannot explain the rapid increase in global near-surface
temperatures observed during the second half of the 20th
century…A particular concern is that atmospheric levels of
carbon dioxide may be rising faster than at any
time in Earth’s history…
– American Institute of Physics

38. Earth’s Orbital Cycles
North
Vega
Current climate influence: Cooling Star
22.5o
24.5o
Eccentricity Obliquity Precession
100,000 years 41,000 years 22,000 years

39. “The most significant climate impacts from volcanic
Volcanic Eruptions injections into the stratosphere come from aerosols [which]
increase the reflection of radiation from the Sun back into
space, cooling the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere.”
- U.S. Geological Survey
Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines, 1991
Mt. St. Helens, United States, 1980
El Chichón, Mexico, 1982
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey
Climate influence: Cooling
USGS: Human activities release over
100 times more CO2 annually than all of
the Earth’s volcanoes combined. Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, 2011

40. “ENSO is the most important coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon
Climate Factors to cause global climate variability on interannual time scales.”
- Dr. Klaus Wolter, NOAA ESRL, Jan 2011
0.6
30-year climate influence: Stasis
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
1997
2011
1989
1991
1993
1987
1983
1985
1995
1979
1981
30-year climate influences
ENSO
El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
(Source: NOAA CPC) (normalized)

41. “The PDO has experienced phase shifts that coincided with the
Climate Factors major periods of warming and cooling in the 20th Century.”
- Dr. Roy Spencer, UAH, Oct 2008
0.6
30-year climate influence: Cooling
0.4
0.2
0
ENSO
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
1997
2011
1989
1991
1993
1987
1983
1985
1995
1979
1981
30-year climate influences
ENSO PDO
Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)
(Source: JISAO) (normalized)

42. “The Earth’s temperature has risen dramatically in the last 30 years
Climate Factors while the solar brightness has not appreciably increased in this time.”
- Prof. Sami K. Solanki, Max-Planck Society, Aug 2004
0.6
30-year climate influence: Cooling
0.4
0.2
0
ENSO
PDO
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
1997
2011
1989
1991
1993
1987
1983
1985
1995
1979
1981
30-year climate influences
ENSO PDO TSI
Total Solar Irradiance (TSI)
(Source: PMOD / WRC) (normalized)

43. “CO2 concentration...shows no signs of leveling, thus leaving little doubt
Climate Factors that the global CO2 …will be reaching 390 ppm by the end of 2010.”
- NASA DISC, Jul 2010
0.6
30-year climate influence: Warming
0.4
0.2
0
ENSO
PDO
-0.2
TSI
-0.4
-0.6
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
1997
2011
1989
1991
1993
1987
1983
1985
1995
1979
1981
30-year climate influences
ENSO PDO TSI CO2
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
(Source: ESRL) (normalized)

44. Half of the globe has warmed at least 0.5oF in the past 30 years, while
Climate Factors half of that - a full quarter of the globe - warmed at least one full degree.
- Dr. John Christy, UAH, Dec 2008
0.6
30-year temperature trend: Warming
CO2
0.4
0.2
0
ENSO
PDO
-0.2
TSI
-0.4
-0.6
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
1997
2011
1989
1991
1993
1987
1983
1985
1995
1979
1981
30-year climate influences
ENSO PDO TSI CO2
Near Surface Temperature
(Source: UAH T2LT) (normalized)

45. What about the Sun?

46. Solar Activity vs. Global Temperature
1368
Temperatures have risen for more than 30 0.5
1367.5 years while solar activity has declined
Total Solar Irradiance (W/m2)
Temperature Change (°C)
1367 0
1366.5
-0.5
1366
-1
1365.5
1365 -1.5
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
Source: NASA GISS, Max Planck Institute, World Radiation Center

47. Source: UAH
Global Atmospheric Temperatures
2
Lower Stratosphere
1.5 Cooling
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
0.8
0.6
Lower Troposphere
Warming
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
Increases in greenhouse gases cause tropospheric warming
-0.6 and stratospheric cooling, unlike increased solar activity
-0.8
1991
1993
1997
1999
2001
2005
2007
2009
1995
2003
2011
1979
1983
1985
1987
1989
1981

48. Nighttime Heat Records – July 2011
An increased greenhouse effect causes an
increase in nighttime temperatures
Source: NOAA

49. What difference does a little
warming make?

50. Rises in temperature will have complex and frequently
localised effects on weather, but an overall increase in
extreme weather conditions and changes in
precipitation patterns are probable, resulting in
flooding and drought…The repercussions for agriculture and
ecology are likely to be severe.
– Society of Biology, UK

51. Loading the Climate Dice
Probability of occurrence
Current climate Future climate
More
hot
weather More
Less Increase in
extreme
cold average
hot
weather temperature
weather
Cold Average Hot
Temperature

52. Record Highs and Lows in the U.S.
1950s 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000s
record highs
record lows
2.04:1
1.36:1
1.09:1 1.14:1
0.77:1 0.78:1
Source: NCAR

53. Precipitation Extremes – May 2011
35.2% of the country
Record Driest severe to extreme wet
Much Below Normal
Below Normal
Near Normal
Above Normal
Much Above Normal
Record Wettest
1 = Driest
117 = Wettest
May 2011 saw more of the country experiencing 19.5% of the country
severe to extreme wet and dry conditions at the same severe to extreme dry
time than during any other month in history

54. Texas Drought 2011 Source: Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon
Texas State Climatologist
2011

55. Texas Drought 2011
Driest 4 month period in history
Driest 6 month period in history
Driest 12 month period in history
% of
Level Description
State
D4 Exceptional Drought 87.99
D3 Extreme Drought 96.99
D2 Severe Drought 99.16
D1 Moderate Drought 100.00
October 4, 2011
D0 Abnormally Dry 100.00
Nothing No Drought 0.00
Source: NOAA NCDC

56. Can’t we just adapt?

57. Dust build-up causes power outages
Texas Drought 2011
CenterPoint Energy
Ken Childress
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Cattle population reduced by over 650,000
Eric Gay / AP
Jay Janner / American-Statesman
Water shortages throughout state
Up to 500 million trees lost
Sources:
3.5 million acres burned in wildfires Texas Forest Service
Texas AgriLife Ext
Robert Burns / Texas AgriLife Extension
NOAA
$7.6 billion in agricultural losses

58. U.S. Extremes 2011
Snow melt and massive rainfall lead
Steve Zumwalt / FEMA
to record flooding on Mississippi
and Missouri rivers
Associated Press
Two largest tornado outbreaks in
history occur in a single month.
Dusty Compton / AP
Arizona (500,000 acres) and New
Mexico (300,000 acres) have their
largest wildfires on record.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and
Louisiana experience their most
intense drought on record.

59. Satellite Images: Google Earth
U.S. Spring Tornadoes – 1950-2011
Mike Gullett / AP
Tornado Count
Joplin, Missouri
Dusty Compton / AP
June 25, 2011
May 16, 2009
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

60. 14 Billion Dollar Events – U.S. in 2011
$1.8 billion Groundhog Day blizzard
Upper Midwest flooding $2.0 billion
January 29-February 3, 2011 Summer, 2011
$10.2 billion Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest tornadoes
April 25-28, 2011
$1.3 billion Midwest/Southeast tornadoes and severe weather
Rockies and Midwest Severe Weather $1.0 billion
June 18-22, 2011 July 10-14, 2011
$2.2 billion Southeast/Midwest tornadoes
$3.5 billion Mississippi River flooding
April 8-11, 2011
Spring-Summer, 2011
$10.0 billion Southern Plains/Southwest drought and heatwave
Tropical Storm Lee $1.0 billion
Spring-Fall, 2011 September, 2011
$9.1 billion Midwest/Southeast tornadoes
Midwest/Southeast tornadoes $2.8 billion
May 22-27, 2011 April 4-5, 2011
$1.0 billion Texas, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires
Spring-Fall, 2011
$2.1 billion Midwest/Southeast tornadoes
Hurricane Irene $7.3 billion
April 14-16, 2011 August 20-29, 2011
Source: NOAA

61. Russia endures worst heat
Global Extremes 2010-2011 wave in over 130 years (2010)
Sebastien Nogier / Reuters
NOAA
Flooding in France
worst since 1837 (2010)
PBS
Extra-tropical cyclone brings
hurricane winds to Alaska (2011)
East Africa’s worst drought in 60 years China: Worst drought in a
leaves 10 million in need of aid (2011) century impacts over 60
million (2010)
Gabriel Elizondo
AP
Tracy Woods / AP
Thailand receives over 7 ft of
rain, 41% above average (2011)
Adrees Latif / Reuters
Amazon experiences 2nd
“100-year-drought” in 5 years (2010) Wettest spring on record
floods eastern Australia (2011)

62. Assessments conducted by the intelligence community
indicate that climate change could have significant
geopolitical impacts around the world, contributing
to poverty, environmental degradation, and the further
weakening of fragile governments…While climate change
alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an accelerant of
instability or conflict….
– U.S. Department of Defense

63. Flood image: Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
Pakistan Flooding 2010
Shakil Adil / AP
2,000 people killed
20 million people affected
20% of the country underwater
$9.7 billion in damages
“The crisis may undermine the already waning legitimacy of the civilian
government by demonstrating its ineffectiveness to large numbers of
Pakistanis in need of public services, while improving the status of
Pakistan’s powerful military by the more visible role it played in providing
disaster relief. It may also provide militants an opportunity to garner favor
with affected communities by giving militants an opportunity to demonstrate
that they can provide assistance in areas where the government is absent.”
- Congressional Research Service, November 2010

64. Vibrant seascape at Castello
Ocean Acidification Aragonese near the coast of Italy
David-Liittschwager / National Geographic
Station ALOHA Curve Source: c-more
CO2
Rising atmospheric CO2 results
pH in lower oceanic pH
A few hundred yards away where CO2
from a volcanic vent acidifies the water
Coral reefs provide homes for up to 25% of
oceanic life & up to a billion people rely on
fish as their main source of protein

65. Ocean Acidification Ocean acidity has increased 30% since
the start of the Industrial Revolution
Pteropods are at the base of many oceanic food chains
Russ Hopcroft / UAF
Morgan Bond
Patrick Gijsbers
NOAA
Pteropod Humpback Whales Salmon Cod
A pteropod shell placed in sea water with pH and carbonate levels projected for the year 2100
Pteropod images: National Geographic

66. The current rate of change is much more rapid
than during any event over the last 65 million
years. These changes in ocean chemistry are irreversible
for many thousands of years, and the biological
consequences could last much longer.
– InterAcademy Panel

67. Checkpoint
No group of natural factors has been found to explain recent warming
Without human influence, global temperatures would likely be cooling
Solar activity has declined over the last 30 years while temps have risen
Rises in average temp bring more hot weather and less cold weather
Rises in average temp can also exacerbate extreme weather events
Inaction on climate change has its own associated costs
Acidification can impact entire food chains and human populations

68. Why the urgency to take action?

69. Climate Inertia “The feeling is that if things are getting bad, you hit the stop
button. But even if you do, the climate continues to change.”
- Dr. Gerald Meehl, U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research
Rising atmospheric temperatures take time to
be reflected throughout the climate system
Once underway, changes have momentum
and require time to slow or reverse

70. Climate Feedbacks More Warming
Feedbacks are natural responses that Increased high clouds trap
encourage either more or less warming more heat near the surface
More Warming Less Warming
Increased low clouds
Melting ice & permafrost release
reflect more sunlight
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
More Warming
More water vapor leads to
increased greenhouse effect More Warming
Less Warming Melting leads to less
Plants absorb more carbon ice reflecting sunlight
from the atmosphere Less Warming
Oceans absorb more carbon
from the atmosphere

71. Tipping Points
Tipping points are points beyond which large-
scale change is self-sustaining and inevitable.
Continual small-scale
stress on a system can
reach a point of large-
scale change.

72. Tipping Points Feedback Shift
Less to More
Slowing or reversal of forest
carbon intake
Tipping points are points beyond which large- Warming Warming
scale change is self-sustaining and inevitable.
Two “one-hundred-year” droughts in 5 years turned
National Geographic
Amazon rainforests from carbon sinks to carbon sources
Bark beetles have devastated massive forest
regions throughout the U.S. & Canada
Canada Ministry of Forests
“The carbon-regulating services of forests are at risk of being
lost…this would result in the release of huge quantities of carbon
to the atmosphere.”
- International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
James Woodcock / Billings Gazette

73. Tipping Points Feedback Shift
Less to More
Slowing of ocean carbon
intake
Tipping points are points beyond which large- Warming Warming
scale change is self-sustaining and inevitable.
Global Sea Surface Temperatures
(April 18, 2000)
Colder ocean waters Source: NASA MODIS Oceans Group
can absorb more
carbon dioxide than
warmer waters
At least two studies have found
the carbon-absorbing ability of
both the North Atlantic and the
Southern Ocean to be slowing.
“We estimate that the Southern Ocean sink of CO2 has weakened
between 1981 and 2004…We attribute this weakening to the observed
increase in Southern Ocean winds resulting from human activities.”
- Le Quéré et al., Science, June 2007
N.Metzl, August 2000, oceanographic cruise OISO-5

74. Tipping Points Large-scale methane releases
from melting permafrost
Tipping points are points beyond which large-
scale change is self-sustaining and inevitable.
Sergey Zimov
NSIDC
Methane is a strong
greenhouse gas.
Katey Walter
Permafrost contains about 1,400
gigatons of carbon, more than 1½ times
the carbon currently in the atmosphere
“High latitude wetlands are currently only a small source of methane, but for these emissions to
increase by a third in just five years is very significant. It shows that even a relatively small
amount of warming can cause a large increase in the amount of methane emissions.”
- Dr. Paul Palmer, Edinburgh University, January 2010

75. What can we do about it?

76. Silver Buckshot
There is no single solution to the
climate change problem
Energy Renewable
Efficiency Energy
Nuclear & Low
Carbon Energy
Piccolo Namek
Reforestation &
Preservation
Adaptation &
Mitigation
Stonehaven Productions
Nick Dennison

77. Never Underestimate What’s Possible
NASA JPL
NASA
October 4, 1957 July 20, 1969
Sputnik, the first manmade object Neil Armstrong and Buz Aldrin
to orbit the Earth, is launched become the first men on the moon

78. Never Underestimate What’s Possible
U.S. Army
IBM
1946 2011
ENIAC, the first computer, is Watson, a computer, defeats the top
announced as the “first giant brain” two “Jeopardy!” champions in history

79. Checkpoint
Human society depends on climate stability and predictability
Earth’s climate vitally depends on the greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases are only a tiny fraction of Earth’s very thin atmosphere
CO2 is the primary long-term driver of changes in the greenhouse effect
Industrial activities have elevated CO2 higher than in over 800,000 years
Rises in average temperature can exacerbate extreme weather events
Climate tipping points can result in rapid, large-scale changes
Climate change is having and will have a substantial economic impact
Action related to climate change must be broad-based and global

80. Consensus Scientific Organizations
The following global scientific organizations acknowledge the impact of carbon emissions from
human activities on global climate and the global biosphere.
Academia Brasiliera de Ciências, Brazil Albanian Academy of Sciences
Academia Chilena de Ciencias American Association for the Advancement of Science
Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa American Association of State Climatologists
Academia de Ciencias de la República Dominicana American Chemical Society
Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales de Venezuela American Geophysical Union
Academia de Ciencias Medicas, Fisicas y Naturales de Guatemala American Institute of Biological Sciences
Academia Mexicana de Ciencias,Mexico American Meteorological Society
Academia Nacional de Ciencias del Peru American Society of Agronomy
Academia Sinica, Taiwan, China American Society of Plant Biologists
Academy of Athens American Statistical Association
Academy of Science of South Africa, South Africa Association of Ecosystem Research Centers
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Australian Academy of Science
Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt (AMOS)
Academy of the Royal Society of New Zealand Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
Académie des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal Botanical Society of America
Académie des Sciences, France British Antarctic Survey
Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Africa Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science Cameroon Academy of Sciences
African Academy of Sciences Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
Akademi Sains Malaysia Caribbean Academy of Sciences

81. Consensus Scientific Organizations
The following global scientific organizations acknowledge the impact of carbon emissions from
human activities on global climate and the global biosphere.
Chinese Academy of Sciences International Council for Science
Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
Organisation, Australia Kenya National Academy of Sciences
Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences Korean Academy of Science and Technology
Crop Science Society of America Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts
Cuban Academy of Sciences Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology
Delegation of the Finnish Academies of Science and Letters Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts
Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher, Leopoldina, Germany National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences,
Ecological Society of America Argentina
European Geosciences Union National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
European Science Foundation – Marine Board National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka
Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological National Academy of Sciences, United States of America
Societies National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Geological Society of America National Council of Engineers Australia
Geological Society of Australia National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, New
Georgian Academy of Sciences Zealand
Indian National Science Academy, India National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Indonesian Academy of Sciences Natural Science Collections Alliance
Islamic World Academy of Sciences Nigerian Academy of Sciences
Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters

82. Consensus Scientific Organizations
The following global scientific organizations acknowledge the impact of carbon emissions from
human activities on global climate and the global biosphere.
Organization of Biological Field Stations Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Pakistan Academy of Sciences Slovak Academy of Sciences
Palestine Academy for Science and Technology Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain Society of Systematic Biologists
Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters Soil Science Society of America
Royal Irish Academy Sudanese National Academy of Science
Royal Meteorological Society Tanzania Academy of Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Turkish Academy of Sciences
Royal Scientific Society of Jordan TWAS, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing
Royal Society of Canada, Canada World
Royal Society, United Kingdom Uganda National Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Union der Deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften
Russian Academy of Sciences University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Science Council of Japan World Forestry Congress
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences

83. Additional Resources
Visit the following resources for additional information on global climate change.
Fresh Air. The Scent of Pine
– http://scentofpine.org/
Fresh Air. The Scent of Pine – YouTube Channel
– http://www.youtube.com/user/FreshAirScentOfPine/
U.S. National Academy of Sciences – Climate Choices
– http://americasclimatechoices.org/
NASA – Global Climate Change
– http://climate.nasa.gov
NOAA Climate Services
– http://www.climate.gov/
U.S. EPA – Climate Change
– http://epa.gov/climatechange/
Nature – Climate Change
– http://www.nature.com/nclimate/
UK Met Office – Climate Change
– http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange
UCAR: In Depth – Weather on Steroids
– https://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/attribution
Climate Central
– http://www.climatecentral.org/

84. Resources & References

85. Resources & References
Slide 5 – Global Surface Temperatures
– NASA GISS
Slide 6 – Climate Change Indicators
– Glacial Retreat – World Glacier Monitoring Service
– Upper Ocean Heat Content – NOAA PMEL
– Is Antarctica Melting? – NASA
– Arctic Sea Ice Extent – University of Illinois
– Arctic Sea Ice Volume – Polar Science Center
– Sea Level Rise – NOAA NCDC
– Attribution of observed surface humidity changes to human influence; Willett, Katharine M. et al.; Nature;
DOI:10.1038/nature06207; Oct 2007
– Humans have made the skies more moist; Hopkin, Michael; Nature; DOI:10.1038/news.2007.158; Oct 2007
– A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems; Parmesan, Camille & Gary Yohe;
Nature; DOI:10.1038/nature01286; Jan 2003
– Guardian – Arctic Permafrost Leaking Methane at Record Levels, Figures Show (Jan 14, 2010)
Slide 8 – U.S. National Research Council
– America’s Climate Choices
Slide 13 – The Greenhouse Effect
– Encyclopedia of Earth – The Greenhouse Effect
Slide 16 – Mercury
– Mercury Transit – NASA SOHO
Slide 17 – Mercury
– Temperature Range – National Geographic
– Earth’s coldest temperature – Live Science
– NASA: Messenger

86. Resources & References
Slide 18 – Venus
– Venus – National Geographic
Slide 19 – A Thin Blue Line
– How High Does the Atmosphere Go? – UCAR
– NOAA: National Weather Service - Layers of the Atmosphere
Slide 21 – Earth’s Atmosphere
– Atmospheric Composition – Encyclopedia of Earth
– Greenhouse Gases – NOAA NCDC
– Image: Thin Blue Line – NASA
Slide 22 – The Water Cycle
– YouTube – NASA: Earth Science Week – Water. Water, Everywhere!
Slide 23 – Water Vapor in the Atmosphere
– Global Total Precipitable Water Vapor – AIRS – NASA JPL
Slide 24 – The Carbon Cycle
– U.S. National Research Council (NRC) – Ocean Acidification: Starting with the Science
Slide 25 – Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
– Global Carbon Dioxide Transport – AIRS – NASA JPL
Slide 28 – Changing the Face of a Planet
– NASA Earth Observatory – Tropical Deforestation
– World Vehicle Population Tops 1 Billion Units – WardsAuto (Aug 15, 2011)
– CO2 Emissions from Forest Loss; van der Werf, et al.; Nature Geoscience; DOI:10.1038/ngeo671; Nov 2009
– Bagger 288 – Wikipedia
– Most Requested Statistics – U.S. Coal Industry – National Mining Association

87. Resources & References
Slide 29 – Changing the Face of a Planet
– Earth at Night – NASA
Slide 31 – The Carbon Balance, Single Year
– IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007
Slide 33 – Global Fossil Fuel Carbon Emissions
– Global Fossil-Fuel CO2 Emissions – CDIAC
– Washington Post – Global CO2 emissions rising faster than worst-case scenarios (Nov 4, 2011)
– Record High 2010 Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Combustion and Cement Manufacture – CDIAC
Slide 34 – Atmospheric CO2 for 800,000 Years
– Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S. – U.S. Global Change Research Program (2009)
– Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide; Archer, David et al.; Annual Review of Earth and Planetary
Sciences; DOI:10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100206; Jan 2009
Slide 37 – American Institute of Physics Quote
– AIP – Statement on Human Impacts on Climate Change
Slide 38 – Earth’s Orbital Cycles
– NOAA – Astronomical Theory of Climate Change
Slide 39 – Volcanic Eruptions
– USGS – Volcanic Gases and Climate Change Overview
Slide 40 – Climate Factors – ENSO
– NOAA CPC – ENSO Impacts
– NOAA ESRL – Multivariate ENSO Index
Slide 41 – Climate Factors – PDO
– JISAO – PDO Index
– Roy W. Spencer: Global Warming as a Natural Response to Cloud Changes Associated with the PDO

88. Resources & References
Slide 42 – Climate Factors – TSI
– Max Planck Institute – Solar Variability and Climate
– World Radiation Center (WRC) – Solar Constant
– PMOD/WRC – Solar Irradiance Composite
Slide 43 – Climate Factors – CO2
– NASA GES DISC – New AIRS data view; rising global CO2
– NOAA ESRL – Atmospheric CO2
Slide 44 – Near Surface Temperature
– UAH: Earth has warmed 0.4 C in 30 years
– UAH NSSTC – T2LT, Lower Troposphere
Slide 47 – Global Atmospheric Temperatures
– UAH NSSTC – T2LT, Lower Troposphere
– UAH NSSTC – LS, Lower Stratosphere
Slide 48 – Nighttime Heat Records – July 2011
– NOAA – Heat Dominates the U.S. in July
Slide 50 – Society of Biology Quote
– Society of Biology – Climate Change Policy Issue
Slide 51 – Loading the Climate Dice
– Southwest Climate Change Network – Future Climate Shift
– Dr. Kevin Trenberth – Attribution of climate variations and trends to human influences and natural variability
Slide 52 – Record Highs and Lows in the U.S.
– NCAR: Record high temperatures far outpace record lows across U.S.

89. Resources & References
Slide 53 – Precipitation Extremes – May 2011
– NOAA NCDC: U.S. National Percent Area Severely to Extremely Dry and Severely to Extremely Wet
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate – May 2011
– Dr. Jeff Masters - U.S. weather in 2011: unprecedented rains and wet/dry extremes
Slide 54 – Texas Drought 2011
– Climate Abyss: Texas Drought - Spot the Outlier
Slide 55 – Texas Drought 2011
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate, Drought – September 2011
– U.S. Drought Monitor – Archives
Slide 57 – Texas Drought 2011
– Drought Blamed for Texas City Power Outages (Apr 26, 2011)
– Updated 2011 Texas agricultural drought losses total $7.62 billion (Mar 21, 2012)
– Wildfires rip through sun-scorched Texas (Sep 5, 2011)
– NPR – Drought-Stricken Texas Town Forced To Truck In Water (Feb 7, 2012)
– Texas Forest Service – Estimates Show Hundreds of Millions of Trees Killed by 2011 Drought (Dec 19, 2011)
– Texas Tribune – Drought's Economic Impact Spreading Across Texas (Oct 27, 2011)
– Houston Chronicle - Texas must decide on water plan, lawmakers say (Mar 22, 2012)
Slide 58 – U.S. Extremes 2011
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate, Wildfires – Annual 2011
– NOAA NCDC: Spring 2011 U.S. Climate Extremes
Slide 59 – U.S. Spring Tornadoes – 1950-2011
– NOAA NCDC: Spring 2011 U.S. Climate Extremes
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate, Tornadoes – Annual 2011

90. Resources & References
Slide 60 – 14 Billion Dollar Events – U.S. in 2011
– NOAA: Extreme Weather 2011
Slide 61 – Global Extremes 2010-2011
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate, Global Analysis – Annual 2010
– NOAA NCDC: State of the Climate, Global Analysis – Annual 2011
– N.Y. Times – Relentless Heat Wave Roasts Russia (Aug 9, 2010)
– Science Daily – Two Severe Amazon Droughts in Five Years Alarms Scientists (Feb 3, 2011)
– BBC – Severe Drought Hits South-West China (Mar 25, 2010)
– Reuters – Thai Flood Frustration Grows (Nov 1, 2011)
– BBC – Twenty Dead in Southern France Flash Floods (Jun 17, 2010)
– CBS – 40-Year Bering Sea Storm Thrashing Alaska (Nov 9, 2011)
– N.Y. Times – Africa Drought Endangers Millions (Jul 5, 2011)
– Boston Globe – Australia Flooding (Jan 3, 2011)
Slide 62 – U.S. Department of Defense Quote
– U.S. D.O.D. – Quadrennial Defense Review – February 2010
Slide 63 – Pakistan Flooding 2010
– Congressional Research Service – Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress (Nov 2010)
– AP – Pakistanis Suspect Landowners of Diverting Floods (Sep 6, 2010)
– Washington Post – Frustrations Mount in Flood-Devastated Northwestern Pakistan (Aug 2, 2010)
– CNN – Wars Reign Over Breaching Levees as Pakistan Grapples with Flooding (Sep 4, 2010)

91. Resources & References
Slide 64 – Ocean Acidification
– Ocean Acidification – YouTube Playlist
– Resources from the National Research Council’s Ocean Studies Board
– ACS – Station ALOHA Stands Sentinel
– C-MORE – Rising CO2, Ocean Acidification, and Their Impacts on Marine Microbes
– National Geographic – The Acid Sea
– WHO – Availability and Consumption of Fish
– NOAA PMEL – What is Ocean Acidification?
– Ocean Acidification Turns Climate Change Winners into Losers: UBC Research (Feb 18, 2012)
– BBC – ‘Jacuzzi vents’ model CO2 future (Feb 19, 2012)
Slide 66 – Interacademy Panel Quote
– IAP Statement on Ocean Acidification (Jun 2009)
Slide 69 – Climate Inertia
– The Climate Change Commitment; Wigley, T.M.L.; Science; DOI: 10.1126/science.1103934
– How Much More Global Warming and Sea Level Rise?; Meehl et al.; Science; DOI: 10.1126/science.1106663
– New Scientist – Ocean Heat Store Makes Climate Change Inevitable (Mar 17, 2005)
Slide 72 – Tipping Points
– IUFRO – Press Release: Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change (Apr 17, 2009)
– Science Daily – Two Severe Amazon Droughts in Five Years Alarms Scientists (Feb 3, 2011)
– British Columbia: Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations – Mountain Pine Beetle
– U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service: Results of Forest Health Survey (Jan 22, 2010)
– Billings Gazette – Pine Beetle Infestation Might Slow (Jan 23, 2010)
– Denver Post – Beetle scourge goes from bad to worse (Jan 15, 2008)
– Mongabay – Amazon Drought Continues, Worst on Record (Dec 11, 2005)
– Science – Amazon’s Carbon Sink Under Threat (Mar 5, 2009)

92. Resources & References
Slide 73 – Tipping Points
– NASA Visible Earth – Global Sea Surface Temperature (Apr 18, 2000)
– Saturation of the Southern Ocean CO2 Sink Due to Recent Climate Change; Le Quéré, et al.; Science; DOI:
10.1126/science.1136188
– A variable and decreasing sink for atmospheric CO2 in the North Atlantic; Schuster, Ute and Andrew J. Watson;
Journal of Geophysical Research; DOI:10.1029/2006JC003941
Slide 74 – Tipping Points
– NSIDC – All About Frozen Ground
– NSIDC – State of the Cryosphere – Permafrost and Frozen Ground
– Guardian – Arctic Permafrost Leaking Methane at Record Levels, Figures Show (Jan 14, 2010)
Slide 80 – Consensus Scientific Organizations
– The Climate Change Consensus – Fresh Air. The Scent of Pine.