Key insights

• 🌍 Earth's climate fluctuated for 2.5 million years
• 🌍 Temperature rose unusually fast in the last century
• 🌍 Global warming is driven by human activity
• 🌍 Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases
• 🌍 Greenhouse gases trap heat near the earth through the greenhouse effect
• 💦 Humans intensifying greenhouse effect with extra greenhouse gases
• 💦 Evidence for global warming: recent warm years, 1998 reported as warmest year in measured history
• 💦 Greenhouse gases (CO2 and methane) at highest levels in 420,000 years

Q&A

• How can individuals help reduce the impact of global warming?

  Global warming may lead to more droughts and species extinction, but cutting greenhouse gas emissions and individual actions like saving energy and driving fewer miles can help reduce the impact by reducing the intensity of global warming.

• What impacts are associated with rising greenhouse gas concentrations and temperature predictions?

  Rising greenhouse gas concentrations from fossil fuel consumption could lead to temperature predictions of a two to 10-degree Fahrenheit increase by the end of the century, potentially causing subtle changes, rising sea levels, altered weather patterns, and uncertainty about the specific impacts of rising temperatures.

• What evidence supports global warming?

  Evidence for global warming includes recent warm years, with 1998 being reported as the warmest year in measured history, along with greenhouse gas levels at a 420,000-year high and a 10% decline in Arctic sea ice in the last 30 years due to energy consumption.

• How do fossil fuels contribute to global warming?

  Burning fossil fuels like oil and coal releases carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect and trapping heat near the earth, thus contributing to global warming.

• What has led to unusually fast temperature rise in the last century?

  The Earth's climate has fluctuated for 2.5 million years, but human activity, particularly in the last century, has led to an unusually fast temperature rise, known as global warming.

• 00:00 🌍 The Earth's climate has fluctuated for 2.5 million years, but human activity in the last century has led to unusually fast temperature rise, known as global warming.
• 00:27 🌍 Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which trap heat near the earth through the greenhouse effect.
• 00:57 Humans are intensifying the greenhouse effect by releasing extra greenhouse gases which trap energy and warm the earth. Evidence for global warming includes recent warm years, with 1998 being reported as the warmest year in measured history. 💦
• 01:24 Greenhouse gas levels are at a 420,000-year high, and Arctic sea ice has declined by 10% in the last 30 years due to energy consumption.
• 01:55 Fossil fuel consumption leads to rising greenhouse gas concentrations and temperature predictions. Uncertainty remains about the exact impact but potential effects include subtle changes, rising sea levels, and altered weather patterns.
• 02:27 Global warming may lead to more droughts, causing species extinction, but cutting greenhouse gas emissions and individual actions like saving energy and driving fewer miles can help reduce the impact.