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Global warming or climate change

Through the burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) humanity has increased the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere.  These greenhouse gases trap heat that radiates from the surface as infrared heat which in turn warms the atmosphere and the ocean.  The scientific consensus is that the earth has already warmed about 2 degrees Fahrenheit from pre-industrial times.  The warming is confirmed by measuring average temperatures around the globe.  The warming causes more intense storms, melting of glaciers and polar ice caps leading to sea level rise, greater turbulence in the air and more heat waves killing more people.  It may eventually cause a disruption in the weather patterns we know and love.  Climate change doesn't say that we won't have cold weather (including record cold)--just that on average temperatures are going up.

You can better understand global warming/climate change by thinking of putting billiard balls in the atmosphere.  The billiard balls would block the visible light coming through to the earth's surface.  The more billiard balls you place in the atmosphere the more light you block.  In climate change the billiard balls are more carbon dioxide and methane being put in the atmosphere and the light is the infrared radiation that comes from the surface and is blocked from going out into space.  

We need the nations of the world to act to shift our energy consumption away from fossil fuels to renewables such as wind and solar.  The U.S. under President Biden has started taking the necessary steps.  We need a binding agreement for all countries in order to succeed at stabilizing and eventually reducing the greenhouse gases.  We can still succeed at averting the worst of the warming if we act quickly.  We need to act on the basis of what most climate scientists are saying rather than paying attention to politicians who know little about the subject and say it is a hoax. 

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