Hering -TBD

The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) for energy is the main contributor to the rapidly rising level of carbon dioxide that is driving climate change. Fossil fuel extraction, processing and burning also has other negative health effects on communities.

Assist in the understanding of how this aspect of perceived societal need is effecting the changes we can expect to see in the future should we not address and curtail the GG associated with their use. How can Broadcaster help to explain the science so more can accept the realities of that science?

This presentation will attempt to explain how:

• Before the industrial revolution, our impact on the planet was fairly small. But in the mid-1700s, people began replacing human workers with machines. Where people had once relied on wind, water, and wood for their energy needs, they now powered their machines with the fossil fuels coal, oil, and natural gas.
• These fossil fuels were formed hundreds of millions of years ago, and they still contain the carbon that was present in the organisms when they died. This carbon is what makes them a source of energy. But when we burn coal, oil, and natural gas for fuel, too much carbon enters the atmosphere at one time. The carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas.
• Greenhouse gases are contributing to global warming because they trap more of the Sun's energy in the Earth's atmosphere. When the Sun sends solar energy to the Earth, about 70 percent is absorbed, and 30 percent reflects back toward space. Greenhouse gases trap some of the reflected solar energy. Greenhouse gases have always been necessary for our existence on Earth. Without them, temperatures on Earth would be about 90°F (33°C) colder, on average.
• Our dependence on burning fossil fuels, and releasing the carbon stored in them, means we've been responsible for adding a lot more carbon dioxide to the air. In the past 200 years, CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by about 25 percent. The biggest increase has taken place in the last 50 years. IPCC scientists predict an even greater increase in the next 20 years.
• These factors combined with, sea level rise, population growth, food and water scarcity, will have a major effect on the geo-political stability around the globe.
• Extreme weather conditions and factors associated with extreme weather conditions, like flooding, wildfires, and draught will have a major impact on the stability of regions facing the consequences of un precedented growth and a failure to accept the science as we know it.
• Finding solutions and reducing our carbon footprint is critical. Alternatives to minimize and drastically reduce resource consumption is necessary if we are to avert a crisis of monumental proportions.