Global Warming Myths

Today nuclear power race and global warming are one such two hot topics that can steer conversation from an unexpected corner. Everyone of us have heard of global warming before either in media or read it somewhere or were forced to read it during exams. Global warming is one most of the most discussed topics around the world. Although there are many scientific facts to prove certain truths about the global warming. Global warming is also one of the most misunderstood topics.

There are many popular Global warming myths

* Myth 1: Earths temperature is rising at alarming level.
Fact: This is the most commonly perceived Global warming myth. In reality the temperature is just increasing slightly not in alarming levels. There has been very solid evidence to prove that even the temperature of Earth was rising when Global warming and greenhouse effect was not an issue.

So now scientists claim that slight increase in temperature is normal not alarming.

* Myth 2: Humans cause global warming.
Fact: This is the very popular Global warming myth that human beings are cause of global warming. Although human beings contribute very largely towards global warming but they are not the only reason for it. The changes were very radical from time to time. Temperature of earth has been on path of slight increase from time to time. The exact cause of global warming is still paves way for unending debates.

* Myth 3: Slight temperature increase will melt icecaps.
Fact: This is also one of the most commonly perceived Global warming myth .Winter related deaths are more than summer related deaths. In UK itself every year slight rise in temperature saves 200000 people from death. Although some glaciers have melt but in some other parts of world the ice caps are also thickening. So there is no hard core evidence to prove that the ice caps are continuously melting due to slight increase in temperature.

* Myth 4: Weather changes are related to human activities.
Fact: Extreme weather changes are related to solar activities. They are not related to any sort of human activities. Although increase in carbon dioxide levels will contribute towards slight changes in weather but extreme weather conditions cannot be caused solely by human activities.

* Myth 5: Population of Polar bears are dwindling due to Global warming.
Fact: Polar bears largely depend on ice sheets to swim and catch seals for food. So melting of the ice sheets will dwindle seals so Polar bears have to swim to long distances to hunt for them. But that does not mean that Polar bear population is dwindling.

* Myth 6: Climate changes are causing increase in sea level.
Fact: Another widely circulated Global warming myth is that increase in sea level is due to Climate changes brought out by Global warming. But in reality the increase in sea level is due to interglacial periods. Changes are part of nature so the sea levels will continue to increase even if there are no climate changes.

* Myth 7: There are no perfect Computer models which predict Global warming.
Fact: Many of the debates regarding Global warming arises from Computer circulated models.
But in fact these computer models are widely used by scientists and meteorologists to predict weather. Although these computer models are not accurate or perfect but still they have moderately high success rates.

 

Global Warming Myths

www.globalwarming-prevention.com

Related Global Warming International Center Articles

An Overview About Global Warming

 

You must believe that global warming is now a fact.

The US National Climatic Data Center declared that 2001 was the second year on record and it was 23rd chorological year of higher than normal temperatures. Most problems may be the fact of the increasing rate of the temperature. In addition, insurer Munich Re released the data which states that the numbers of people dying of natural disaster in 2001 were twice as many as in 2002 and insured losses grew up more than 50%. It is estimated by UNEP that the extra economic costs of disasters attributable to global warming are running at more than 0 billion annually.

 

 

Some 180 countries are proceeding toward an expected ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the end of this year. Of the six gases it will control CO2 is by far the largest contributing nearly 90% of the global warming impact. The primary source of CO2 is the burning of fossil fuels. Therefore the focus on energy will continue to increase.

 

Throughout the world different methods are being used to encourage reduced energy use. Japan has enacted the Energy Conservation Law in 1999 mandating huge efficiency improvements by 2004 for nearly all air conditioning products. The U.S. has revised ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for buildings to raise the minimum COP level for centrifugal chillers from the current value of 5.2 to 6.1 effective in October 2001. DOE and Green Seal have revised their recommended efficiency levels to an even higher level of 6.27.

 

Some countries use laws. Others use codes and standards. An increasing number of countries are using environmental costing which increases the price of energy thereby increasing the financial attractiveness of high efficiency products. European countries have been using such "carbon taxes" for more than a decade. However a rapidly growing trend in developing countries is the reduction of subsidies to energy industries "so prices more accurately reflect environmental impacts" according to OECD's Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century.

 

China has shown leadership by reducing subsidies to the coal industry from .5 billion in 1990 to billion in 1996 resulting in 7% emissions reduction while seeing a solid economic growth of 36%! China is now moving aggressively into environmental costing with the just announced (1/13/2002) 5-year environmental plan that commits 700 billion yuan ( billion) to help protect the environment. The government will provide the fist 65 billion yuan to initiate the project but will apply the "polluter pays" principle for the rest. The "environmental protection authorities will collect funds from the pollution-producing companies". The impact on the price of energy is not known at this time. However it is clear that the addition of environmental costing will increase energy prices. According to a European Research Commission Report of July 2001 "The cost of producing electricity from coal or oil would double if costs such as damage to the environment and health were taken into account".

 

The global movement to high efficiency is accelerating just like the rate of temperature increase. But this is not all that is changing. This second environmental threat of global warming is making it clear that we need to give combined consideration to ozone depletion and global warming. But more important is the need to focus on the real issue which is the total environmental impact not address each individual environmental threat in isolation. This includes the concept of environmental risk exposure, which recognizes that there are other environmental threats that are less well understood today. However, there are "no regrets" decisions we can make today (such as minimum refrigerant charge, minimum atmospheric life refrigerants, etc.) to minimize these risks.

 

Combined consideration would place more emphasis on reducing the use of CFCs, which are still being produced in developing countries until 2010 in accordance with the Montreal Protocol. Little attention is being given the large contribution to global warming from CFCs. Actions which cause confusion and delay the phaseout of CFCs cause increased environmental damage rather than lessening the environmental impact.

 

The other rapidly changing factor in the HVAC industry is the shift to becoming a hermetic industry, where refrigerant is contained throughout the life of a chiller and recycled for further use when the chiller is replaced. This simple understanding that "if it doesn't get into the environment it does no harm" is a powerful argument, which will lead to the continued use of the most efficient refrigerants in such closed hermetic applications as chillers. In just 15 years annual refrigerants emissions from chillers have been reduced from 25% to well below 1% today. This defines a whole different world than that which existed when the Montreal Protocol was crafted some 15 years ago.

 

But perhaps the most important change coming to our industry is the realization that there are no new or "perfect" refrigerants waiting to be discovered. There are eight elements that can be combined for use in a vapor compression cycle. All feasible combinations of these eight have been evaluated. The reality is "what we have now is all there is".

 

This recognition is why we are now seeing a shift from the search for a perfect refrigerant to a search for the right refrigerant(s) for the right application. Said another way, the highest efficiency refrigerants for the lowest emissions applications. Many in our industry call this "Responsible Use".