Environmental Wellness & Global Warming By Jillian Swisher & Hannah Lewis

Environmental Wellness defined: the collective interactions of humans with the environment, and the short-term and long-term health consequences of those interactions

Climate Change: Any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time (major changes in temperature, precipitation, wind, etc.)

What causes global warming? Global warming is the recent and ongoing rise in global temperature near Earth’s surface What causes global warming?

Global Warming & The Greenhouse Effect Global warming happens when the greenhouse effect occurs Greenhouse effect = when temperature rises due to heat being trapped in earth’s atmosphere (due to greenhouse gases being released into the air)

Indicators of Climate Change Greenhouse gas emissions Drought Sea Level High/low temperatures Ocean heat Snowfall Precipitation patterns Heat Related Deaths

Greenhouse Gases – What are they? Carbon Dioxide Methane Nitrous Oxide Fluorinated Gases These gases absorb infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect How are they produced?

Carbon Dioxide Methane Nitrous Oxide Emitted through burning of fossil fuels, solid waste, trees and wood products Methane Emitted during production & transportation of coal, natural gas, and oil, and during decay of waste in landfills Nitrous Oxide Emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, also during combustion of solid waste & fossil fuels

Humans Contribution Humans release large amounts of these gases into the air, which then trap energy in the atmosphere and cause the Earth to become warmer Most of these emissions are from burning fossil fuel for electricity, heat and transportation

Ways we Contribute Driving cars that run on gas/various kinds of transportation Deforestation Pollution & Landfills Electricity Industrial processes

Global Warming 101 YouTube

How can we reduce our contributions? Energy Star products Recycle Use water efficiently Carpool Reduce electricity use

Consequences of Our Contributions Weather: increased precipitation in some areas, while extreme droughts in other areas Storms, floods, hurricanes likely to become more intense Effects on our health (heat-related illness, death/damage from major storms) Insurance costs rise due to increase in weather related disasters

What the Future Holds Unless these emissions decrease substantially, there will continue to be changes to our environment. These changes are likely to have negative effects on humans (economic and health problems, agricultural issues, water supply issues, etc).

Questions? Visit www.epa.gov for more information on Global Warming, Climate Change, and how you can make a difference Sources: www.epa.gov, www.edf.org, www.nature.org/globalwarming, www.geography.about.com , www.nwf.org