Destiny Of The World - Part 1

We have all heard tragic accounts of someone leaving a pet or a child in a car on a hot day. Why is this so dangerous? What causes the interior temperature or the automobile to rise to life threatening levels in a short amount of time?

The key is the rate at which heat enters an enclosed space versus how quickly it escapes. The sun’s rays heat the air in the car. That air can’t escape, so it gets hotter and hotter. This is the principle that keeps a greenhouse warm even when the air outside is cold.

On a large scale, our planet works the same way. The sun’s rays heat the atmosphere, and the atmosphere retains some of that heat. If it didn’t, the Earth would be a frozen, barren wasteland.

Similarly, much of the heat that’s received by the sun eventually radiates back into space. This cooling process prevents the Earth from overheating.

While this rate of heat exchange stays constant, the planet’s overall temperature remains stable. But that can be altered. If gasses that hold more heat are added to our atmosphere, the temperature of the Earth will rise just as certainly as the temperature of a closed automobile rises on a sunny afternoon.

Here’s the bad news. This is already happening. In fact, it’s been happening for quite some time.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, human activity has released massive amounts of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. This has resulted in an atmosphere that holds more heat than it did previously.

Imagine that you are sitting in your car on a sunny day. The engine is off, and the air air conditioner is not running, but you feel comfortable because the windows are all open.

Now imagine that someone closes the each window most of the way leaving only a small crack to air to get in and out. The car is now going to heat up, because not all of the warming air will escape.

Our planet has the same problem. The build-up of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is like those closing windows. Heat cannot radiate back into space as easily, and the planet is getting warmer.

We are already seeing the results of this heat build up. Damaging storms are more frequent and more powerful. Extended droughts fuel record breaking wildfires. Low lying coastal areas are flooding.

If we don’t reverse the trend, the consequences will become more and more catastrophic. Fertile regions will become barren. The permanent extinction of life on Planet Earth is a real possibility.

So, now that we understand the problem, what can we do about it? I’ll be back to discuss that shortly. In the interim, I would encourage you to do your own research. The more you know, the better you’ll be prepared for what’s coming.