The earth’s climate is regulated by radiation from the sun. One-third of the radiation that hits the earth is reflected back into space and the remainder is primarily absorbed by the earth’s land and oceans. This process warms the earth and causes the earth to emit infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere capture much of this radiation, thus trapping this heat energy. Therefore, the earth’s atmosphere acts like the glass on a greenhouse. This is a naturally occurring process that allows for life on earth. However, human activities are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn has accelerated the greenhouse effect. This cycle is considered the main contributor to global warming.

Source: The Greenhouse Effect at http://www.grida.no/climate/vital/03.htm

Greenhouse gases are natural and anthropogenic gaseous constituents of the atmosphere.  These gases absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation, or heat, emitted by the earth's surface, the atmosphere and clouds. This property causes the greenhouse effect. The principle greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of human activities are:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
• Fluorinated Gases such as Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

For more information on these greenhouse gases see U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Examples of how the world is experiencing the impact of a changing climate include:

• North America has warmed by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the past century and could potentially warm between 2-4 degree Fahrenheit over the next century. 
• Overall, global land precipitation has increased by about 2% since the beginning of the 20th century. 
• The sea level has risen 1.8 mm per year since 1950 and that rate is accelerating.
• There have been fewer frosts and the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are shrinking.
• The timing of physiological processes in plants and animals is changing throughout the world, and populations are shifting their distributions. 

For more information on how the climate is changing see IPCC: Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability at http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/index.htm and the Pew Centre Global Climate Change, Climate Change 10: Science and Impacts at http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/101_Science_Impacts.pdf

Global Impact
Scientists predict the following will occur as a result of climate change:
• Sea levels could rise by 3.5 to 34.6 inches between now and 2100, making coastal groundwater saltier, endangering wetlands, and inundating valuable land and coastal communities.
• Changes in precipitation patterns could have a significant impact, especially, in already water-scarce regions that are likely to suffer from further decreasing rainfall.

• The ranges and abundance of plants and animals could change dramatically under changing climate conditions, and some of them are likely to be unable to adapt or migrate to new locations.
• The impacts of global warming will vary by country and region. In some higher latitudes, agricultural productivity could actually increase, while farmers in many subtropical and tropical regions could experience significant declines in their yields.
(Union of Concerned Scientists)

Some of the health problems associated with climate change include an increase in asthma and tropical diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, and Lyme disease. Additionally, increased temperatures will also result in fatal heat waves affecting hundreds of people, particularly young children and the elderly.

Regional Impact
Recently the Union of Concerned Scientist released a series of regional reports on the impacts of climate change. Each report outlined the local impacts of global warming and the costs of inaction. To learn more about the impacts associated with each region click here.

In the state of Connecticut, where Yale University is located, we will see spring arriving earlier, summers becoming hotter with more days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer winters with less snow, coastal flooding, biodiversity losses and an increase in environmental related health issues. All of these implications will have serious impacts on the wildlife, citizens and businesses of the state. Developing long term strategies to both mitigate and adapt to climate change are essential.

at home

at the office

at school

on the road.

The Climate Institute provides some suggestions for assuming personal responsibility for climate change. http://www.climate.org/topics/how-to-help.html

The Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC) has compiled a fifty-page guide that provides tips on how to minimize your ecological impact everywhere from the home to the office: Green Graduates 2008

All it takes to reduce your impact is to turn off a light as you walk out of a room, take public transportation, eat more locally produced foods or unplug electronics and appliances when they are not in use. Such simple, everyday actions help reduce the amount of energy we use and hence the amount of extra greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere. Check out the links below for more information on climate change and ways in which you can help solve this global problem.

How do you eliminate your phantom load? Unplugging these devices is the easiest way to eradicate this phantom. To simplify the task of unplugging each appliance or electronic, the best thing to do is to plug them all into a power strip that can be clicked on and off and does not continue to draw electricity when turned off.