• Even if we take steps now to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases, the
globe could warm up at a rate faster than it has in the past 10,000 years
• If we spend all our petroleum and natural gas, plus similar contribution from
coal, we’ll add another 250 ppm for a total of 620 ppm (2.2 times preindustrial
level)
• CO2 hangs around a good long while, so even if we stopped producing it
today we’d still be in trouble
• We don’t know exactly what will happen with global warming or what the
impacts will be. And where or when they will hit hardest. The system is
complex, and the changes are hard to predict.
• But scientists have a pretty good general idea of what’s to come. They say
that the possible impacts could be far-reaching and could cause serious
problems. Some scientists predict that the earth will warm an additional 2-6
degrees F by the year 2100.
• Scientists say that as global warming happens, we might see more extreme
weather events (ice storms, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and heat waves). At
this point, scientists cannot say for sure that the recent increase in extreme
weather events are proof of global warming.