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It's Getting Hot in Here! A Discussion of Global Warming (December 5, 2003, One)

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Program Summary

The causes and effects of global warming have been the subject of discussion and hot debate for decades. While some temperature increase can be attributed to Earth’s natural climate cycles, Ira’s guests state that global warming is occurring far too rapidly to be just a natural phenomenon; human activity has magnified the normal greenhouse effect and caused damage to the ozone layer, both of which have tremendous impact on the Earth and its population. Among the effects are glaciers that melt too quickly; rises in sea levels that could swamp coastal cities; and changes in weather patterns that lead to extended drought and famine, severe storms, and devastation of marine life.

The Kyoto Protocol, completed in 1997, is a United Nations-sponsored treaty that establishes guidelines for reducing and, ideally, reversing global warming. Countries that ratify the treaty agree to abide by its terms. Ira’s guests stress that global warming has reached crisis proportion and that without worldwide cooperation, life as we know it may not exist by the end of this century.

Guests

Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, Virginia

Thomas Karl, director National Climatic Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Asheville, North Carolina

Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist and head of the Climate Analysis Section of the
National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado

Related Links and Resources

CNN.com, Text of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997
NYTimes.com, December 4, 2003: “Kyoto Protocol in Peril”
SFGate.com, December 4, 2003: “Climate Change Laid to Humans”
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Control, The Convention and the Kyoto Protocol

For Discussion:

• What is the greenhouse effect?
• What factors cause global warming?
• How many historic warming periods have scientists found?
• What steps can we as individuals take to save energy and reduce air pollution?
• Why hasn’t the United States signed the Kyoto treaty? What do you think about this?

Activities

Cold, hard facts about global warming can be obtained at “Global Warming: No Day at the Beach” and “Messing With the Thermostat Can Be Devastating” from CNN.com. Detailed facts and figures are provided at the National Climatic Data Center’s Global Warming: Frequently Asked Questions page. Students can research the specific effects of global warming around the world at Global Warming: Early Warning Signs from Climatehotmap.org.

We’re having a heat wave. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Global Warming Kids Site is a terrific, comprehensive page about climate and global warming. Sections on climate history, climate science, solutions to global warming, and more are enriched with games, animations, links to other sites, and materials for teachers (Educators).

Hot ticket. For sophisticated experiments, visit National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Research. Units on El Niño, atmospheres, oceans and more contain activities involving data gathering and analysis, mapping, and graphing, as well as lesson plans and learning standards for teachers. NOAA Education’s Climate Change and Our Planet lists great sites too numerous to list here with materials and information for classroom use. Check out the Teacher At Sea Web site for lesson plans, photographs, videos, animations, and activities that use science, math, geography, and language arts skills. The Greenhouse Effect in a Jar at the Franklin Institute visually demonstrates the greenhouse effect.

Old news. We’ve heard of ancient history and the ancient mariner, but ancient weather? Scientists are studying weather patterns and climate millions of years in the past to learn about warming and cooling periods that may help predict future climate changes. Get the story at A Paleo Perspective on Global Warming (NOAA).

Hot enough for you? Students can learn how climatologists ply their trade at the Why Files’ Climatologist’s Toolbox. In addition to learning how climatologists extract and study ice core samples, students can also learn how scientists take the Earth’s temperature, what studying lake sediments teaches, the stories tree rings tell, and how computers help paint the “big picture,” climatologically speaking.

Every little bit helps. Visit Alternative Energy Sources (Science Friday Kids’ Connection, February 21, 2003) for lesson plans and activities about what’s being done to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, a major source of greenhouse gases. Students can also learn how to monitor their own energy usage.

Lowdown on lessons. Lesson Plan Archive: Global Warming at the New York Times Learning Network offers 20 lesson plans covering many issues, from thinning ice caps to extended growing seasons. In light of the questionable fate of the Kyoto Protocol, Atmospheric Pressures, Emission Statement, and Clearing the Air are of particular interest.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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