Climate change & Environmentalism

Karina D. Berry

Rachel CarsonBiologist

EnvironmentalistAuthor, A Silent

Spring

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add“But man is a part of nature,

and his war against nature is inevitably a war against

himself”

rachelcarson.org

epa.gov

Extreme weather events have

caused significant yield

reductions in some years

Greenhouse gases

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300

independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the endorsement of the United Nations:

•More than 90 percent probability that human activities over the

past 250 years have warmed our planet climate.nasa.g

ov

Climate change impacts on agriculture

• More extreme temperature and precipitation can prevent crops from growing. • Extreme events, especially floods and droughts, can harm

crops and reduce yields. In 2008, the Mississippi River flooded just before the harvest period for many crops, causing an estimated loss of $8 billion for farmers

• Water supplies are reduced• Weeds, pests and fungi thrive under warmer

temperatures, wetter climates, and increased CO2 levels.

Impacts on livestock/fisheries

• Heat waves could directly threaten livestock • A number of states have reported losses of more than 5,000 animals

from just one heat wave

• Drought may threaten pasture and feed supplies• Climate change may increase the prevalence of parasites and

diseases that affect livestock.• The earlier onset of spring and warmer winters could allow some

parasites and pathogens to survive more easily

• The ranges of many fish and shellfish species may change- • Cod in the North Atlantic require water temperatures below 54°F. Even

sea-bottom temperatures above 47°F can reduce their ability to reproduce and for young cod to survive. In this century, temperatures in the region will likely exceed both thresholds

• Changes in temperature and seasons could affect the timing of reproduction and migration.

Climate change affects our

OceansIn addition to

warming, The world's oceans are gradually

becoming more acidic due to increases in atmospheric

carbon dioxide (CO2).

climate.nasa.gov

CO2 data• CO2 has never risen above 300 parts per million

until 1950

climate.nasa.gov

Temperature data from four international science institutions• All show rapid warming in the past few decades• the last decade has been the warmest on record

Politicians on Climate Change

• “All voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax” Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

• “Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.” Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)

• “I exhale carbon dioxide. I don’t want those guys following me around with a meter to see if I’m breathing too hard” Mitt Romney (R-MA)

• "My point is, God's still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.” Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma)

• "We were put on this Earth as creatures of God to have dominion over the Earth, to use it wisely and steward it wisely, but for our benefit not for the Earth's benefit.” Former GOP candidate Rick Santorum

• "I don’t think that we have conclusive proof of global warming.” Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

• “The documents show that there was no real consensus” Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Climate change on the world

• Global temperature rise• Extreme events• Ocean acidification

• Sea levels rise• Warmer water• Melting of the poles

Conservation.org

Climate change impacts on the ocean

What you can do

-Cesar ChavezFounder, United Farm WorkersEnvironmentalistLabor LeaderCivil Rights Activist ufw.org