Paper Again

So, the link below actually doesn't work because you need to be signed in under my account. But, this one works: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcss7hj4_2dn8tjmgn.

Paper

Here is a link to my final paper: http://docs.google.com/Edit?tab=view&docid=dcss7hj4_2dn8tjmgn.
I hope this link works!

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Second Response from Kiley

Chloe- I'm in total awe at your dedication to this project. You have so much information and resources, it's amazing. You have done a really great job with this. It looks like you have spent a lot of time working on this, and I think that that is really admirable. I really look forward to hear your presentation on this in class.
Really great job!
~Kiley~

Cameron

Great job. You gathered a ton of information, and all of your post contributed well to your blog. Also, you had many inforamtive and inforamtional sources that provided many facts to back up your opinions. Your topic is important to todays society, and is an issue that has been discussed in many magazines and newspapers. I think you chose a good topic because it is important to you, which allowed you to be committed to voicing your opinion. I don't have any suggestions for your blog, nice job.

Ben

It seems that you have gathered a lot of information about global warming. You also seem to be very concerned. After I read this, I believe I have become more aware of global warming. It was very interesting, and concerning that there was no place to recycle batteries. If everyone could do their part as you said, I am sure that the world will become a better place. This blog has really made me think about this topic. You have really done a good job of writing this blog.

Comment by Erin

Hey Chloe,
You were so commited to this I-search, just like everything else. You really found a lot of both interesting and eye opening facts. I too love nature and want to help it in any way possible. I guess easier is said then done. I don't really have anything to talk to you about that is horribly wrong. You set out on an intuitive and insightful experience and I am glad that you got the results that you wanted. I think that when we all finish with our I-searches that you should not only make it available to us, but to other people in our school and in our community to get them involved and show them what is going on around us. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I think it will get quite a lot of attention and hopefully help our community as well as others around us to act and help save our planet. Amazing job!
~Erin

Sara's Response

Hey Chloe,
I love the look of your blog, even if my picture didn't work. I started reading your blog all the way from the bottom, and here are some notes as I go along:

• You keep mentioning how "this" could be the answer, but "this" really shows the basis of my question. We know this. Otherwise, it wouldn't be on your blog. Keep telling us facts, not what you plan to do with them.
• I understand why you ask yourself many questions as you go, but try to answer them as well. I understand that many cannot be answered, "Why aren't people utilizing the immense amount of options that are available now?", but think of some reasons why this is so.
• Suggestions for people to fight global warming??? What should I do, besides join 1Sky??

Otherwise, I think your blog is fantastic. You really came up with a lot of information (my eyes hurt) and you pretty much did a good job of keeping it under control. You did have a few speling erorrs, but nothing major. Nice Job.
~Sara

WOW

This is an amazing blog, you have so much useful information about global warming. Before I read your blog I wasn't very aware of how bad global warming was. When I read your blog I can tell that you are very passionatre about this topic of global warming. It is great that you have started the Climate Action Club, making people more aware of what is going on. Also I thought it was very interesting how you called many big stores to see if they recycled bateries, I find it very dissapionting that there isn't a place to recycle batteries.
After reading this blog I feel more aware about global warming and what it is doing to this planet. Also I am going to be a lot more careful about what I do to the enviorment. I would like to thank you for informing me on all the information on global warming, it has open my eyes a lot on how bad this really is.



MICHAEL

Wow!

I love how commited you are to your topic that you left your thesis so broad in order to cover a lot of information. Sounds like you have done a phenomenal job gathering your information and answering every aspect of the topic. It's very convenient that you've chosen a topic that is popular and happening right now. This pertains to everyone in the world, and is important. You have a lot of interesting information and would have NO problem writing a 10 page paper. Great work!

-Brittany

My Final Post and Conclusion

I have learned so much by writing this blog. I fully understand the answer to my question, and I know that I can use what I now know to inform others and to continue to fight global warming. The most important thing that I have learned through this process is that it will take many different approaches to climate change to mobilize people.
Here is a brief summary of my answers: government action, incentive, personal risk, facts, consumer appeal, a connection to the economy, passion, and reaching out and informing. I have examples for all of these and explanations in my blog. Renewable energy is also going to be a major way for us to become less dependant on fossil fuels.
The consequences for inaction will be severe. The seas will rise, temperatures will increase, and humans will be left to fight an unbeatable war. This is why we need to act now. It is not impossible to win this battle. People are already acting all over the world. With international cooperation, we can save our planet. This goal is easily within our reach.
We all need to take responsibility for our own actions. Little things can make a difference: energy-saving light bulbs, fuel-efficient cars, energy-efficient technology, and much more. But, inevitably, enormous changes will be needed. Radical government policies will alter the course of our earth's climate. But, most importantly, it will be individual people that will make a difference. We will all have to make a choice. Most of us will choose to fight global warming, save the earth, and make a better future for our children. These people will change the course of history and become history. Like Eban Goodstein said: "What a time to be alive."
You don't need to be extremely educated on the issue to be involved. We will all be invested in stopping climate change. Whether you know the current emission of CO2 or not, you will still be making changes in your lives in pursuit of a common goal: ending global warming.
I literally can not express how much I love and have a passion for nature. When I read statistics that show how Americans simply don't care, I become extremely frustrated. I just can't see how people care about the economy more than the environment when 1) We live off the environment and 2) the economy will be a hundred times worse if we let climate change worsen. I think this message is what will mainly motivate people. I also think that the majority of the population of the world doesn't have enough information to be compelled to act. Therefore, the spreading of facts is crucial to catapulting global warming to the top of our concerns list.
Recently, for the Climate Action Club, I spent over three hours calling various places around the state to see if they recycled normal batteries. None of them did. From big box stores, to local business, nobody was helpful or informative on where I could recycle batteries. Here are some examples of what I went through and heard.
Staples recycles all kinds of batteries except normal, everyday AAA, AA, C, and D batteries. One employee told be that this was so because regular batteries aren't "eco-harmful." This is false because, at that same moment, I had been reading how much mercury is in normal batteries. At one Wal-Mart store, they had a policy where they recycled any type of battery that were bought in their store. Target advertised online that they recycled batteries. But, when I called three different Target stores, none of them had that service. For each store, as I waited for an employee to assist me, I heard the same recording telling me how important my call was.
This afternoon, I tried calling a local recycling business in Newcastle. Here is what our conversation sounded like:
Me: Hello, do you recycle batteries?
Him: What?
Me: Do you recycle batteries?
Him: No.
Me: Do you know where I can?
Him: No.
Me: Okay. Thank you very much.
Him: Yep.
There is practically no place in the state to recycle normal batteries. Most people just go in to a store and buy random, cheap, batteries because they don't want to spend the time or money on rechargeable batteries. I don't blame them, and I do the same thing. But, there has to be a place where we can take our old batteries for recycling instead of throwing them in a landfill. I think it is pitiful how little opportunity we have to recycle these batteries. We need to have these facilities in all our towns. This is an example of how we can tie our everyday lives to global warming. Just this simple action can make such a big impact. But, millions of people will have to do this in order for us to influence others and reverse climate change.
My mom recently sent me an e-mail that is the perfect example for this blog. Hannah Pingree is introducing a renewable energy legislation to the Utilities and Energy Committee in Augusta on February 12. Her bill "would...allow communities to develop shared green energy projects." It would also "develop incentives, including low interest loans, for consumers to make substantial home efficiency upgrades." This is absolutely thrilling to me because it verifies my answers. I found this solution through books, websites, and interviewing Jared. This tells me that what I found for my answers for this blog are very true and plausible. They are also being implemented at this moment. This is proof that we are on path that can lead us to a brighter future.

Statistics from BREAK THROUGH

Here are some statistics from BREAK THROUGH that show how my question applies in the world, and why answers are needed.
"When pollsters asked voters to rank issues in terms of their importance, the environment almost always came in last. In the Nicholas Institutes's survey, pollsters asked, 'What is the most important issue to you personally?' The environment cam in dead last...In a June 2006 survey, researchers with the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press asked people what issues they considered very important. The environment cam in twelfth...and global warming sixteenth...out of sixteen named issues" (Nordhaus and Shellenberger 32).
Data like this makes me really frustrated. This is what makes me want to become an activist and inform people of what is happening in our environment. I think that people plainly have no reason to fight global warming. Activists need to compel those people. We survive on this earth. We depend on it, and there is no way that we could live without it. The world needs to understand this. We are moving toward a point in history where everyone person on this planet will be united by global warming.
People might wait to stop climate change because we need to end the conflict in Darfur, or end the Iraq war. But, the problems that we face in our world now will be so much worse and more devastating than in the history of humanity in a century. This is why we need to act NOW. Once governments become more active, the public will follow. Incentive.

Fighting for Love in the Century of Extinction: How Passion and Politics Can Stop Global Warming

Just the title of the book tells how global warming can become a major issue in our culture: passion and politics. For me, passion is what motivates me to act and inform others. These are answer that I have already explored in my blog, so I will include more general information and statistics from this book.
"In 2100, the Earth could be very hot, with temperatures up 10 degrees Fahrenheit on average. Combined with mass extinctions, post-peak-oil, poverty, water shortages, and a reversion to tribalistic politics, all this might leave our descendants suffering. Or perhaps, a world rewired with clean-energy technology, a globalization that raises the mas of humanity toward a decent standard of living, and a new newfound and profound respect for the remains of creation will carry humanity forward into a new era of progress" (Goodstein 8). Another major motivation for people is what their children and grandchildren will have to deal with. The problems in our world that we are dealing with now will be so much worse in a century. This fact is why climate change needs to a central cultural issue of my generation. We can not fathom what will come. If people are confronted with these facts, government policies, and compelling reasons, we will be on the path that will make our world a better place. By acting and fighting, we will be making history. As Goodstein writes, "What a time to be alive" (Goodstein 9). We are faced with the tremendous opportunity to save our planet: the coral reefs, the arctic, the polar bears, the birds, and us.
In the Solutions section of this book, Goodstein says that "Rich countries need to meet the Kyoto targets by reducing CO2 emissions to 5 percent below 1990 level by 2010, and then cut emissions by a whopping 90 percent by the end of the century" (Goodstein 126). But, one of the largest CO2 emitters in the world is the U.S.. We produce 23% of gasses emitted. Furthermore, we are not part of the Kyoto treaty. Like I have said before, there needs to be international cooperation. The U.S. has to be an active participant in global agreements. The world needs to unite. This is how we will fight and win.
The rest of the Solutions chapter talks about how we need to use renewable energy, like wind and solar power. Also, we the government "to invest in research and devlopment and provide production incentives, so that as economies of scale kick in, these clean alternative become cost competitive" (Goodstein 127). Again, this relates back to what Jared told be, and what I have found throughout by research.

Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility

This book, as the subtitle shows, is about how politics will influence how we fight global warming. There are many points of view expressed in this book. "Environmentalists believe that getting Americans to protect the environment is a simple and ration process: Expose them to the beauty of the natural world. Show them how it is literally being destroyed by human activity. Advocate actions to stop destruction" (Nordhaus and Shellenberger 25). I have learned a lot from doing the research for my I-Search. But, the most important thing that I have learned is that it will take different reasons to motivate different types of people. For people who are passionate about nature, showing them how the world is being abused will get them to do something. This is only a small percentage of the world population, though. I think that this strategy combined with the spread of facts, government actions, and everything else that I have talked about in my blog will get people to fight climate change.
"In poll after poll, voters name concerns like jobs and the economy as their top priorities. Yet environmental foundations and organizations haven't advanced a strategy for action on the environment to be centrally justified as a way to create jobs and stimulate growth. The simple reason for this is that the categories of jobs and growth exist outside of the environmentalist politics of limits" (Nordhaus and Shellenberger 33). So, how can we fix this trend? Create green jobs! This is one of the points that the 1Sky solutions and Jared talked about. Fight global warming shouldn't just be in the field of environmentalism. It should be integrated into our jobs, economy, and politics. We can't isolate climate change in its own scientific field. It needs to be common universal ground that everyone can relate to in one way or another. Of all the ways that climate change can be the central issue of my generation, I think this will be the most prominent. Here is a quote that exemplifies this: "...social scientists have demonstrated that material prosperity is a prerequisite for ecological concern..." (Nordhaus and Shellenberger 37).
The message of this book is that politics will inevitably influence how quickly and effectively the world fights global warming. I agree with this, but I also think that other motivational factors will be needed. This was a very informative book that I would love to read more of.

1Sky Source

Jared suggested that I visit this website. 1Sky is a group that is working toward major nation-wide movements that are centered around climate change. They try to communicate a " a positive vision and a coherent set of national policies that rise to the scale of the climate challenge we are confronting." (See http://www.1sky.org/about). This is very, very relevant to my I-Search because 1Sky is trying to achieve what I'm writing about. I think this is very important. I know that there are other organization, like Step It Up, that are focused on government policies. 1Sky is building on this, but also going straight to the people.
1Sky has a "solutions" web page. Here, they have their ideas for, essentially, how to make global warming the central cultural issue of my generation. They pertain to what Jared said and are very practical and relevant to my question. The first step is to "MOBILIZE AMERICA FOR SOLUTIONS: Create 5 million new jobs with a sweeping national mobilization for climate solutions, energy independence, and investment in a new energy economy. Launch a Clean Energy Corps as the first wave, and charge it with helping communities conserve 20% of their energy by 2015." Secondly, "SECURE OUR FUTURE: Rise to the international challenge of reducing global warming pollution 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. Get on a realistic path to the reductions scientists say are necessary: at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Design our climate policy to support and reward accelerated public and private investment in solutions." Lastly, "TRANSFORM OUR ENERGY PRIORITIES: End development of new coal plants that emit global warming pollution. Pivot boldly away from fossil fuel dependence, and toward a clean energy future with strong standards and incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy."
To me, this is a summary of all that I have researched throughout this project. It summarizes many points of views that I have discussed: the economy, government, and no fossil fuels. 1Sky is a national campaign, and they are trying to get their ideas into motion. If you want to join this movement, as I have, go to www.1sky.org, and join!

Interview with Jared Duval

Jared is one of the premier student organizers in the country. I met him at the National Resources Council of Maine's annual meeting. I mainly talked with him about the Climate Action Club, but he let me ask him my I-Search question. He gave me an answer that I had not found during my research.
First all, he started by saying how global warming can't become the central cultural issue of my generation. Jared said that this wasn't possible if we just talked about fighting climate change. He said that we had to act and do something to stop global warming.
Jared then went on to say that global warming needs to "be part of a vision that speaks to other cultural issues." He also said that "global warming is part of an anxiety that people feel." But, the true root of these feelings is how fast our world is changing. People have "more concern for economic opportunity." Jared concluded by saying that if you connected climate change to a sense of economic anxiety, then it can become more of a central issue. It needs to be a "national effort," and we need to focus on new technologies like "wind and solar power." Jared stressed that we "need to move away from fossil fuels." It is vital to "connect people's aspirations for a better economy."
I completely agree with Jared's answer. It is also very different from any other conclusion that I have come to. I definitely think that connecting global warming to the economy will be a major step towards making it one of the central cultural issues of our generation.
I am very aware that there are other vital issues in our world today. Famine, war, disease, and so much more. But, I think that the environment should be an extremely prominent issues because all of our current problems will seem small compared to what will happen if we do not fight global warming. I think this is a very important point for people to understand when they read this blog and start to take a stance against climate change.
Jared included a quote by John Kenneth Galbraith in this interview. "All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.” It directly speaks to what Jared told me.

The Week article

This is a very brief article in the Health and Science section of The Week magazine. The basis for this article is historic: "By examining ancient sea sediments, the scientists were able to reconstruct conditions between the last two ice ages, 124,000 years ago. During this period, temperatures rose by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ice in the arctic regions melted rapidly, adding vast quantities of water to the oceans. Today, a sea-level rise of that magnitude would be catastrophic." This shows how scientists are using previous hot periods to predict what is in our future. But, as so many people know, the past decade has had unnatural temperature increases that are clearly human-caused. Therefore, whatever happened in the past will most likely be worse in the future. Many towns and cities are on the coast, and they depend on their unique position and culture. But, as the threat of rising seas increase, these are at risk. Millions of people flock to seaside villages and cities for vacations. These beautiful places may cease to exist in a few decades. I talked about this point in the context of another source. I still think that this is a reason why people will decided to fight global warming: most simply, what they love is at stake.

The Revenge of Gaia

There is a whole section in this book explaining what Gaia is. In scientific terms, Gaia is "a thin spherical shell of matter that surrounds the incandescent interior... I call Gaia a physiological system because it appears to have the unconscious goal of regulating the climate and the chemistry at a comfortable state for life" (Lovelock 15). Therefore, Gaia is "'the living earth'" (Lovelock 16).
This book is very blunt and straightforward, clearly stating the true reality of global warming. I think that it is a little excessive. But, I also think this is what is needed for people to snap into reality. I found a lot of great information in this book. I will quote what I found, and then comment on the text.
"The planet we live on has merely to shrug to take some fraction of a million people to their death. But, this is nothing compared with what may soon happen; we are now so abusing the Earth that it may rise and move back to the hot state it was in fifty-five millions years ago, and if it does most of us, and our descendants, will die" (Lovelock 1). This passage refers to the earth as a living creature, which relates back to the concept of Gaia. We have to think of our planet as a creature whom we are abusing. We depend on the land and the environment to sustain us. Once this basic structure of our lives is gone, we will be lost and helpless. This point of view can be key to mobilizing people to act. Thoughts, feeling, and appreciativeness is another component to my answer. These reasons are why I have become so passionate about nature. This excerpt, for me, is why we need to repair our beloved earth. Not many people realize what danger and change lies ahead if we don't do something now. Also, we need to think about our descendants. If the world's habits do not change, then we will be leaving this incredible mess for our children. This is just not fair. From experience with other environmentalists, this is a key motivational factor.
"...many...still regard global warming as a fiction...In truth, neither faith in God nor trust in business as usual...acknowledges our true dependence; if we fail to take care of the Earth, it surely will take care of itself by making us no longer welcome" (Lovelock 2). This passage holds a lot of truth. We can not depend on a single class our group of people, even God, to fight global warming. This movement must be international. Otherwise, nothing can be done. Another answer to my question is truth. If people really know what is going on, then maybe they will do something. But, without sufficient knowledge, how can they be expected to act?
I think that different people will be motivated to fight global warming for different reasons. Some will respond to facts, others to government action. But, one way or another, the people of this Earth need to unite under a single cause: saving our planet.
Lovelock has an interesting theory as to why we haven't really payed attention to global warming. "I think that we reject the evidence that our world is changing because we are still...tribal carnivores. We are programmed by our inheritance to see other living things as mainly some to eat..." (Lovelock 4). I think that this is true to some extent. There are other reasons why people haven't accepted global warming, like laziness or misinformation. But, this is another aspect as well, and so another answer to my question.
This is the most thought-provoking and mind-blowing passage in this book: "Even if we stopped immediately all further seizing of Gaia's land ans water for food and fuel production and stopped poisoning the air, it would take the Earth more than a thousand years to recover from the damage we have already done, and it may be too late even for this drastic step to save us. To recover, even to lessen the consequences of our past errors, will take an extra-ordinary degree of international effort and a careful planned sequence for replacing fossil carbon with safer energy sources" (Lovelock 6). The last sentence is another component of my answer, and one that I have already touched on. International efforts are need to repair the damage that has been done, and they are a way to get people involved in this movement.
It is widely known that we are in a period in the history of the world that is record breaking. Nothing has ever been experienced before. "...nothing so severe has happened since...the Eocene, fifty-five millions years ago..." (Lovelock 7). This gives you can idea of how serious climate change is. Like I mentioned before, I think Lovelock is a bit excessive. Even still, we should act immediately because there is no time to lose.
Lovelock's major answer for our current climate crisis is nuclear power. He sees it "as the only effective medicine we have now...We must conquer our fears" (Lovelock 11). There has been much controversy over the safety of nuclear power. But, the author deeply believes that is affordable "sustainable development" (Lovelock 11). As I mention before, different answer to my question will apply to different people. Nuclear power may be a big solution in our future. Also, our dependency on fossil-fuels has to stop. This is very big step for people all over the world to take. But, new automobile energy is needed desperately for actions all over the world to make a substantial difference.
I agree with Lovelock when he says "The time of irreversible adverse change may be so close that it would be unwise to rely on international agreement to save civilization..." (Lovelock 13). Global warming will be fought by groups and individuals. Ultimately, the people, not the government, are the ones who are going to make sacrifices to save the environment. The policies may be made in the field, but the action will happen on the sidelines.
Fighting global warming is a major operation that will be on a scale never seen before. We are in unmapped territory. We cannot rely on the past to show us what the future holds. Our actions today will be history tomorrow. Like I have said so many other times, it is imperative that we act now. Only we can save ourselves. I know that it has hard for people to accept what the future holds and to change the way they live. But, this is a part of life that everyone must deal with. It is our time.

Mrs. Swazey

Chloe,
Very well done so far. You already have many sources and I like the way I can follow your thinking as you react to them. Might you want to consider some research into the psychology of motivation? Then you might apply research findings to your question. I think you'll find some interesting articles in Academic Search Premier.

Mrs. Jewitt

I am very impressed with your blog and the combination of textual and visual information that you have chosen to include as you cull sources - keep digging for information that will help you best understand how to motivate others of your generation to make a difference in this area - Are there people that you could interview?

BBC Crops Source

This source focuses on how food shortage will affect people all over the world. A recent study suggested that "southern Africa could lose more than 30% of its main crop, maize, by 2030." Also, "The effects in these two regions could be catastrophic without effective measures to adapt to climate change." This is very important: adaptation. This is inevitable in our future. This quote shows how climate change doesn't have to overpower us: we can adapt to our new environment, change our behavior, and fix our climate. Water shortage, life, and crops can be saved with the proper action. We just need leaders who are willing to act. Once high-powered leaders become involved in the fight against global warming, others will follow. Therefore, people will act because of indirect reasons: the crops, water, and life are at risk. Politicians and activists become environmental leaders. The rest of the world follows. This thought process is the most important part of my answer so far.
The rest of this article is about how farmers will lose sorely needed money, and the agriculture society will fall apart, if crops continue to fail due to global warming. These effects will be felt all around the world. It is just one more reason why we need to act now.

Water Management Source

Water shortage is already a major issue in our culture today. This article discusses how it will worsen as global warming increases. The most powerful line in this article is "'But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods never seen in old measurements,' says Christopher Milly." In a world where prices are constantly increasing, this line should motivate anyone to act. Yet, I don't think that many realize the danger that we face. This is largely because people are too afraid to face it.
This article states that global investment in "water infrastructure" is more than "500 billions U.S. dollars." But, as people want to build more water utilities, they have to take into account the changing climate. This leads to even more spending and an unimaginable about of money. Water shortage will affect every single human being on the planet, both the rich and the poor. No water means no life.
This issue is already critical. But, I think the situation needs to become a little more serious for people to really realize what the future will hold. This is the plain hard truth. It is sad that the environment needs to be in such a bad state for people to realize what is at stake.
Another point that this article talks about is glacier melting. The most widely known effect of global warming is the melting of the Arctic glaciers. This will lead to flooding of many coastal town and villages all over the world. But, it also will mean more water. Therefore "Water availability will probably increase substantially in high latitudes of the northern Hemisphere." But, this is still a small portion of the world's land mass.
This article shows how serious global warming is, and how bad it can become. No matter how quickly we act now, there will be server long-term effects of climate change in the future. Humans have been careless, however unintentional. Now, we are paying the price. It is up to us to fix what we have started, and save the Earth that sustains us all. Like I said, with no water, there's no life. What fact could make people more aware of global warming? I think extreme water shortage could be a major answer to my question.

USA Today Source

The title of this article, "Warming Atlantic worsens hurricanes," backed up some of the answers I had already found for my question. As hurricanes become more violent, there are direct and serious threats to people who live on the coast. Increased global temperatures will produce hurricanes that the world has never seen. We can reduce this incredible risk by fighting global warming. Thousands of lives will be saved. Also, in the interest of government, millions of dollars will be saved. Less damage means less repair costs. These are the first thoughts that can to my mind when I read this title. I think that anyone who reads this will see the immediate danger people are in, and they will be compelled to act.
The opening paragraph shows how serious climate change affects the ferocity and frequency of hurricanes: "When the water in the hurricane breeding grounds of the Atlantic warms one degree in the dead of summer, overall hurricane activity jumps by half, according to a new study." If our global climate continues to rise as it is, "hurricane activity" will be overwhelming.
"...hurricanes get their enormous energy from warm waters, so the warmer the water, the more fuel a storm has to either start up or get stronger." This shows how global warming indirectly affects other aspects of our lives. There is evidence of this all over the world, especially in coastal areas.
This threat may move people to act. Confronting the loss of lives is a terrible tragedy that people will try to avoid. The best way to do this is to fight climate change. I think the risk of serious environmental events that can produce catastrophic results will force people to fight global warming. I think this is a key way for climate change to become a major cultural issue.

Help Kids Get Involved

Hey Chloe,
this is a really great topic to be researching. At school i am writing an essay about people who deny that Global Warming is a real issue. One site that anyone who wants more about the subject is www.climatedebatedaily.com a great site with new articles added daily. Totally a ten! But, to let you know
i completely agree with you that our generation has to take climate control and CO2 emissions into our own hands! Keep up the great work.

Response from Kiley

Chloe- Your blog is really off to an amazing start! You have a lot of really great posts and information already. You topic looks really interesting, and I can't wait to see how your question will be answered. At the end, this would be a great thing to share with the Climate Action Club (hint, hint). I really look forward to learning more about this from you. I already learned something, too. I'm really impressed by your dedication to this blog, and I think that this is a really great topic for you to research, especially as you're the head of the Climate Actiom Club.
Keep up the great work,
~Kiley~

The Thesis

This is probably the most well thought out and best put together page I have read so far. I do not have a lot to suggest to you, almost nothing, but I would like to hear a lot about your own oppinion on global warming and how you would help to prevent it from getting any worse, talk about what you know as well as showing what you research. There is a lot of information and statistics to back up every part of your thesis and I say keep up the good work, you have gotten a lot done already. Also this topic effects all of us on earth so it is a relateable topic and will tell us things that we all should know as a whole to try to prevent it.

IPCC Graph #2

In this graph, you can see the CO2 emissions have clearly increased dramatically. But, income has increased as well.

Mitigation of Climate Change IPCC Report

The beginning of this report has data on greenhouse has emissions and climate change. This will be very helpful to me when I write my paper (online), I can use this information. One amazing fact is "Between 1970 and 2004, global emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6, weighted by their global warming potential (GWP), have increased by 70%..."This statistic, in my final, can be the basis for answering my question. With these overwhelming numbers, why aren't people making big changes in the way they live?
"Relevant literature implies that policies and measures may induce technological change. Remarkable progress has been achieved in applying approaches based on induced technological change to stabilisation studies; however, conceptual issues remain. In the models that adopt these approaches, projected costs for a given stabilization level are reduced; the reductions are greater at lower stabilisation levels." This report, as indicated in the title, is focused on the mitigation of global warming. This quote is important for my I-Search because it tells me that technology is going to be one of the ways that climate change can be reduced. My dad has already been telling me about this: people are beginning to tele-conference instead of flying half-way around the world. This seems like one of many obvious solutions to me. But, I think the transition to this stage won't be very quick because many people have always worked, and will always worked, where the main group is.
There is a very interesting table in this report that has different aspects, "sectors," of our lives--transportation, buildings, etc...--and then explains "Key mitigation technologies and
practices currently commercially available" and "Key mitigation technologies and
practices projected to be commercialized before 2030."
Why aren't people utilizing the immense amount of options that are available now? Well, first, unfortunately many are lazy and are not willing to make the changes to their lives that are required. Also, like the Canada.com resource showed me, people won't fully act until they are forced to: the law.
I will post some tables from this report. There is a lot more information in this summary. Most of it is very detailed, but it will still be very useful to me.

IPCC Table #1

This table shows, as temperatures increase, aspects of our lives will change.

IPCC Chart #1

This chart shows temperature increases all over the world, and where the physical and biological changes will occur.

IPCC Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability

The focus of this report is on "current scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change on natural, managed and human systems, the capacity of these systems to adapt and their vulnerability." Although this does not directly correlate to my question, I think that I can learn a lot from it.
One of the main conclusions of this report is "Observational evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases." This will directly effect human actions and cost, which is addressed a little later in the summary: "In the aggregate, however, net effects will tend to be more negative the larger the change in climate." This point is another aspect to the answer of my question. I realized this before, but now I am getting an idea of what it is going to take for global warming to become the central cultural issue of my generation.
The IPCC found that adaptation has been occurring. But, more will be required. Our "vulnerability" will depend on how quickly we act and adapt. This fact is a key point for my I-Search. I will post two tables that were in the report that are very interesting.

IPCC Source

I read the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report for 2006. I looked at the general data section for my I-Search last year. Now, on the IPCC's website, they have the newest report. There are three different major subjects: "The Physical Science Basis," "Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability," and "Mitigation of Climate Change." Although I am planning on including a brief overview of global warming in my I-Search, the last two sections seem most relevant to my question.
For each separate report, there are separate citations. This post is for the link to these reports. I will include other posts for each report.

Culture Change Web Site

This web page has many links that will lead me to a lot more information. But, generally, this site has a lot of data on the relationship between culture and climate change. There is recent climate news, articles, what people can do, what people are doing, and numerous essays and journals. This main page also describes why it is vital for people to act now.
"Global warming kills 160,000 a year already." This fact is another reason that will compel people to make a difference. This number will most certainly increase as the global temperature rises. Not only is the environment at risk, but our health is too. As global warming becomes more prevalent, people will realize that, if they don't make changes to their lives, their family and homes will be at risk.
From this page, I was able to navigate to Milan's U.N. Climate Change web page. This is more of a governmental/business/economic approach to my question. It talks about different countries and what each is doing/has done. The title on the top of this page is "The climate change negotiations as seen through the reaction to Mad Cow disease in the U.S.A." Threats to livestock and agriculture are provoking conferences . This is a very important fact, and helps me narrow down to an answer for my question.

Canada.com Global Warming Source

This source gave me a general idea of what is taking for people to change their habits. First, the article talks about government policies. "The round-table members said the new Conservative government is already heading in the right direction to follow its recommendations to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 through existing and emerging technologies without hurting the economy." This action will encourage people to make a difference and act. I think this is going to be a major point in my I-Search. New laws and government awareness is going to be one of the biggest reasons for people to become motivated.
Another major point in this article is that Canadians deeply care about their natural surroundings. "The environment is something that Canadians care deeply about." People begin to act when something they love is at risk. For Canadians, this 'something' is nature. The Canadian population is willing to change their lifestyles in order to preserve what they love.
This article has taught me that leadership and personal risk are going to be part of the motivation for people to fight climate change. This is a very important point.

World and I School Source

I found an article on the World and I School database. The article focuses on whether we should care and fight global warming based on the overwhelming amount of evidence. This topic is directly related to my I-Search question. This essay has a lot of information about global warming in general. Since I wrote a paper last year about climate change, I think I am going to take a more specific and psychological approach to this subject this year. I am interested in the activism aspect of climate change. Although this source has information that is useful to me, it has also helped me realize how I want my paper to be.

My I-Search

HOW CAN GLOBAL WARMING BECOME THE CENTRAL CULTURAL ISSUE OF MY GENERATION?
I phrased my question this way because it allows me to research many different components of climate change. For example, I can explore the psychological component and what it will take for people to act. These and other sub-questions will help me answer my question. I will also explore why it is vital for my generation to take the lead in fighting global warming. This will give the foundation of my paper that all my research can be built on.
Last year, as most of you know, I wrote my I-Search on global warming. It was more of a general overview of climate change. This year, I want to dig deeper and really learn about how it can become the main issue in our culture today. The evidence of global warming clearly shows astonishing trends that, in a few decades, will be irreversible. We need to act now. But, even in the presidential debates, the environment rarely comes up. This is very frustrating to me. I do not understand why it is taking people so long to realize that simple changes in their lives can make a huge difference. I hope that, by writing this paper, I will have a better idea of why climate change is not yet the biggest problem in our culture today.
I already knew what I wanted my question to be before I started to research. So, I tried to find sources that gave me information that related to my topic. I thought there wasn't going to be much at first. But, I realized that there is a lot of great resources that pertain to my subject. Also, I know many people whom I could interview. They would be able to give me unique perspectives on my topic and help me answer my main question.
This subject thoroughly interests, motivates, and inspires me. I want to write about climate change so that others can learn and make a difference.