Introduction

Welcome to my inquiry project.

Planet Earth is in great danger and needs your help. We need to save our world, since it's already badly damaged by global warming. A lot of people aren't aware of this problem, many people have bad behaviors and keep damaging, polluting the planet,... we can see this happening everyday in our daily life, knowing about global warming will somewhat help you acknowledge to why this is happening. The world needs our help and we have to put a stop to this problem. So what is stopping people from preventing Global Warming ?

Getting into the topic

First take a look at these questions that will provides information for the topic:

   1. Why should we prevent global warming ?

Finding the reason why we ought to do something is very important, it helps us to raise our awareness in what we're doing in our life.

    2. What is stopping us to do so ?

Why aren't we preventing global warming yet, what is stopping us ? We need to be concerned about this and put a stop to it.

   3. What can we do to fix this problem ?

The solution in how can we start helping our world in a better way.

   4. Should we or can we reverse global warming ? How ?

Since the planet has already damaged, finding a way in how to "heal" it is very important.

   5. What is alternative energy and why is it very important in how to prevent global warming ?

This is one of the way that people can use to fix the problem. And encouraging people to use alternative energy, renewable energy.

Question #1: Why should we prevent global warming ?

Global warming has already damaged the planet, causing droughts, floods, extreme weathers, diseases,... causing severe disasters to all the people and other species all around the world and still keep damaging. If we don't act now, the planet will be heavily destroyed.

Global temperature rise
The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with the five warmest years on record taking place since 2010. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight of the 12 months that make up the year — from January through September, with the exception of June — were the warmest on record for those respective months.

Warming oceans

The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.



Shrinking ice sheets
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 119 billion tons during the same time period. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade.

Glacial retreat
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.

Glacial retreats in Western Canada

Decreased snow cover
Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and that the snow is melting earlier.

Sea level rise
Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every year.

Declining Arctic sea ice
Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.



Extreme events
The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.

Ocean acidification
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent.This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.

Future effects

Some of the long-term effects of global climate change in the United States are as follows, according to the Third and Fourth National Climate Assessment Reports:

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Change will continue through this century and beyond

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  Global climate is projected to continue to change over this century and beyond. The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally, and how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to those emissions. 

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Temperatures will continue to rise

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  Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate, the temperature rise has not been, and will not be, uniform or smooth across the country or over time.  

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Frost-free season (and growing season) will lengthen

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  The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.
  
  In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are projected across most of the U.S. by the end of the century, with slightly smaller increases in the northern Great Plains. The largest increases in the frost-free season (more than eight weeks) are projected for the western U.S., particularly in high elevation and coastal areas. The increases will be considerably smaller if heat-trapping gas emissions are reduced. 

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Changes in precipitation patterns

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  Average U.S. precipitation has increased since 1900, but some areas have had increases greater than the national average, and some areas have had decreases. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest, over this century.
  
  Projections of future climate over the U.S. suggest that the recent trend towards increased heavy precipitation events will continue. This trend is projected to occur even in regions where total precipitation is expected to decrease, such as the Southwest. 

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More droughts and heat waves

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  Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves (periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks) everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere.
  
  Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U.S. in summer. By the end of this century, what have been once-in-20-year extreme heat days (one-day events) are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation.  

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Hurricanes will become stronger and more intense

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  The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s. The relative contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm. 

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Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100

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  Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
  
  In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions. Sea level rise will continue past 2100 because the oceans take a very long time to respond to warmer conditions at the Earth’s surface. Ocean waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century. 

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Arctic likely to become ice-free

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  The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century. 

Facts
. According to WWF, Global warming could kill off polar bears in the next 20 years.
. The first animal to go extinct due to global warming was the golden toad in 1989.

References

Callery, S. (2018, 12 13). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from climate.nasa.gov: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Callery, S. (2018, 12 13). Global Climate Change. Retrieved from climate.nasa.gov: https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

Global Warming. (2019, 1 16). Retrieved from Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/topics/global-warming

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
https://www.livescience.com/topics/global-warming

Question #2: What is stopping us to do so ?

1. Unawareness.

People are busy, busy with their life, job, work... maybe they don't even know what's happening to the Earth, some forgot, some don't care...

2. Our Needs.

People need a lot of stuffs, energy, food, water, space, houses.... It's not because companies are extracting, using a lot of energy because they want to but because of our needs. People are using a lot of energy without realizing it, this leads to many people wasting energy resources.

3. Bad behaviors.

There are people that pollute the environment (littering...). Surprised right ? Hard to believe right ?

Littering in Britain

4. We can't use renewable energy resources globally.

Example: in the Europe, renewable energy are used easily and widely because they have the access to extracting a lot of those energy resources, which leads to the energy being cheaper than it is in North America and other places around the world.

5. Doing something bad is always easier.

Non-renewable energy is cheaper. Littering is always easier than putting trash in the right trash can. Using countries that don't have environmental laws to put factories, polluting the environment is easier, cheaper and can make more money than those countries that have.

6. Plastic bottles of water.

Companies that pollute the environment, clean water to produce plastic bottles of water and sell them.

7. Not recycling or reusing stuffs.

People aren't reusing or recycling stuffs. Unbelievable.

8. Population.
This is one of the biggest reasons that is stopping us from preventing global warming. Leading to increasing our needs, more energy consumptions, food consumptions (farming and raising cattle lead to global warming since farming now use technology, cattle producing a lot of CO2 into the air...) , companies have to produce more goods for everyone to buy...

Question #3: What can we do to fix this problem ?

Global warming is occurring because of our needs, what we do in our daily life, but we can fix the problem in just some simple ways:

1. Speak up! Spread the Awareness

What’s the single biggest way you can make an impact on global climate change? “Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good decisions,” Haq says. By voicing your concerns—via social media or, better yet, directly to your elected officials—you send a message that you care about the warming world. Encourage Congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require polluters to pay for the emissions they produce. “The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them,” Haq says. You can help protect public lands, stop offshore drilling, and more here.

2. Educate. This is one of the most important, much more important that you teach your children and youth to raise awareness about what is happening to our planet. With this we try to have a better future thanks to them for they are the future.

3. Power your home with renewable energy.

Choose a utility company that generates at least half its power from wind or solar and has been certified by Green-e Energy, an organization that vets renewable energy options. If that isn’t possible for you, take a look at your electric bill; many utilities now list other ways to support renewable sources on their monthly statements and websites.

4. Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize.

“Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses of energy,” Haq says. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for almost half of home energy use. You can make your space more energy efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring it’s adequately insulated. You can also claim federal tax credits for many energy-efficiency home improvements.

5. Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. That’s about the same amount as the annual carbon pollution coughed up by nearly 440 million cars. “Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost way to reduce emissions,” Haq says. When shopping for refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances, look for the Energy Star label. It will tell you which are the most efficient.

6. Reduce water waste.

Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water. So take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and appliances. The EPA estimates that if just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year would be saved—avoiding 80,000 tons of global warming pollution.

7. Actually eat the food you buy—and make less of it meat.

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food—about 40 percent of which just winds up in the landfill. “If you’re wasting less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy consumption,” Haq says. And since livestock products are among the most resource-intensive to produce, eating meat-free meals can make a big difference, too.

8. Buy better bulbs.

LED lightbulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than conventional incandescents. They’re also cheaper in the long run: A 10-watt LED that replaces your traditional 60-watt bulb will save you $125 over the lightbulb’s life.

9. Pull the plug(s).

Taken together, the outlets in your home are likely powering about 65 different devices—an average load for a home in the U.S. Audio and video devices, cordless vacuums and power tools, and other electronics use energy even when they're not charging. This "idle load" across all U.S. households adds up to the output of 50 large power plants in the U.S. So don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers, and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the lowest power mode when not in use.

10. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money. And once all cars and light trucks meet 2025’s clean car standards, which means averaging 54.5 miles per gallon, they’ll be a mainstay. For good reason: Relative to a national fleet of vehicles that averaged only 28.3 miles per gallon in 2011, Americans will spend $80 billion less at the pump each year and cut their automotive emissions by half. Before you buy a new set of wheels, compare fuel-economy performance here.

11. Maintain your ride.

If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, we could save 1.2 billion gallons of gas each year. A simple tune-up can boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent, and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost.

12. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles.

Choosing to live in walkable smart-growth cities and towns with quality public transportation leads to less driving, less money spent on fuel, and less pollution in the air. Less frequent flying can make a big difference, too. “Air transport is a major source of climate pollution,” Haq says. “If you can take a train instead, do that.”

13. Shrink your carbon profile.

You can offset the carbon you produce by purchasing carbon offsets, which represent clean power that you can add to the nation’s energy grid in place of power from fossil fuels. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming

https://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips/

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/stopglobalwarming.php

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/top-ways-stop-global-warming-78809.html

http://nowsaveourplanet.blogspot.com/2015/06/10-ways-to-prevent-global-warming.html