by Raj Vaidya, staff reporter
Global warming, defined as the gradual increase in global temperatures due to greenhouse gasses, is looking more like reality than science fiction.
According to recent studies conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the temperatures for 2014 were higher than ever recorded, in line with long-term global warming trends.
“Global Warming has been an ongoing problem but something that has only recently received attention. Ever since the industrial revolution man has outputted more and more greenhouse gas into the air, and with it global temperatures have gradually risen,” York College’s Health Professions Professor Ganagaram said.
Data collected from over three thousand weather stations shows that since 1880 (the first time temperature averages were analyzed) the global temperature has risen by a staggering 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. While 1.4 degrees may not seem like too much, on a global scale such temperatures can be disastrous.
“I know it doesn’t sound like a huge increase in temperatures but l remember learning in class how much each degree can affect the climate, especially in the polar regions,” sophomore Renee Choong said.
New research from NASA’s, however, suggests that such temperatures are nothing new; they simply represent a continuation of the long-term warming of the planet. In fact, they found that, of all the warmest years recorded in history, 10 of them have occurred since 2000.
Professor Gangaram warns that such changes do not simply equate to a little melting snow in the polar regions.
“If this trend continues, logic holds that temperatures will only get hotter. It takes decades for CO2 and other greenhouse gasses to dissipate from the atmosphere entirely so every new emission formed will be there to stay for quite some time. And so begins a never ending cycle of more greenhouse gas and more warming, ultimately resulting in dire ramifications for the entire world,” Professor Ganagaram said.
