Causes and Effects of Global Warming

1. The learner will either choose to work alone, or split up into groups of two or three.
2. The group will then use the links provided to answer questions regarding how the following things all contribute to global warming: natural and man-made air pollution, deforestation, and the Earth's natural warming and cooling trends.  After the questions about the causes of global warming are answered, the group will provide answers to the questions about the effects of global warming.

Questions and links about man-made air pollution:

• What is the main source of air pollution in the United States?

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/vehicles_health/cars-trucks-air-pollution.html

• What are CFCs and why are they bad?

http://www.theozonehole.com/cfc.htm

• What types of air pollution are caused by indoor activities?

http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/article.cgi?issn=09056945&issue=v14is7&article=82

• What are the terms that refer to the two human-generated sources of air pollution? (see Attachment 1 below for clarification)

http://www.epa.gov/apti/course422/ap3.html

• What is the need for household pollution control devices?

http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/article.cgi?issn=02779536&issue=v55i0004&article=571

Questions and links about natural air pollution:

• What is natural air pollution and what are some examples of natural air pollutants?

http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Air_Quality/Older/Natural_Air_Pollution.html

• What are some examples of natural air pollution?  Are they adding to global warming?

• How does natural air pollution contribute to global warming?

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/289/5477/270

• Is natural air pollution the leading cause of global warming?  Explain.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/07/11/globalwarming.overview/index.html

Question and link about natural global warming and cooling trends:

• What are global warming trends and how do they relate to global warming? 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/07/11/globalwarming.overview/index.html

Questions and links about deforestation:

•  What is carbon dioxide and what causes it to be released into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming?

http://www.pa.msu.edu/sciencet/ask_st/083194.html

•  Why are tropical rain forests important and why are they disappearing?

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/

• Two decades of drought have lasted in the interior of Africa as a result of what?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/deforestation/effect.html

• 11 million acres of land each year is destroyed by deforestation.  Why is this necessary and who is responsible for this?

http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm

• What is desertification and what are the causes and effects of it?

http://green.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview.html

Questions and links about the effects of global warming:

• Describe how global warming has affected the sea levels.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=21968359&site=ehost-live

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=20199613&site=ehost-live

• Describe how global warming has affected the health of humans all around the world.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=20278786&site=ehost-live

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=27026303&site=ehost-live

• Describe the affect that global warming has had on the animals of the world.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=7093041&site=ehost-live

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/07/tech/main591924.shtml

• What are other, less thought about, effects of global warming?

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/09/climate_100.html