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Climate Change (Misc. (Establishing my credibility (Explain why I care…

- - - - If I have kids I want them to enjoy the earth as I have
      - Intrinsic value from biodiversity of planet Earth
- - - - The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the more infrared radiation is absorbed, warming the earth.
        
        increase in infrared radiation in the atmosphere can account for the shift in changing weather patterns (climate).
    - - only 0.03% is carbon dioxide
        
        Carbon dioxide is considered a greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is a gas that contributes to the absorbing of infrared radiation
      - Oxygen and Nitrogen's molecular geometry allow infrared radiation to pass through them in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide's molecular geometry absorbs the radiation
  - - - Climate is what you expect the weather to be, weather is what's happening in the atmosphere
        
        climate of Colorado is overall dry and sunny
        
        increase in infrared radiation means hotter average temperatures
        
        less snow will accumulate/precipitate from the atmosphere if the air is warmer
        
        70% of Colorado's fresh water comes from snow
        
        warm air can hold more moisture than cold air
        
        Colorado has weather all over the place. Hail in June, sunny days in December.
        
        Lived in Colorado all my life and have noticed less snow over the years.
        
        Indication of a change in climate
- - - - An increase in precipitation could cause cracks and potholes
      - Increase in temperature means concrete can expand.
        
        If the infrastructure is not prepared for an increase in temperature, structural damage can occur from the swelling and shrinking of concrete.
    - - impacts have a significant economical, emotional, and social toll on all of these communities
  - - - must address the risk and cost of new infrastructure with changing baselines of climate where construction is at interest
    - - '100 year' floods can turn into '10 year' floods. Investments will have to include this in an overall master plan for any civil project (e.g highways, bridges).
  - - - These storms will happen more frequently with time if the earth is warmed more
    - - Flash floods are expected to increase from increased high precipitation storms
        
        High precipitation in a short amount of time
- - - - Bleaches coral reefs, killing the entire reef and the life that depend on it.
        
        Analysis shows that a quarter of the world's coral species will die off by 2050
    - - An increase of 3.6 degrees F will cause irreversible damages to ecosystems around the world
      - Higher temperatures can kill off ecosystems not prepared for a change in climate
        
        Colorado is susceptible to more wild fires due to hotter drier air
        
        Pine Beetles can't survive at colder temperatures but recently with an overall warming climate, they are able to stick around for longer each year. They survive off of the pine trees but kill them in the process, creating the perfect fuel for wild fires
    - - Increase sea levels
        
        Regions near the cost will experience flooding more frequently as these impacts come to fruition
      - New diseases that were frozen in in the polar ice caps can emerge, bringing new diseases that humans will not be prepared for.
  - - - These changes will impact all levels of the food chain
        
        A good example of this are bees. If bees die off because they cannot adapt to hotter climates, the plants they pollinate will die. Herbivores that eat these plants will be affected, and so will the predators that rely on the herbivores numbers. This is a classic domino effect.
    - - Increase in structural repairs, usually costing billions of dollars
    - - At a certain point, it will no longer be worth the risk of living on the coast if the sea rises enough to completly flood the land, so moving all of these people will become an issue. This may not happen for a long time, but most be accounted for
- - - - Jean Paul Getty, one of the founders, obtained wealth from fossil fuels and now using that money to sponsor climate activism
        
        If fossil fuel philanthropists should take note from Getty and help become part of the change needed to become carbon neutral.
    - - 16 year old Swedish girl that gave an emotional speech about climate change at the 2019 UN climate action summit.
        
        She claims that with today's emissions levels, the remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than 8 1/2 years
        
        The 'CO2 budget' refers to how many gigatons of CO2 can be emitted without causing an increase in annual surface temperature
      - Younger generation of climate activism is inspiring to people around her age. Getting younger generations geared up for change is part of the overall movement to make world wide change in carbon emissions.
      - She has caused a great scene in politics and in daily life around the world
        
        Getting reactions out of Trump's twitter, Fox news, and others has given her great publicity
  - - - Up to us to elect government officials who support sustainability
    - - Taking public transportation
      - Eating food that is sourced locally
      - Being aware of water and energy usages in daily life
        
        Whenever you use water, you use energy and vice versa