Quick Facts
- If not for the greenhouse effect, the oceans would be frozen. Carbon dioxide doesn't create the Earth's greenhouse—it just makes it more efficient, and that is what leads to global warming.
- Global warming is real, and represents a true threat. But many claimed effects used to illustrate global warming are grossly exaggerated. Hurricanes and tornadoes are not increasing, nor is the number of U.S. wildfires.
- If the U.S. ratified and abided by the Kyoto treaty, but no additional limits were placed on developing countries, then global warming would be delayed by only three years. To be a solution, any global warming approach must be affordable by the developing countries.
- Efficient use of energy has improved steadily at 1% per year, with a burst of 4% during the oil crisis. If we improve energy use at 2% per year, then by the end of the century, everyone on the Earth (including all the developing nations) could be living at the current European standard of living, and yet the total world energy use would be less than at present.
Read an Excerpt >>
Global Warming: The Presidential Summary
Every chapter of Physics for Future Presidents ends with a Presidential Summary. Read this executive excerpt to get the big picture of what we need to know (and what we need to do) about global warming.
Video
In The Classroom
Watch Professor Muller's lecture on Global Warming. (Recorded on April 8, 2008, requires RealPlayer)
The complete list of Physics 10 lectures from UC Berkeley.
