1. Global annually averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) over the last 115 years (1901–2016). This period is now the warmest in the history of modern civilization. Annual average temperatures are expected to rise by about 2.5°F for the United States, 2021-2050.
2. The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is extremely likely to be the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented over decades to millennia
3. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade. This has affected the next item
4. Global average sea level has risen by about 7–8 inches since 1900, with almost half (about 3 inches) of that rise occurring since 1993. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every ye
5. 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.
What you can do ?
Reduce your personal contribution to global warming and set an example for others by using less gasoline, natural gas, oil, and electricity (especially electricity generated from coal-fired power plants) in your daily life. We need to cut CO2 emissions almost in half (45%) by the end of the next decade,” says Kimberly Nicholas, associate professor of sustainability science at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), in Sweden.
10 suggestions to reduce your carbon footprint
1 Reduce the amount of gas you burn by choosing a fuel-efficient car or other transportation that uses less (or no) fossil fuel per person, such as trains, subways, and buses; car pools; walking; and biking.
2 Buy efficient appliances that use less electricity. Look for the Energy Star, awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
3 Reduce every day electrical use. Develop a plan to reduce daily electricity use around your home. Ask each member of your household to take responsibility for a different electricity-saving action, such as turning off lights when leaving the room, unplugging appliances when they are not in use, using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and only running dishwashers or washing machines with full loads.
4. Eat a plant based diet or reduce consumption of meat. Meat and dairy production is estimated to be responsible for 12-17% of total greenhouse gas emissions, while throughout the world, the global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and ships combined.
5. Avoid one plane flight – There is hardly any other activity in which a single person can emit such large quantities of CO2 in such a short time.
6. Check insulation in your home
7. Recycle and compost
8. Conserve water by running the dishwasher less frequently
9. Plant tree(s)
10. Avoid plastic -Almost every plastic is produced from fossil fuels – and in every single phase of its life cycle, plastic emits greenhouse gases.