除了電影 不願面對的真相 也有同名的專書
不知道會不會出中文版
書本最後有提到很多個人減少碳排放的做法
也有 The 10 most common misconceptions about global warming
給大家當個參考
Misconception 1
" Scientists disagree about whether humans are causing the Earth's
climate to change."
→ In fact, there is strong scientific consensus that human activities
are changing the Earth's climates. Scientists overwhelmingly
agree that the Earth is getting warmer, that this trend is caused by
people, and that if we continue to pump greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere, the warming will be increasingly harmful.
Misconception 2
" Lots of things can impact climate -- so there's no reason we should
single out CO2 to worry about."
→ Climate is sensitive to many things besides carbon dioxide -- sunspots,
for one, as well as water vapor. But this just proves how much we
should worry about CO2 and other human-influenced green house gases.
The fact that the climate system has been shown to be sensitive to
many sorts of natural changes throughout history should serve as a red
flag: We need to pay attention to the massive and unprecedented
changes we're causing. We have become more powerful than any force
of nature.
Misconception 3
" Climate naturally varies over time, so any change we're seeing now is
just part of a natural cycle."
→ Climate does naturally change. By studying tree rings, take sediments,
ice cores, and other natural features that provide a record of past
climates, scientists know that changes in climate, including abrupt
changes, have occurred throughout history. But these changes all took
place with natural variations in carbon dioxide levels that were
smaller than the ones we are now causing. Cores taken from deep in
the ice of Antarctica show that carbon dioxide levels are higher now
than they have been at any time in the last 650,000 years, which means
we are outside the realm of natural climate variation. More CO2 in
the atmosphere means warming temperatures.
Misconception 4
" The hole in the ozone layer causes global warming."
→ There is a relationship between climate change and the ozone hole, but
this isn't it. The hole in the ozone layer -- a part of the upper
atmosphere that contains high concentrations of ozone gas and shields
the planet from the sun's radiation -- is due to man-made chemicals
called CFCs, which were banned by an international agreement called
the Montreal Protocol. The hole causes extra UV radiation to reach
the Earth's surface, but it does not affect the Earth's temperature.
The only connection between the ozone layer and climate change is
almost the exact opposite of the myth stated above. Global warming --
while not responsible for the ozone hole -- could actually slow the
natural repairing of the ozone layer. Global warming heats the lower
atmosphere but actually cools the stratosphere, which can worsen
stratospheric ozone loss.
Misconception 5
" There is nothing we can do about climate change. It's already too
late."
→ This is the worst misconception of all. If "denial ain't just a river
in Egypt," despair ain't just a tire in the trunk. There are lots of
things we can do -- but we need to start now. We can't ignore the
causes and impacts of climate change any longer. We need to reduce
our use of fossil fuels, through a combination of government
initiatives, industry innovation, and individual action. Dozens of
things you can do are outlined in this resource guide. (註：指本書)
Misconception 6
" Antarctica's ice sheets are growing, so it must not be true that
global warming is causing glaciers and sea ice to melt."
→ Some ice on Antarctica may be growing -- though other areas of
the continent are clearly melting and a new 2006 study shows that
overall the ice is shrinking in Antarctica. Even if some of the ice
is getting bigger, not shrinking, this doesn't change the fact that
global warming is causing glaciers and sea ice to melt around the
world. Globally, more than 85% of glaciers are shrinking. And in
any case, localized impacts of climate change don't cancel out the
global trends that scientists are observing.
Some people also mistakenly claim (in Michael Crichton's novel State
of Fear, for instance) that Greenland's ice is growing. In fact,
recent satellite data from NASA shows that Greenland's ice cap is
shrinking every year, causing sea levels to rise. The loss of that
ice doubled from 1996 to 2005. Greenland lost 50 cubic kilometers
of ice in 2005 alone.
Misconception 7
" Global warming is a good thing, because it will rid us of frigid
winters and make plants grow more quickly."
→ This myth just doesn't seem to die. Because local impacts will
vary, it's true that some specific places may experience more pleasant
winter weather. But the negative impact of climate change vastly
outweighs any local benefits. Take the oceans, for example. Changes
to the oceans caused by global warming are already causing massive
die-offs of coral reefs, which are crucial sources of food and shelter
for creatures at every stage of the ocean food chain, all the way
up to us. Melting ice sheets are causing sea levels to rise, and if
big ice sheets melt into the ocean, many coastal cities around the
world will flood and millions of people will become refugees. There
are just some of the consequences of global warming.
Other predicted impacts include prolonged periods of drought, more
severe flooding, more intense storms, soil erosion, mass species
extinction, and human health risks from new diseases. The small
number of people who experience better weather may be doing it in
a landscape that is nearly unrecognizable.
Misconception 8
" The warming scientists are recording is just the effect of cities
trapping heat, rather than anything to do with green house gases."
→ People who want to deny global warming because it's easier than
dealing with it try to argue that what scientists are really
observing is just the "urban heat island" effect, meaning that cities
tends to trap heat because of all the buildings and asphalt. This
is simply wrong. Temperature measurements are generally taken in
parks, which are actually cool areas within the urban heat islands.
And long-term temperature records showing just rural areas are
nearly identical to long-term records that include both rural areas
and cities. Most scientific research shows that "urban heat islands"
have a negligible effect on the overall warming of the planet.
Misconception 9
" Global warming is the result of a meteor that crashed in Siberia in
the early 20th century."
→ This may sound absurd to some of us, but it's real hypothesis
suggested by a Russian scientist. So what's wrong with it? Basically,
everything. The impact of a meteor, much like a volcanic eruption,
might have immediate effects on climate if it were large enough. But
there is no record of warming or cooling during the period after this
meteor hit. The effects that would have been produced by the meteor
would have involved water vapor, which only stays in the upper
atmosphere for a few years at the most. Any effects would have been
short-term, and could not be felt this far in the future.
Misconception 10
" Temperatures in some areas aren't increasing, so global warming is
a myth."
→ It is certainly true that the temperature is not rising at every
point on the planet. In Michael Crichton's novel The State of Fear,
characters pass around graphs that show specific places around the
world where temperatures are decreasing slightly or remaining the same.
The graphs represent real data from real scientists. But while they
may be fact, they don't prove the point. Global warming refers to
the rise in the average temperature of the entire Earth's surface
due to increased levels of greenhouse gases.
Because the climate is an incredibly complex system, the impacts of
climate change will not be the same everywhere. Some areas of the
globe -- such as northern Europe -- might actually become colder. But
this does not change the fact that overall, the surface temperature
of the planet is rising, as are the temperatures of our oceans. The
gains have been demonstrated by several types of measurements --
including satellite data -- that all show the same general results.
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