Temperatures
Rising
When we try to conceptualize
''the greenhouse effect'' we can think about it like
this: a layer of gases that envelopes the Earth's
atmosphere and traps the energy emitted by the planet.
It is a natural phenomenon, but a new reality has
become evident over the last few decades - the greenhouse
effect has gone beyond its normal parameters because
of human activity.
The emission of greenhouse gases
can be attributed to naturally occurring fires or
volcanic eruptions. But in the 20th century the major
source has been the combustion processes created by
our civilization, largely those involving the burning
of fossil fuels, whether by factories or automobiles.
The problem with an abnormal
greenhouse effect is that it leads to planetary climate
change, in our case global warming. Scientists
predict temperature variations that may seem minimal
- a few degrees Celsius - but they are enough to gravely
damage the Earth's ecosystems.
This phenomenon has triggered
worldwide alarm. The nations of the world have been
convened to take an active role in a United Nations-sponsored
Framework Convention
on Climate Change, and to sign the Kyoto
Protocol, an agreement intended to counteract
the greenhouse effect and its potentially devastating
consequences.
Industrialized countries, which
are the principal energy consumers, are being asked
to take the lead in curbing greenhouse gas
emissions.
The executive director of the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Klaus Topfer,
has stated that the greatest threat confronting humanity
today is that our economic activities are causing
global warming.
Some of the consequences scientists
predict are the melting of polar ice caps, rising
sea levels, and even the disappearance or massive
migration of species. And some of these ''symptoms''
are already evident.
Tierramérica:
Climate Change
Map
of greenhouse gas emissions
UNEP.net
explains the greenhouse effect and climate change
Convention
on Climate Change - Official Site
Kyoto
Protocol
What
is the greenhouse effect?
Cattle
also contribute to global warming
Enormous
Family
Insects are the most abundant
of living beings on the planet. There are approximately
two million known species, and they are found everywhere:
warm climates, cold climates, in the soil, in the
air… And now they also abound on the Internet.
Their origins date back to the
beginning of life, more than 300 million years ago,
before the dinosaurs, and of course a long time before
humans evolved! And, according to a widely held and
extensively studied belief, insects will survive humans
if the Earth's biological conditions are drastically
changed.
There are many tiny beings that
are categorized under the term ''bugs,'' but not all
are insects. There is one way of identifying insects
beyond all doubt: they have six legs. Their cousins,
the spiders, meanwhile, have eight.
Insects are the subject of study
in a branch of science known as ''entomology,'' and
their great abundance and variety has led to several
fields of research and even a specialized vocabulary.
In their minute world, insects are capable of great
feats of strength and speed.
Though we are living in high-tech
times, interest in insects, their structure and behavior
seems limitless. There are more and more channels
for understanding them, even in 3-D! Many websites
exist that attract cybernauts and collectors alike,
in addition to the expert entomologists.
Insect
Portal
Insects
Break All Records!
Insect
Websites on Yahoo!
Get
to Know Bugs
Insects
in 3-D
What
is an Insect?
Smoke
and Fog
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