With tons of information on climate change on the Internet, it’s difficult not to believe that the world is still the same as a few decades ago. In fact, scientists and politicians alike have always had something to say on the issue for the past years. Former Democrat senator Al Gore even released a documentary film regarding his campaign to educate citizens about climate change and the rising global temperatures.

Despite all these, there are still some who have either lived under a rock for a long time or simply lost touch with scientific reality. Whatever reason they may have, here are a number of findings that should put them in their place coming from NASA itself.

NASA believes in climate change and rising global temperatures because they have the data…

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has conducted a comparative study of global temperatures with their oldest data dating as far back as 1880. The team found out that the Earth’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8° Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. The bulk of the increase – particularly two-thirds – has occurred since 1975 at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20°C per decade.

Yes, even a one-degree average increase in global temperature is bad.

Unless you’re talking about your morning coffee, a one-degree increase should be a cause for alarm. See, it takes a vast amount of heat to raise the temperatures of our oceans, land, and atmosphere. A one-degree increase, therefore, bears great significance. To put things into proper context, all it took for the Earth to plunge into the Ice Age was a measly one to two-degree drop in global temperature. A five-degree plunge was more than enough to bury most parts of North America under a gigantic slab of ice thousands of years ago.

Further into their study, the team clarified that “global warming” does not necessarily mean temperatures rose everywhere by one degree. For example, short-term temperature trends may show that a five-degree increase in temperature in a certain region may occur simultaneously with a two-degree drop in another region. This, however, does not debunk the initial finding that the Earth is indeed getting warmer. Generally, regions of land closest to the oceans heat up quicker because water is slower to absorb and release heat.

On a more practical and easily relatable finding of their study, the team found out that global temperature trends from 1885-1945 appear cooler than in any other period, with the trend of getting warmer as it approached the 1950’s. The surge could be attributed to the increased use of fossil fuels since after WW2 which furthered the emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Efforts from the scientific community to educate people on the reality of global warming has led certain governments to adopt policies that would at least delay the harsh repercussions of climate change and global warming.

Climate change is and will always be a matter of scientific fact. It is a reality threatening life’s existence. If you are one of those who recognizes global warming as a fact that is to be taken seriously, then you’d know that sustainable energy is our only hope. Be a Powur Partner today and help minimize the effects of climate change today!