Global Warning, Page 3

PANEL 1

Rachel and Brenda stand outdoors. Brenda looks skeptical while Rachel continues explaining.

RACHEL: "Heh, Gore left out some important tidbits."

RACHEL: "What about how plant life will respond to the extra carbon dioxide?"

PANEL 2

Illustration shows tall plants and vegetation growing vigorously, with insects among the foliage.

NARRATION: "Studies have shown that plants will grow vigorously in a carbon-rich atmosphere."

PANEL 3

Illustration shows a caterpillar looking distressed, with a cow and calf in a barren field below.

NARRATION: "The flipside is insects and grazing animals can't get as much nutrition from the plants, often with tragic results.*"

FOOTNOTE: "*From Science News, Vol. 157, No. 13, March 25, 2000 p. 200"

FOOTNOTE: "http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000325/bob9.asp"

PANEL 4

Rachel gestures while explaining the implications. A cow and smaller animals are shown grazing in a field.

RACHEL: "Imagine how many ecosystems that we rely on would be wiped out if animals slowly starved to death while gorging on starch-rich but protein-poor plants?"

Yes, animals raised in carbon dioxide-rich greenhouses could starve to death while eating voraciously. It was a very disturbing study.

We should really call it “global weirding” or “climate change” because the warmer average temperatures are not evenly distributed. This means the water cycle gets disrupted, and some places will see more snow in winter because more water vapor is available in their region.

Reading the comments on gURL.com, you can see how poorly informed some people are–even those who are worried about climate change. If anything, we need to keep the conversation open and the people of the world informed.