Hi, I'm Erling Rolseth, and I'm here to speak with you about global warming, climate change, and electricity.

Now to the question: What is global warming? Global warming is a phenomenon that occurs as greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, covering it to a point at which the sun's heat can barely leave the earth. This heats up the planet, and speeds up the natural rate at which the earth's temperatures fluctuate, leading to climate change that can destroy plants and animals, islands and ice through rising seas and temperatures.

Going further into a more specific branch of climate change: electricity. Yes, your light bulbs, laptops, and microwave ovens to name a few resistors that are using this miracle-power. Electricity, though it may not seem so, has a great impact on global warming. The key point being the fossil fuels burned to create energy (39% of which goes into making electricity in the US). When burned, these ancient combustibles release large amounts of harmful toxins into the air, like CO2, SO2, and NO; of which, very little are absorbed by plants. Once released, these pollutants travel up to the atmosphere and lead to acid rain, smog, and global warming.

Electricity is a big problem, and is becoming even more necessary as the population grows, and temperatures rise. The only thing we can do now is to use less energy, or at least try. Trying to save electricity at home is very important because 1 charger plugged in for a year uses the energy equivalent of about 5 pounds of CO2 per month, and 60 per year; and that's just one charger. Now try to imagine that 60 pounds for every appliance plugged in in your house; light bulbs, chargers. On average a single upper-class person emits about 24.5 tons of greenhouse gasses per year.

To put this into common terms, I'll relate electricity with cars through their common denominator: fossil fuels. Because electricity isn't the only thing harming this planet, or the most problematic topic. Automobiles have been around for a very long time, since Ford created his first motor carage to give the horses some time off; since then, we have improved them to the point of epiphany. Cars, like electricity, release harmful emissions into the air, about 3.5 to 6.6 tons per year for one car. Remember that every family owns about two cars, and because this presentation also involves the incomprehensible human impact on global warming, I'm giving you the incomprehensible details; humans waste, and we can't do much about it.

Now, I know that this slide says solutions, but It really doesn't mean that considering that there's not really a solution to global warming; and for all of you optimists out there: not yet. We've gone so far with polluting this world, and we're not eve out of oil yet, so you might be thinking that we're screwed; luckily, we have ways to slow our inevitable demise. Bio-fuels; cleaner than fossil fuels, and can sometimes eliminate and re-purpose waste into energy. Sadly, this option can still release some CO2 when burned, and if too many plants are used, we could counteract their absorbing abilities, and speed up global warming. Elemental power (solar, hydro, wind, geothermal) probably our best bet, it's quick, easy, and works is practical co-alignment with the environment. Sadly, these technologies are not ready to provide the necessary power for the human race to survive as is. Finally, upgrades. Used for things like cars, factories, and production. This option actually coincides with bio-fuels considering our need for conversion. Because of this, these new technologies would be easily integratable by simply upgrading or changing build plans for things like motors and factories with very few cutbacks by being the only things on the market. Sadly, these technologies, like the environmental energies, are very expensive, and my not even be ready to give to the public. All in all, global warming is a very serous problem, but we will find a way... hopefully.