Facts About Global Climate Change
Over the past 100 years there has been an increase in global average temperature of more than one degree Fahrenheit (0.6°C).
While a global average temperature change of one degree F may seem small, consider that at the height of the last ice age, the earth was only 7 degrees cooler than it is now, and that was 18,000 years ago. So a one degree temperature change in only 100 years is extremely fast in a geological timeframe.
If nothing is done to slow heat-trapping gas emissions and they continue to grow at their present rate of about 1% per year—atmospheric CO2 concentrations will likely be more than 700ppm by the year 2100, and they will still be rising.
State-of-the-art global climate models project that human-caused emissions driving this CO2 rise will result in a significant increase in global average temperatures over the next 100 years, an increase ranging from 2.5° and 10.4°F
Present concentrations of CO2 and CH4 are higher now than at any time during the last 800,000 years—the period for which there are reliable ice core data—and probably significantly longer.
Take Action!
Send a simple letter through our action center.
Say Yes!
PSC Rally
Please join us for the PSC rally on Thursday October 11th at 11:00 a.m.
More rally info...
Wind Energy
Wind energy is the fastest-growing source of power on the planet. With our tremendous wind resources, Louisiana can become a world leader in wind energy. Already, wind turbines in this country produce enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 1 million households. A single modern wind turbine can produce enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of 500 average homes.
Take action
Solar Power
The sun is the ultimate source of energy. All the energy stored in the earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is equal to the energy from only 20 days of sunshine.
With today's technologies, we can harness this energy to produce electricity. While some parts of the country are sunnier than others, most areas receive enough sunshine to make solar energy a powerful source of clean and affordable electricity. Thanks in part to successful research and development, the cost of solar technologies has plummeted in recent decades, approaching the cost of fossil fuels, and is likely to fall even further.
Take action
Say No!
Coal Power
Coal-fired power plants are one of our nation's largest—and dirtiest—sources of energy. Although these plants already produce about half of our electricity, there are plans on the drawing board to build over 150 new plants in the next few years. With new laws to fight global warming expected on the horizon, the coal industry is in a rush to build as many new plants as possible before pollution safeguards are in place.
Take action
Nuclear Waste
At a time when its accumulation is accelerating and no plan for its permanent isolation has been developed anywhere in the world, nuclear waste is an unsolved problem.
Take action