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Global Warming

The largest source of greenhouse gases comes from the burning of fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere. CO2 is called a 'greenhouse gas' because it traps the sun's heat in the atmosphere, preventing it from radiating back out to space; this contributes to global warming. Other greenhouse gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons.

Twenty percent of fossil fuels in the United States goes towards food production. While organic agriculture focuses on building the amount of organic matter (and therefore, carbon) stored in the soil to increase fertility, industrial agriculture relies on fertilizers, pesticides and other products, all of which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Wherever greenhouse gases originate, they affect the whole biosphere: despite its complexity, the Earth is a single system. Life systems on Earth, although resilient, are finely balanced. Disrupting that balance leads to consequences we can neither control nor predict. Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are now around 387 parts per million (ppm). According to experts, this is beyond a safe level. We need to get that number back down to 350 ppm as soon as possible.

For more information please visit:
www.350.org