Kilowatt Ours Interviews
David Easterling - Chief of Scientific Services Division, National Climatic Data Center
David Easterling - Part One
- Most recent report would say that we are indeed experiencing a warming on the planet. There is increasing evidence to suggest that this warming is due to human use of fossil fuels.
- There is some evidence that we are seeing more heavy rainfalls.
- There is an increasing level of carbon dioxide in the high atmosphere.
- There is a growing body of evidence that states that we are contributing to the warming.
David Easterling - Part Two
- Changes in climate extremes are evidenced by the number of events of extremely heavy rainfalls.
- There is a decrease in the number of days below freezing.
- We lack good climate data from many parts of the world.
- It simply makes good business sense to increase energy efficiency.
David Easterling - Part Three
- A lot of scientists say that we are conducting a grand experiment by adding so much greenhouse gasses to see what is going to happen.
- Earth has an energy balance. What reaches the surface is either radiated back out or is heated by the surface. We are trapping the energy that would have been reflected back out to space, so the atmosphere is warming.
Relevant Links:
- NOAA.gov: Global Warming FAQ
- NOAA.gov: Climate of 2006 in Historical Perspective
