Questions about Climate and Energy Resources: The Dynamic Earth

1. How is climate different from weather?
2. What are the components of Earth's system that are important to climate?
3. If humans did not exist, what would Earth's natural climate be like?
4. Do humans exert an influence on climate?
5. How long have humans influenced climate?
   For more information, read Ruddiman, W.F., 2005, Plows, plagues & petroleum: Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 202 p., ISBN 0-691-12164-8.
6. Is human influence on climate significant?
7. Does human influence result in climate change that is harmful to the overall human population?
8. What can we do to minimize or reverse the human-controlled causes of adverse climate change?
9. Are we running out of oil and natural gas?
   For more information, read Deffeyes, K.S., 2003, Hubbert's peak -- the impending world oil shortage: Princeton University Press, 224 p., ISBN 0-691-11625-3 (revised paperback edition) and
   Deffeyes, K.S., 2005, Beyond oil -- the view from Hubbert's peak: New York, Hill and Wang, 224 p., ISBN 0-8090-2956-1.
10. Can we use coal as a substitute for oil and natural gas?
11. Can we use corn or soybean-based ethanol as a substitute for oil and natural gas?
12. Are there other options for the efficient manufacturing of a type of alcohol or oil that has a sufficient energy content to replace petroleum?
13. What about wind power?
14. What about solar power?
15. What about hydroelectric power?
16. What about geothermal power?
17. What about nuclear power?

Some interesting web sites to visit for more information:

• U.S. National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) site on ancient climate
• NGDC site on global warming
• NGDC site on climate
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) home page, including a link to download their summary report for policymakers concerning the physical science basis for climate change.

Please report any bad web links to Vince Cronin (Vince_Cronin@baylor.edu)