25 Global Warming Photos That Prove You Have No More Excuses Not To “Get” Climate Change

Published March 6, 2015
Updated December 6, 2017
Global Warming Photos

Source: Wikimedia

The effects of global warming are quite contentious among people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

Unfortunately, that includes most people who don’t have PhDs in atmospheric science, chemistry or meteorology, so we’re all in kind of a tight spot, information-wise. As far as the ordinary media consumer knows, human-caused climate change is another one of those “some people say this, others say that” kind of disputes, as if the debate is over the relative merits of Coke vs. Pepsi or who will win next year’s Bud Bowl.

In fact, the “argument” does have two sides: every relevant scientific organization on Earth–representing something very close to 100 percent of working scientists–saying it’s real, it’s happening right now, and the only uncertainty is how bad it will be; while the other side lies for money it gets from energy companies.

It’s always easy to blame the media for creating a public “debate” about global warming, and that sort of reporting doesn’t get a pass here, but part of the problem might also be due to the issue’s complexity and lack of general accessibility.

After all, a 1-degree rise in global temperature doesn’t sound like a big deal, and 400 parts-per-million of carbon isn’t all that sinister sounding. It’s hard for non-scientists (that is, voters, consumers, and average people everywhere) to really grasp what’s happening right now.

We have a hard time grasping abstract concepts, so here’s a visual record of what the last century’s rise in global temperatures has been—and continues to be—doing to our world.

Global Warming Earth Infra Red
Global Warming Light Frequency
Global Warming Pie Chart
Flow Chart Global Warming
25 Global Warming Photos That Prove You Have No More Excuses Not To “Get” Climate Change
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After you look at these staggering global warming photos, check out our other posts on pollution in China and beautiful aerial photographs that reveal our world.

author
Richard Stockton
author
Richard Stockton is a freelance science and technology writer from Sacramento, California.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.