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__** ENVIORNMENTAL POLICY BRIEFING **__ TOP FIVE ISSUES: 1. Global warming 2. Air Quality 3. Nuclear Waste 4. Disposal of Waste 5. Water Quality 2. Global Warming 3. The “greenhouse effect” is the warming that occurs when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from the earth toward space. There are gases that contribute to this effect: 4. Main contributors 5. Regions impacted 6. Estimated economic cost of damage 7. Estimated Economic Cost of Clean-Up The damage of global warming has been done. No one can go back and undo the melting of the ice caps or refill the hole in the ozone layer. All that can be done is to stop living the environmentally harmful way we have for so long. Moving from gas powered cars to electric, ending deforestation, and ceasing to pollute our waters are some steps being made toward helping the bad situation we are in. 8. In the Arctic, many animals are losing their lives due to the loss of their homes: the polar ice caps. They either drown or cannot leave the ice caps to find food. If the ice caps continue to melt, the sea level will continue to rise. This may flood homes of thousands, easily taking their lives in the process. The World Health Organization has attributed 150,000 deaths to global warming each year. Not including the deaths from natural disasters or other devastating tragedies. Some countries at lower altitudes may suffer from the increase in sea level and may be unable to function. [] 9. Several things can be done to slow down global warming: a. Cessation of the emission of green house gases. b. Buying cars with greater fuel economy c. Electric cars d. The end of coal-powered plants e. Switching light bulbs to the energy-saving, newer model. f. Car-pooling g. Speaking with congressmen and women h. Planting more trees i. Getting rid of fossil fuels, coal, and oil j. Upgrading our infrastructure to make more “green” buildings k. Consuming less products (especially those that are more harmful to the environment) l. Organic produce m. Unplug products that do not to be plugged in all the time n. [] o. [] p. [] 10. Environmental awareness is usually associated with the Democratic Party. a. Al Gore has made global warming and the environment his “issues”. He produced a film, // An Inconvenient Truth //, that warns people of the danger we impose on the earth is we do not change our ways of living. b. [] c. Congress passed a bill in 2007 that will rid the country of incandescent light bulbs by 2014 d. States reward their citizens for recycling by giving them money for returning their bottles 11. Adversaries of solving Global Warming: a. The continuing resolution that established the funding for 2011 was called “the most anti-environmental piece of legislation in recent memory” by the League of Conservation Voters. b. Fred Upton, a representative of Michigan, voted against preventing mercury emissions, and supported massive cuts to the EPA budget c. []
 * Water vapor, which acts as a feedback to the climate, increases as the Earth heats. It also increases the possibility of clouds and precipitation
 * Carbon dioxide exists in small amounts in the atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have increased the CO2 in the air by 33%.
 * Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Chlorofluorocarbons also contribute to the effect by destroying the ozone layer.
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 * Carbon gas emissions
 * Cars
 * Plants
 * Industries/Companies
 * J.AR. Simplot Co.
 * Cargill
 * Ford Motor Company
 * Apple
 * Nations
 * China
 * U.S.
 * Mexico
 * Russia
 * India
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 * Chernobyl in the Ukraine is the most polluted location in the world
 * Northern Asia is the most polluted area in the world
 * Most industrial places tend to be the most polluted
 * In 2025, the estimated impact of hurricane damages, real estate losses, energy-sector costs, and water costs in the four sections of the nation is 271 billion
 * It is expected to increase to 506 billion in 2050, 961 in 2075, and 1,873 billion in 2100
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