The article I selected is titled Irreversible Climate Change due to Carbon Dioxide Emissions. This article was written by Susan Solomon, Gian-Kasper Plattner, Reto Knutti, and Pierre Friedlingstein, all of which are experts in climate and atmospheric sciences. This journal article attempts to prove that climate change resulting from increases in carbon dioxide concentration is largely irreversible for roughly 1,000 years after the emissions stop.

Both reports of events as well as expert knowledge are required to answer the research question. This data was collected solely through public and private records. They converted the data they gathered into graphs ranging from the year 1800 up to 300 to view carbon dioxide (ppm), surface warming (K) and thermal expansion (m), making it easier to view the data as well as making it more simple to see the relationship between the three.

Their analysis of this data, among other data allowed them to determine that atmospheric warming, precipitation changes, and sea level rise will continually increase for an extended period even if globally we were to stop releasing CO2 at this very moment.

Their research was very complex but their converting it into graphs made it much easier to understand what they, as scientists, where analyzing numerically. I think the most students can take away from this is that every purchase, every mile driven, and nearly every social activity is contributing to the severe degradation of our environment and hopefully some will be encouraged to reconsider the habits, as I have reconsidered mine.

Susan Solomon, Gian-Kasper Plattner, Reto Knutti, Pierre Fredlingstein. Irreversible Climate Change Due to Carbon Dioxide Emissions. 16 December 2008.