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A: Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 1880-the year that accurate recordkeeping began-and 1980, it rose on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: For the last 40 years, we've seen the global annual temperature rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade.

The result? A planet that has never been hotter. Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since 2005-and the 5 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2015. Climate change deniers have argued that there has been a "pause" or a "slowdown" in rising global temperatures, but numerous studies, including a 2018 paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, have disproved this claim. The impacts of global warming are already harming people around the world.

What causes global warming?

A: Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO ₂) and other air pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth's surface. Normally this radiation would escape into space, but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. These heat-trapping pollutants-specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic fluorinated gases-are known as greenhouse gases, and their impact is called the greenhouse effect.

How is global warming linked to extreme weather?

A: Scientists agree that the earth's rising temperatures are fueling longer and hotter heat waves, more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes.

In 2015, for example, scientists concluded that a lengthy drought in California-the state's worst water shortage in 1,200 years-had been intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming. They also said the odds of similar droughts happening in the future had roughly doubled over the past century. And in 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine announced that we can now confidently attribute some extreme weather events, like heat waves, droughts, and heavy precipitation, directly to climate change.

The impacts of global warming are being felt everywhere. Extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world in recent years. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica has lost nearly four trillion metric tons of ice since the 1990s. The rate of loss could speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing sea levels to rise several meters in the next 50 to 150 years and wreaking havoc on coastal communities worldwide.

What are the other effects of global warming?

A: Each year scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, and each year we also gain new evidence of its devastating impact on people and the planet. As the heat waves, droughts, and floods associated with climate change become more frequent and more intense, communities suffer and death tolls rise. If we're unable to reduce our emissions, scientists believe that climate change could lead to the deaths of more than 250,000 people around the globe every year and force 100 million people into poverty by 2030.

Global warming is already taking a toll on the United States. And if we aren't able to get a handle on our emissions, here's just a smattering of what we can look forward to:

Disappearing glaciers, early snowmelt, and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages and continue to increase the risk of wildfires in the American West.

Rising sea levels will lead to even more coastal flooding on the Eastern Seaboard, especially in Florida, and in other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico.

Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, and increased flooding. All of these can damage or destroy agriculture and fisheries.

Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.

Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks will become more common due to increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher levels of air pollution, and the spread of conditions favorable to pathogens and mosquitoes.

Though everyone is affected by climate change, not everyone is affected equally. Indigenous people, people of color, and the economically marginalized are typically hit the hardest. Inequities built into our housing, health care, and labor systems make these communities more vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change-even though these same communities have done the least to contribute to it.

Where does the United States stand in terms of global-warming contributors?

A: In recent years, China has taken the lead in global-warming pollution, producing about 26 percent of all CO2 emissions. The United States comes in second. Despite making up just 4 percent of the world's population, our nation produces a sobering 13 percent of all global CO2 emissions-nearly as much as the European Union and India (third and fourth place) combined. And America is still number one, by far, in cumulative emissions over the past 150 years. As a top contributor to global warming, the United States has an obligation to help propel the world to a cleaner, safer, and more equitable future. Our responsibility matters to other countries, and it should matter to us, too.

Is the United States doing anything to prevent global warming?

A: We've started. But in order to avoid the worsening effects of climate change, we need to do a lot more-together with other countries-to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean energy sources.

Despite the lack of cooperation from the Trump administration, local and state governments made great strides during this period through efforts like the American Cities Climate Challenge and ongoing collaborations like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Meanwhile, industry and business leaders have been working with the public sector, creating and adopting new clean-energy technologies and increasing energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, and industrial processes. Today the American automotive industry is finding new ways to produce cars and trucks that are more fuel efficient and is committing itself to putting more and more zero-emission electric vehicles on the road. Developers, cities, and community advocates are coming together to make sure that new affordable housing is built with efficiency in mind, reducing energy consumption and lowering electric and heating bills for residents. And renewable energy continues to surge as the costs associated with its production and distribution keep falling. In 2020 renewable energy sources such as wind and solar provided more electricity than coal for the very first time in U.S. history.

Is global warming too big a problem for me to help tackle?

A: No! While we can't win the fight without large-scale government action at the national level, we also can't do it without the help of individuals who are willing to use their voices, hold government and industry leaders to account, and make changes in their daily habits.

Wondering how you can be a part of the fight against global warming? Reduce your own carbon footprint by taking a few easy steps: Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine and your decisions as a consumer. When you shop for new appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers, look for products with the government's ENERGY STAR ® label; they meet a higher standard for energy efficiency than the minimum federal requirements. When you buy a car, look for one with the highest gas mileage and lowest emissions. You can also reduce your emissions by taking public transportation or carpooling when possible.

And while new federal and state standards are a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done. Voice your support of climate-friendly and climate change preparedness policies, and tell your representatives that equitably transitioning from dirty fossil fuels to clean power should be a top priority-because it's vital to building healthy, more secure communities.

You don't have to go it alone, either. Movements across the country are showing how climate action can build community, be led by those on the front lines of its impacts, and create a future that's equitable and just for all.

This story was originally published on March 11, 2016 and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can't resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can't republish our material wholesale or automatically-you need to select stories individually; you can't republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should to let us know when you've used one of our stories.

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What is global warming? Global warming causes, effects, extreme weather, facts, and relation to climate change.

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Helpful Tips to Produce Less Waste and Recycle More

The average American creates about 4.4 pounds of trash every day. Seems like a lot, right? Now multiply that by the number of people in your household, and you might be surprised by how much garbage your family is throwing away on a daily basis.

For example, let's say you have a family of four, that's 17.6 pounds of garbage. On top of that, for each pound of waste thrown out in your home, experts estimate 7 pounds of trash is produced upstream via manufacturing and production. The grand total? 123.2 pounds.

Luckily, there are small, everyday changes you can make to avoid your household trash can that add up over the course of a year. Here are a few simple ways to reduce waste at home.

Know Which Items to Recycle at Home

A basic household recycling list includes plastic bottles, soft drink cans, paper and cardboard, but there are plenty of other items that can be recycled to avoid the landfill.

Before you start throwing recyclables in the garbage, check out this list of common household items that you actually can recycle:

Batteries
If left to break down in a landfill, batteries release toxic materials that contribute to pollution. Battery recycling programs are fairly common, some post offices and local library branches host drop-off collection programs for recycling facilities.

Printer Ink Cartridges
Most printer ink cartridges shouldn't be placed in household trash. Business supply stores, like Best Buy and Staples, offer recycling programs which include discounts off of new cartridges when you turn one in.

Light Bulbs
To be specific, CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs. These contain trace amounts of mercury, so they should not be placed in the trash or in your curbside recycling bin. Instead, use drop-off services provided by stores such as Home Depot and IKEA to ensure they are handled safely.

Junk Mail
While it can be easy to take junk mail straight from the mailbox to the garbage can, remember to recycle that paper whenever possible.

Disposable Cups
Paper and plastic cups are accepted by curbside recycling programs. Rinse out the cups after they are used and allow them to dry before placing them in the recycling bin to avoid the paper becoming soggy.

Reduce How Much You Consume

Now that you have checked to make sure your recyclables are kept out of the trash, the next step is reducing the amount you throw away. The simplest way to address this is to buy and consume less.

"The best way to reduce waste in the home is to simply refuse it. Think about the impact the item will have if you accept it into your home."
Bea Johnson | Zero Waste Home

Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home, adopts the 5 R's guideline: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot. She explains that these were designed to be adopted in order. "Refuse what you do not need. Consuming is not just buying items, but accepting things that you don't need like a free pen from a conference or a business card," Bea explains.

The second R is reduce, and embrace a simplistic lifestyle. "The less you have, the less you have to maintain, clean, store and eventually repair or discard. When you let go of things you don't truly need, other people have access to them in the secondhand market."

Reusing items is not just embracing items like cloth grocery bags, but swapping out everything you can for a more sustainable alternative. "Every single disposable item on the market has a reusable alternative," according to Bea.

Recycling is meant only for items that you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. The last R stands for rot, which means composting food scraps and other items that would normally be thrown in the trash.

Tips to Reduce Waste in Every Room in Your Home

Reduce Packaging Waste in the Kitchen

"In the kitchen, reducing waste is quite simple. Buy your food in bulk, take totes to the store with jars for wet items, mesh bags for produce and cloth bags for any dry items."
Bea Johnson | Zero Waste Home

Food waste and packaging are two major sources of household trash that come from the kitchen. Grocery shopping alone can account for a significant amount of trash, especially if you double-bag heavy items at the checkout line.
Ways to Reduce Waste in the Kitchen:

Invest in reusable grocery bags.

Purchase in bulk to avoid excess packaging.

Choose products that are reusable or refillable rather than a single-use item.

Use natural beeswax wrap for leftovers instead of plastic wrap. (Here's a handy DIY recipe to make your own.)

Use real silverware, plates and glassware over disposable options.

Compost food scraps with a countertop bin.

Streamline Your Wardrobe to Avoid Clothing Waste from the Bedroom

While you might not think of the bedroom as a source of household waste, the real culprit is the clothing sitting in your dresser and hanging in your closet. The average American throws out 81 pounds of clothing in a year, with a total of 26 billion pounds added to landfills across the country annually.

Even if you donate clothes to your local Goodwill, if items are in major disrepair the store will toss them instead of placing them on the shelves. Instead, research local organizations that will take your unwanted clothing and repurpose it for something new. Nonprofits like SMART will turn battered items into wiping rags or basic fibers to create new products.

Remove Disposable Products From the Bathroom

There's a reason most bathrooms have their own trash can; they are a significant source of household waste.
Simple Tips to Reduce Bathroom Waste:

Ditch disposable razors for a double-edged razor that lasts much longer.

Replace plastic toothbrushes with bamboo ones. The handle of of bamboo toothbrushes can be added to a compost pile, and the bristles can be recycled.*

Swap out packaged body and face soap with eco-friendly substitutes.

*Check with your local municipality to see if bristles are accepted.

"I've adopted a bar of soap that I use to wash my hair, body and for shaving. This one product eliminates three packaged products and I am able to buy it loose."
Bea Johnson | Zero Waste Home

Make the Most of Your Backyard

Designate an area in your backyard for a rainwater barrel. This will collect and store water for your lawn and garden, instead of relying on a hose or costly sprinkler system. If you already have a sprinkler system, modify it using an irrigation controller with a rainwater sensor to avoid over-usage.

The space behind your garage can be a great location for a compost pile. Depending on the space you have available, composting will allow you to repurpose leaves, grass clippings, twigs and shrubs from your lawn for garden beds or potted plants.

Recycle in Your Home Office

Home offices serve as a command center and storage facility for important documents. However, shredded paper, printed documents and outdated calendars shouldn't contribute to your household's waste stream.
How to Reduce Waste in the Home Office

Replace traditional pens with refillable fountain or ballpoint pens.

Use recycled paper and notebooks, and recycle them.

Avoid the printer.

Compost or recycle shredded paper.

Steps Toward a Zero Waste Home

Achieving zero waste status at home is a challenge, but these tips to help you reduce household waste are steps in the right direction.

If you are making strides in reducing household waste, just remember Bea's guidelines, "Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot."
Do you have a tip that you would love to share? Add it to the comments below!

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How to Reduce Waste at Home | Dumpsters.com

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The average American creates about 4.4 pounds of trash every day. Seems like a lot, right? Now multiply that by the number of people in your household, and you might be surprised by how much garbage your family is throwing away on a daily basis.

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March 22 is World Water Day! Read and share the following tips, and do your part to help reduce our overall water consumption!
With more and more areas struggling with droughts, conserving water is more important than ever. Even if you're not living in a drought-stricken region, cutting back on water use also means a lower utility bill and helps conserve a precious resource.

Whether you're ready to cut back on your showers or replace your lawn with water-wise plants, there are lots of big and small ways that you can conserve water around the home. Don't worry if you can't do everything on this list. Just pick a few things to start with, and do more as you can.

Even a few small changes can add up to hundreds of gallons in water savings each year! Here are 20 water-saving tips to get you going...

1. Shower Bucket. Instead of letting the water pour down the drain, stick a bucket under the faucet while you wait for your shower water to heat up. You can use the water for flushing the toilet or watering your plants.

2. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Water comes out of the average faucet at 2.5 gallons per minute. Don't let all that water go down the drain while you brush! Turn off the faucet after you wet your brush, and leave it off until it's time to rinse.

3. Turn off the tap while washing your hands. Do you need the water to run while you're scrubbing your hands? Save a few gallons of water and turn the faucet off after you wet your hands until you need to rinse.

4. If it's yellow, let it mellow. This tip might not be for everyone, but the toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixtures in the house. Do you need to flush every time?

5. Fix your leaks. Whether you go DIY or hire a plumber, fixing leaky faucets can mean big water savings.
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Gabrielle Rocha fact: The average American household uses 400 gallons of water per day!
6. Re-use your pasta cooking liquid. Instead of dumping that water down the drain, try draining your pasta water into a large pot. Once it cools, you can use it to water your plants. Just make sure you wait, because if you dump that boiling water on your plants, you might harm them.

7. Head to the car wash. If you feel compelled to wash your car, take it to a car wash that recycles the water, rather than washing at home with the hose.

8. Cut your showers short. Older shower heads can use as much as 5 gallons of water per minute. Speed things up in the shower for some serious water savings.

9. Choose efficient fixtures. Aerating your faucets, investing in a low-flow toilet, choosing efficient shower heads, and opting for a Water Sense rated dishwasher and washing machine can add up to big water savings.

10. Shrink your lawn. Even better: lose the lawn completely. Instead, opt for a xeriscaped landscape that incorporates water wise ground cover, succulents, and other plants that thrive in drought conditions.
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by naotakem Water fact: One in eight people worldwide does not have access to clean drinking water.
11. Don't run the dishwasher or washing machine until it's full. Those half-loads add up to gallons and gallons of wasted water.

12. Keep an eye on your bill to spot leaks. If your water bill spikes suddenly, there's a good chance that a leak is the culprit. Call in a plumber to check your lines to save water and cash!

13. Install a rain barrel. Rainwater harvesting is a great way to keep your plants hydrated without turning on the hose or sprinkler.

14. Flush with less. Older toilets use a lot of water. You can reduce your usage by sinking a half gallon jug of water in the toilet tank. Do NOT use a brick, because it will break down and the sediment can damage your tank.
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by David Locke Water fact: Scientists predict even more droughts in the future due to climate change. They also predict longer and more severe droughts.
15. Water outdoor plants in the early morning. You'll need less water, since cooler morning temperatures mean losing less water to evaporation. It's not a great idea to water in the evenings, since this can promote mold growth.

16. Hand-washing a lot of dishes? Fill up your sink with water, instead of letting it run the whole time that you're scrubbing.

17. Use less electricity. Power plants use thousands of gallons of water to cool. Do your part to conserve power, and you're indirectly saving water, too!

18. Wash Fido outdoors. That way, you're watering your yard while you're cleaning your pup. Just make sure that the soap you're using isn't harmful to your plants!

19. Skip the shower from time to time. Do you really need to shower multiple times a day or even daily? Skipping even one shower a week adds up to big water savings.
What are some ways that you guys save water around the home? Let's keep the conservation going in the comments! Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by ginnerobot
20. Re-use grey water. Check to make sure that this is legal where you live, but in some areas you can do things like re-route the runoff from your clothes washer and use that water for things like flushing the toilet.

Related stories:

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20 Ways to Conserve Water at Home | Care2 Healthy Living

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March 22 is World Water Day! Read and share the following tips, and do your part to help reduce our overall water consumption! With more and more areas struggling with droughts, conserving water is more important than ever.

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Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling can benefit your community, the economy, and the environment. Products should only be recycled if they cannot be reduced or reused. EPA promotes the waste management hierarchy, which ranks various waste management strategies from most to least environmentally preferred. The hierarchy prioritizes source reduction and the reuse of waste materials over recycling.
On this page:
Benefits of Recycling

Environment

Recycling provides many benefits to our environment. By recycling our materials, we create a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations.

Conserve natural resources: Recycling reduces the need to extract resources such as timber, water, and minerals for new products.

Climate change: According to the most recent EPA data, the recycling and composting of municipal solid waste (MSW or trash) saved over 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2018.

Energy savings: Recycling conserves energy. For example, recycling just 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours. To estimate how much energy you can save by recycling certain products, EPA developed the individual Waste Reduction Model (iWARM).

Waste and pollution reduction: Recycling diverts waste away from landfills and incinerators, which reduces the harmful effects of pollution and emissions.

Economy

EPA released significant findings on the economic benefits of the recycling industry with an update to the national Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study in 2020. This study analyzes the numbers of jobs, wages and tax revenues attributed to recycling. The study found that in a single year, recycling and reuse activities in the United States accounted for:

681,000 jobs,

$37.8 billion in wages, and

$5.5 billion in tax revenues.

This equates to 1.17 jobs per 1,000 tons of materials recycled and $65.23 in wages and $9.42 in tax revenue for every ton of materials recycled. For more information, check out the full report.

Community

Environmental Justice: Across the country, waste management facilities are concentrated in underserved communities, and they can have negative impacts on human health, property values, aesthetic and recreation values, and land productivity. Recycling provides these areas with a healthier and more sustainable alternative.

International: Waste generated in the United States also affects communities in other countries. Recycled materials are exported to some countries that are not able to manage those materials in an environmentally sound manner.

U.S. Recycling System Overview

The recycling process is made up of three steps that are repeated over and over again. This creates a continuous loop which is represented by the familiar chasing arrows recycling symbol. The three steps of the recycling process are described below.

Step 1: Collection and Processing

Businesses and consumers generate recyclables that are then collected by either a private hauler or government entity. There are several methods for collecting recyclables, including curbside collection, drop-off centers, and deposit or refund programs. Visit How do I recycle... Common Recyclables for information on specific materials.

After collection, recyclables are sent to a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned, and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing. Recyclables are bought and sold just like raw materials would be, and prices go up and down depending on supply and demand in the United States and around the world.

Step 2: Manufacturing

After processing, recyclables are made into new products at a recycling plant or similar facility. More and more of today's products are being manufactured with recycled content.

Recycled materials are also used in new ways such as recovered glass in asphalt to pave roads or recovered plastic in carpeting and park benches.

Step 3: Purchasing New Products Made from Recycled Materials

You help close the recycling loop by buying new products made from recycled materials. There are thousands of products that contain recycled content. When you go shopping, look for the following:

Products that can be easily recycled

Products that contain recycled content

Below are some of the terms used:

Recycled-content product - The product was manufactured with recycled materials either collected from a recycling program or from waste recovered during the normal manufacturing process. The label will sometimes include how much of the content came from recycled materials.

Post-consumer content - Very similar to recycled content, but the material comes only from recyclables collected from consumers or businesses through a recycling program.

Recyclable product - Products that can be collected, processed, and manufactured into new products after they have been used. These products do not necessarily contain recycled materials. Remember not all kinds of recyclables may be collected in your community, so be sure to check with your local recycling program before you buy.

Some common products you can find that are made with recycled content include the following:

Aluminum cans

Car bumpers

Carpeting

Cereal boxes

Comic books

Egg cartons

Glass containers

Laundry detergent bottles

Motor oil

Nails

Newspapers

Paper towels

Steel products

Trash bags

Challenges to Recycling System

While the benefits of recycling are clear, the current system still faces many challenges.

Many people are confused about what items can be recycled, where they can be recycled and how. This often leads to recyclables going in the trash or trash going in the recycling bin.

America's recycling infrastructure has not kept pace with today's waste stream. Communication between the manufacturers of new materials and products and the recycling industry needs to be improved to prepare for and optimally manage the recycling of new materials.

Domestic markets for recycled materials need to be strengthened in the United States. Historically, some of the recycled materials generated in the U.S. have been exported internationally. However, changing international policies have limited the export of materials. Improving communication among the different sectors of the recycling system is needed to strengthen the development of existing materials markets and to develop new innovative markets.

We need to better integrate recycled materials and end-of-life management into product and packaging designs.

More consistent measurement methodologies are necessary to improve recycling system performance. These more standardized metrics can then be used to create effective goals and track progress.

What is Being Done?

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Transforming U.S. Recycling and Waste Management: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a historic investment in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. With unprecedented funding to support state and local waste management infrastructure and recycling programs, EPA will improve health and safety and help establish and increase recycling programs nationwide.

National Recycling Strategy: EPA developed the National Recycling Strategy with a focus on advancing the national municipal solid waste recycling system. It identifies strategic objectives and actions to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective recycling system.

Draft Strategy to Prevent Plastics Pollution: This strategy builds upon EPA's National Recycling Strategy and focuses on actions to reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic waste.

America Recycles Day: Every year on November 15, EPA reminds everyone of the importance and impact of recycling through education and outreach.

Basel Convention: The United States is a signatory to the Basel Convention, but has not yet become a Party to the Convention. The Basel Convention establishes standards for the transboundary movement of various types of waste.

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Provides the the basics steps involved for recycling