Matt Huber, professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Purdue since 2003, spoke to us about climate change. 
The title of his talk was “Killing Time” which refers to the attitude held by many that climate change is not an acute problem, but is something that can be dealt with in the future. Dr. Huber disagrees and feels that people’s lives are in danger if we choose to ignore the issue and do nothing. He spoke of common myths such as the one that claims CO2 is not a greenhouse gas and that we do not need to worry about an excess of CO2. In contrast, Dr. Huber showed evidence that CO2 does absorb and emit radiation, it is a greenhouse gas, and the amount in the atmosphere is increasing. The oceans and forests on the earth do absorb CO2 , but not all of it. It has been determined that at a depth of two miles, the ocean temperature is rising. Also, the acidity of the ocean water is increasing as a result of the absorption of CO2. Dr. Huber’s recommendations for decreasing the amount of CO2 emissions per capita in the U.S. would be to decrease the use of coal and to decarbonize cars. China contributes to global warming, but has in place a ten-year and a twenty-year plan to address the issue. Although a small amount of global warming could be tolerated without much concern, a lot of warming will be very bad for the earth and its inhabitants.
MAKE-UPS MATTER:
Any Rotary activity outside of a Tuesday meeting can count as a make-up. These are included in our attendance report to Rotary International and also contribute to the 100% Club published in Ripples. Give the information of meetings or activities you have attended to Renee as soon as possible after the event to be sure they are turned in on time to Rotary International. Thanks for your help!