Fog!                                               12/1

     1.  How often does the earth switch between warming and cooling?
             There is no good answer to this question because reversals in general trends have occurred after periods of years,
                decades, centuries, millenia or even much longer periods.  The many and variable causes of climate have
                interacted in such a varied and complex pattern, that there exists no unique answer to this question.

    2.  If melting ice in a glass does not change its water level, how can melting of ice in the ocean cause a rise
         in sea level?
             It doesn't if that ice is floating in the ocean like an ice cube in a glass of water.  However if the ice is on land, or not
                floating, but supported by land, as a glacier with its terminus in the sea, then melting will raise the sea level, just as
                a melting ice cube would raise the level of water in a glass if the ice cube were sitting on a screen atop a glass, so
                that it dripped into the glass as it melted.

    3.  Can the earth expect to have an ice age or a strong warming trend sometime, eventually, in the future?
             Both of these outcomes, with intervening switches back and forth, will most likely occur in the future, just as they
                have in the past.  Ultimately, when the sun becomes a red giant star in about five billion years, the earth will become
                so hot that its oceans will boil away.  Even that change will not be permanent because, given another one or two
                more billion years, the sun will then shrink, become a white dwarf star, and the earth will cool and permanently
                freeze.  There will be no warm periods after that.

    4.  What's the number one thing I can do to slow global warming?
             Of the many causes of climate change, the only ones human beings can control to some extent are the addition of
                greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and, to a lesser extent, the addition of certain aerosols to the atmosphere.
                Aerosols generally cause cooling, but otherwise have so many adverse effects, that emitting aerosols is not an
`               acceptable way to fight global warming.  The only defensible way to slow global warming then is to reduce the
                buildup of greenhouse gases, the chief of which is carbon dioxide, emitted in the burning of fossil fuels and reduced
                in the photosynthesis of plants.  There are a huge number of things a person can do to lessen the emission of
                greenhouse gases for which he or she is personally responsible.  Ten of the most significant of those are listed
                below, but to first answer the above question, the number one thing a single person can do, since the impact of one
                person is small, is to influence those around one to also seek to reduce their impact on the climate.  That would
                include influencing friends, roommates, family members, classmates, co-workers, ward members and in general all
                of one's associates throughout one's life.  All of the following actions will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases:
                (1) Avoid using a car whenever possible-walk, ride a bicycle, use public transportation, etc.  (2) Drive a car which
                gets good mileage.  Avoid SUVs, pickup trucks and other gas-guzzling vehicles.  Drive the smallest car which
                supports my needs.  (3) Drive so as to conserve fuel.  Remember, every time I apply my brakes I am throwing away
                energy which was extracted from my gasoline by combustion, a process which produces greenhouse gases.  (4) Turn
                off the lights, when I leave a room.  Turn down the heat when I leave my home or apartment.  Turn off my computer
                and monitor when they are idle.  (5) Set my thermostat lower and wear long sleeves, a sweater, a sweatshirt or
                whatever.  (6) Recycle paper, metals, plastics and all other recyclable materials.  (7) Whenever possible buy locally
                produced items.  (8) Favor domestically produced products over imported products.  (9) Buy used rather than new
                items when they will serve me adequately.  (Both buying and contributing to Deseret Industries and other similar
                organizations saves fossil fuel and reduces greenhouse emissions.) (10) Landscape so as to maximize the use of
                plants.  Grow indoor plants.  [Notice that most of items in this list not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but
                also save one money.]