Scientists worldwide have come to the same conclusion. Global warming is a reality. And it’s all our fault.

Global climate change is the result of the damage done by humans over a relatively short period of time, about the last 100 years. Now it’s on us to change it.

“The science is pretty depressing,” said Richard Gammon, the featured speaker at the next Exchange.

“But people need to say: ‘Wow, I get it. Now, what can I do?’ See it as a challenge,” he said.

Gammon, an expert on global warming and a University of Washington professor of chemistry and oceanography, will share facts and ideas about global warming at The Exchange, from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the Front Room at Bayview Corner.

Gammon, who is also known as “Dr. Doom” by some, graduated from Harvard University in 1970 and has been on the University of Washington faculty since 1977. He is active on the international conference circuit on climate change, and is a frequent speaker.

Gammon will present information from “Field Notes from a Catastrophe” by Elizabeth Kolbert and “The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth” by Tim Flannery, as well as national research.

He will also touch on the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which played to capacity crowds at The Clyde this past week.

All these materials present solid, scientific evidence for the impact of global warming, Gammon said.

Over the life span of one generation the climate change will be significant, he said.

“By the middle of this century, it will be 4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. The warming is coming,” Gammon said.

The U.S. is a major contributor to the problem. The country makes up about 5 percent of the global population, but contributes 25 percent of the energy use and emissions that’s causing the problem.

“Each American is responsible for five times the global average of carbon emissions,” he said.

Global average carbon emissions in the form of CO² is about one metric ton per person per year. The corresponding value for U.S. citizens is about five tons per person per year.

Even though islanders are geographically isolated and known for an eco-friendly outlook, they are not safe from the impact of global warming.

“You can’t escape it,” Gammon said. “Sea level rise is very, very important to coastal communities such as Whidbey Island.

“Invasive species – more mackerel, less salmon,” he said.

Migration due to unfavorable weather conditions will also impact the Pacific Northwest as the region becomes more popular and California gets hotter and too uncomfortable as a place to live.

“We will be the new Northern California,” he said.

Even though high profile celebrities such as Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio have helped elevate public awareness, Gammon believes that people have realized on their own that global warming is serious.

“The change in weather, the hurricanes within the last year or two, convinced people,” he said.

Public pressure has had an impact in the political arena. A number of new bills were introduced on the global warming issue, he said.

Still, under the current administration, Gammon doesn’t believe the U.S. will sign the Kyoto Protocol or comparable agreements.

In March 2001, the United States formally withdrew support for the international global warming treaty called the Kyoto Protocol.

Among the leading industrial nations, only the U.S. and Australia refused to sign. One of the major concerns cited was the fear that reducing the nation’s gas emissions could hurt the economy.

Times are changing, however.

“Politicians know we can no longer avoid the issue,” Gammon said.

Awareness and action on global warming has begun to cross political lines.

Al Gore told experts in Seattle that the data presented in “An Inconvenient Truth” convinced liberals and conservatives alike. Politicians approached him after viewing the film and said: “Now we get it. What can we do?” Gammon recalled.

The good news is that while the current situation appears bleak, the future doesn’t have to be.

Reduced burning of fossil fuels will cut the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, especially in the form of carbon dioxide.

Greenhouse gases, which also include methane, chlorofluorocarbons and a variety of other gases, trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere and cause a gradual warming of the Earth.

While individuals may not have an impact on industrial releases of greenhouse gases, people can do many things in their daily life to make a change.

• Get a fuel efficient car or hybrid;

• Turn off lights and appliances when they are not needed;

• Insulate walls;

• Have a shower instead of a bath;

• Increase reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind, sun and geothermal power;

• Turn down your heating system. (Turning it down by 1 degree Celsius saves 10 percent on energy bills.)

The Exchange series is sponsored by the South Whidbey Record and Goosefoot Community Fund.

Following the Exchange lecture, a Conversation Cafe hosted by Larry Daloz of the Whidbey Institute is scheduled, also at the Front Room.

Michaela Marx Wheatley can be reached at 221-5300 or mmarxwheatley@southwhidbeyrecord.com.