Global Warming
Global Warming is an important ecological issue and has many negative effects upon our environment. Global Warming, or what has been called the Greenhouse effect, is the result of a fourfold ecological process. 1-Sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to Earth’s atmosphere. 2- The sunlight enters the atmosphere and hits Earth. Some of it turns into heat energy in the form of infrared light. The heat gets absorbed by surrounding air and land, which in turn makes it warm. 3- Infrared rays, that are remitted into the atmosphere are trapped by greenhouse gases. 4- The gas then absorbs the light and is remitted back to the Earth’s surface and warms it even more. Left on it's own this natural process keeps our
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Activities such as fossil fuel combustion, waste disposal, the use of refrigerators, agricultural and industrial activities, and the cutting down of forests have all played a significant role in the spread of these gases.
These, and other human practices, have changed the chemical make up of the atmosphere. Between pre-industrial times and today, carbon dioxide concentrations have been on the rise. With these higher levels of gas concentration in our atmosphere the Earth's climate is slowing changing for the worse. The temperature of the Earth’s surface is as warm, if not warmer than it has been in any other century.
One study, conducted by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) said that unless governments do something to restrict the emissions of greenhouse gases to a lower level, global temperatures could rise 1.6 to 5.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. This increase is significant, because it represents the fastest global warming since the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago (Houghton and Griggs).
One result of these warmer temperatures is drought. With the warming of the planet, the water on the ground would quickly evaporate causing rivers and lakes to dry. This would lead to crops dying from lack of rain, which would lead to increased food prices and other associated
First of all, the main effect of global warming is the fact that it causes warmer temperatures. While warmer temperatures may seem beneficial and good, the ways the atmosphere is becoming warmer isn’t that great. According to the article, Global warming, it states, “Natural processes on Earth constantly create and destroy greenhouse gases.” “Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, add an extra seven billion metric tons per year” (“Global Warming”). To explain, what this shows is that nature is already creating greenhouse gasses and people are adding even more to the atmosphere. While people strive on greenhouse gasses for warmth, the amount of greenhouse gasses forming will cause numerous environmental hazards in the future.
NGS integrates greenhouse into other major policy initiatives, such as the Natural Heritage Trust, and launches new measures to increase greenhouse emission reduction activities across the Australian community. It provides the strategic framework for an effective greenhouse response and for meeting current and future international commitments. It will provide a fresh impetus for action by governments, stakeholder groups and the broader community and set directions for that action into the next century.
In addition to this the global climate has begun to rise significantly, especially since the late 1970's. The National Academy of Sciences expects doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by the end of the 21st century, and this could raise the Earth's temperature anywhere from 1.5-4.5 celsius degrees by that time. Global warming affects the climate patterns of Earth in many ways, such as rises in temperature and precipitation and decreases in soil moisture. Agricultural productivity will increase in northern regions, but without moisture in the south it will drop dramatically. In addition there will be more frequent and violent storms and a plethora of local impacts around the world.
Climate change has been in the news for years. Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F (0.8 degree Celsius) over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5°F (1.1-6.6 degree Celsius) over the next hundred years. The main cause of climate change is due to the
Global climate change and the change will have a significant impact on people, ecosystems, cities and energy on the planet. Temperature global average air temperature is 1.5 degrees already that they were from the beginning of the twentieth century and grew by only about 1 degree during the last 30 years.
Over the last 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate. In the last 100 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.75°C. Over the last 25 years, the rate of global warming has accelerated, at over 0.18°C per decade.
Scientific evidence suggests that human activity like agriculture, urbanization and industrialization have influenced climate change. Clearing land and building cities up for agriculture results in changing the climate. This is because the population is increasing rapidly and the demand to use fossil fuels in our everyday life is also increasing. Increasing use for fossil fuels, industrialization and deforestation has a huge impact on the climate. Enhanced greenhouse gases are an increase in natural greenhouse gases impacted by mankind. The major cause of greenhouse gases is the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide being released in the atmosphere. If greenhouse gases continue to be produced at the same rate as it did in 2000, then there will be a 0.1-degree change in temperature per decade. This isn’t likely to happen though because of the dramatic need for fossil fuel.
Whilst the climate changes and the globe warms there are several major effects that is having a large impact on our environment, for example the polar ice caps. Each summer due to climate change the polar ice cap is melting due to warm water. Sea ice reflects heat from the sun, while water adsorbs it. Less ice means more heat which means less ice. Temperatures are rising drastically with our last decade being the hottest on record.
Most scientists agree on undeniable facts. Arguments begin upon the interpretation of these facts. Concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which scientists agree determines the temperature of the Earth, has increased from 275 parts per million before the Industrial Revolution to 360 parts per million in 1996. The increase rate has also accelerated in this period of time (Isham, 2007). The main issue is not only scientific, but also political contribution to the current warming of atmosphere.
The earth is warming. No credible scientist will deny this fact. Certain gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, trap and absorb the sun’s energy and re-radiate that thermal radiation in all directions, which causes the Earth’s surface to warm. This is known as the greenhouse effect, which is another undeniable fact. The greenhouse effect is not a new concept, however the media portrays its influence to be entirely harmful on the climate. Most people fail to realize that if greenhouse gases were absent in the atmosphere, the average global temperature would drop to -18°C (Farley 69-75). It is safe to assume that the greenhouse effect is vital to human lifestyle and existence because without greenhouse gases the oceans would be completely sheeted by ice and the entire biosphere would be dramatically different. On the other hand, an overabundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could also prove to dramatically change Earth’s environment by flooding most of the land on earth and then leading to a possibly massive drought. Humanity as a whole needs to realize that the emissions released during human activity, especially carbon dioxide, are greatly affecting the climate. While looking at concrete facts, even though a 1500-year natural earth cycle is evident, the fastest temperature increase in recorded earth history cannot be disregarded, and neither can the melting ice caps due to increasing atmospheric carbon
During the last century, burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.
U.S. Conditions like Florida and other states with a high range of hot spells are perfect
Imagine you are placed into the future. The year is 2100. You begin to live in this
Nuclear war, bioengineered pandemic, evil self-aware artificial intelligence…climate change? When one tries to imagine the biggest threats to humanity, global warming might not be the first thing that comes to mind. While it may not flashy enough to be featured in apocalyptic movies or comic books, climate change is like our planet’s quiet, slow cancer that, left unaddressed, will almost surely wreak environmental disaster and threaten the global population. To address concerns of global warming, the United Nations convened in 2015 to draft the Paris Agreement, the most ambitious international treaty combating climate change to date. As of October 2017, 195 nations are party to the agreement, leaving only the United States and Syria as
Scientist predict that if we continue putting the same amount of gas into the atmosphere, that by the year 2030 the temperature will be rising as much as 0.5 degrees C (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) or more per decade. Overall, the global temperature could rise anywhere from 5 to 9 degrees over the next fifty years.