Global warming can be defined as the increase in the earth's sea level due to an increase in surface temperature. In decades past, there have been debates on what can be causing global warming. Greenhouse gasses and ozone depletion are one of the most important factors that geologists are facing in the fight against global warming. It presents a major problem for not only geologists, but also for policy makers, foresters, scientists, and most definitely the inhabitants of the Earth. Greenhouse effects consist of natural processes in which the temperature of the earth stays habitable. There are also many medical issues and health hazards that can harm humans, due to global warming and climate change. The ozone is also a major defense system for humans because of how it defends us from the harmful sun rays that come our direction. The greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor are what help keep the temperature from the sun rays in, and helps to keep the Earth warm. There is an on going debate going on between scientists on whether or not greenhouse gasses are the effect global warming. Some believe that it has to do with natural instances such as volcanoes, and forest fires, while many toss the blame towards humans as being the sole purpose of global warming; due to our emissions of fossil fuels. Coal, petroleum, and methane gas are all examples of widely used fossil fuels that release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (Clemmit 2006). The problem we are faced with today is that ozone layer has been depleted, yet the greenhouse gasses have become too efficient (Bushnell 2010). This can be seen by immense pollution in major metropolitan cities such as Tokyo, Japan and Los Angeles, California. We take our ...
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...eir biodiversity and food sources, will also see a major impact on their ecosystem (Haines 2005). Especially in areas that are poorer and are considered to be third world countries, the way they rely on human health can be completely altered due to the long term effects of climate change. In these areas, famine and infectious diseases are common, and many infectious disease agents are weather sensitive. This means, that due to the fact that these pathogens live outside of the body, they can be transmitted conveniently throughout populations (Haines 2005).
In order to prevent global warming and climate change, we will be required to set forth a series of changes in order to maintain a similar lifestyle as the one we have come to adapt too, but also we will be required to think of ways to either use renewable energy sources, or decrease our emission of fossil fuels.
... more disease friendly conditions in regions that did not previously host diseases or disease carriers (climate.org). Climate change speeds up the spread of disease largely because warmer temperatures increase the geographical range in which disease carrying animals and insects can survive (climate.org). Climate change contributes to the increased occurrence of extreme events such as floods, storms, droughts, and uncontrolled fires which can also have a negative effect on human health (climate.org). Floods can spread bacteria and viruses and can also contribute to the breeding of insects (climate.org). All of these things together will have huge implications on human health. We could expect to see a higher infection rate as well as a higher death rate among some areas. We could also expect children and the elderly to get sick and possibly die more often as well.
Global warming, by definition is the “ gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.”(Webster) In the last several decades, there have been numerous debates regarding global warming. As of now it has become one of the biggest problems facing the world today. Scientists do believe that our production of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide is having a warming effect on the atmosphere, but it also is creating a positive impact to on the planet. The controversial side is scientific consensus that it is the fault of mankind that our actions have led to the results of earthquakes, tidal waves, geographical plates moving, all because of global warming pollution. The other side that is also debated on is that global warming can bring new developments to our planet and to all that dwell within. In this paper I will examine the positive and negative side of global warming and suggest some ways nature and humans are solving the issue. Global warming is causing the largest impact to nature and humanity in the 21st century, but with green house gases on the rise, humanity, nature, and species will learn to evolve.
For the first time in planet earth’s history, one of its inhabitants has acquired the power to change the global climate. By releasing the huge amounts of carbon stored in fossil fuels over millions of years, mankind has disrupted the natural carbon cycle. We have intensified the natural greenhouse effect and turned it into a planetary menace that is melting our ice caps. In his award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore (2006) states, “human activities, if unchecked in the next decade, could destroy one of the earth’s principle mechanisms for cooling itself” (p.291). The world needs to address the potentially disastrous consequences of our earth’s rapidly changing climate by acknowledging the existence of global warming and understanding its impact on the present and future generations.
Human induced climate change resulting from an enhanced greenhouse effect is probably the greatest environmental threat facing the world today. Specifically, the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide may be classified as the primary culprit. As a result of greenhouse gases entering the upper levels of the earth's atmosphere, it diminishes or breaks down the earth's Ozone layer. With this loss of this protective blanket, harmful radioactive rays from the sun enter the deeper into the earth's atmosphere. This creates a rise in the overall temperature of our planet, along with alterations in the global environment, ecosystems and way of life for the habitants of earth.
What is global warming and what does it mean. Global warming is any substantial change in Earth’s climate. Global warming refers to climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere. Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with human interference, specifically the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases. Global warming is also known as the greenhouse effects. The increase of human population has affected the world. The growth of our population has increased our use of fuel, land and manufacturing. All of these are causing an increase of emissions to go into the Earth’s atmosphere, which is causing global warming.
Hauser, Annie . "Climate Change Spreads Disease Worldwide." The Weather Channel. N.p., 2 Aug. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
The Greenhouse effect and ozone depletion are two of the most prevalent environmental issues faced globally today. Greenhouse gases have the ability to absorb infrared radiation from the sun. Global warming refers to an increase in average global temperature due to natural and anthropogenic causes. Ozone depletion describes an observed decline of 4% ozone per decade in the total volume of the Earth’s stratosphere and seasonal ozone depletion events. Ozone levels within the stratosphere are normalizing due to the Montreal protocol but the concentration of greenhouses gases within the atmosphere are escalating and we could see the melting of permafrost in Siberia and Alaska which contains vast quantities of methane which could lead to “irreversible environmental change”
Although the earth has undergone periodic changes known as global cooling and global warming, today’s global warming is unique, due to human influences. The greenhouse effect is essentially gasses in the atmosphere trapping heat, rather like a car window does in the summer. The major heat trapping gasses found in the atmosphere are; CO2 and water vapor- which are found in large quantity, 03(ozone), ch4(methane), and N2O(nitrous oxide)-which are better heat trappers but found in smaller quantity, CFC’s and PFC’s- which are very potent and destroy ozone. The rapid elevation of these gasses in the past fifty years have been the cause for concern of scientists calling it a global warming problem.
In talking about global warming, we need to learn what causes the greenhouse effect. Rays from the sun are taken up and absorbed by water vapor that is natural in the atmosphere. The United States emits the largest man made greenhouse gases in the world. As Americans we must realize the responsibility to reduce the emissions. (Gore, Albert) Water Vapor is eighty percent of greenhouse warming. The last twenty percent results from other gases that are in very little amounts. A huge absorber of the sun’s heat rays is carbon dioxide. Us as humans release a lot of carbon dioxide. When fossil fuels are burned, they release big amounts of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is on the increase in our atmosphere due to car emissions. Approximately eighty percent of CO2 increases because of man’s use of fossil fuels. When there is more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere the more sun rays are absorbed. In result to this happening this will cause the earth and the earths atmosphere to warm. When the earth is warming, water temperatures will start to get warmer. Oceans and lakes will get warmer in result f...
We are living in a clean world; eating and drinking whatever we want, swimming in
Global Warming is a condition caused by greenhouse gases and human activities. The increased concentration of greenhouse gases due to activities such as deforestation and fossil fuel burning is causing the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans to warm up. As a result of this, global warming has some serious effects in the shape of extreme weather, species extinctions, and rising sea levels. These effects can contribute to the changes that are taking place all over the world, most of which are dangerous enough to pose a threat to the survival of life on Earth in the future.
In conclusion, global climate change is a very long discussion with many ways to improve the environment, but a long journey to finding a solution. Although we can 't do away with our main sources like power plants, cars, and factories we must continue to find solutions to making our environment safer and suitable to live in. Hopefully in the near future we will have a better understanding of how to address our global climate changes, but for now, we can focus our ideas on preventative ways to not harm ourselves and our
As we approach the future we are faced with many global problems. Most of these problems arise because we have caused them ourselves. We need to face these problems and find a solution. Global warming, although most often overlooked in importance, is a crucial problem of the future directly related to human activities. Global warming is caused by gases humans release into the atmosphere called anthropogenic gases and by deforestation. Anthropogenic gases include carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofl...
Climate change has damaged the planet beyond repair. It is too late to save it from complete destruction. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer by outlining the evidence for/against.
As Robert Frost once said, “ Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire.” This excerpt can relate to the idea of global warming. Global warming can be defined as an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. During the past 10,000 years the earth has been in an ever-growing cycle that has significantly changed the climate. These changes are becoming more prevalent in our world today in the past 150 years. Scientists have been analyzing the causes and effects of the greenhouse effect and many other issues that global warming has presented. As John Houghton states in his book, Global Warming the Complete Briefing, on page 2 “ The 1980s and 1990s were unusually warm. Globally speaking, the decades have been the warmest since accurate records began somewhat over a hundred years ago and these unusually warm years are continuing into the twenty-first century.” There are countless records that show that our world as a whole is getting warmer, and the facts cannot be disputed. Everyone in the world today is experiencing the effects of global warming. These effects might be small now, but if we don’t protect our planet now then the consequences will greatly be increased.