Global Warming
The world is warming up. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has declared that the cause of the warming is human emission of certain gases into the atmosphere. The verdict of the IPCC is widely, but not universally, accepted. A small minority of scientists reject the finding of IPCC and propose that global warming is driven by the sun. Some also charge that IPCC is driven by a political agenda. These dissidents are beginning to get a public hearing. It is important that this matter be debated openly.
The conventional scientific consensus is that global warming is caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect. The only external source of energy available to earth is the sun. Radiation from the sun shines on the surface of the earth, heating it, and the earth radiates the heat back into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is pretty much transparent to radiation incoming from the sun, but it partially absorbs the heat radiated from the earth and slows down its transmission to outer space. This serves to keep our earth at a nice average temperature of 14oC [o is superscript] and eminently suitable for life. This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect (GE) and, if the earth had no atmosphere, it would alternately bake by day and freeze by night, thoroughly unsuitable for life.
Certain gases in our atmosphere, principally water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and ozone are responsible for the GE but most of the GE can be attributed to water vapour and cloud cover. The earth has been warming gradually since 1850 and scientific measurements have correlated this warming with a gradual build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by humankind’s widespread burning of fossil fuel. W...
... middle of paper ...
...e respective scientific arguments of both sides. However, I am bothered by charges made by Dr. Richard Lindzen, a former member of IPCC, and others, that IPCC scientists are under pressure to conclude that global warming is caused by carbon dioxide emissions and that the summaries issued by IPCC well in advance of the detailed main IPCC reports often differ significantly in tone and interpretation from the detail in the main reports. The media relies largely on these easily digested summaries.
On balance, I will continue to trust the IPCC conclusions. I have read evidence that the cosmic ray theory is being seriously hyped up – solar activity has changed little over the last 30 years, but global temperature has gone up significantly. However, I am somewhat bothered by the whole thing. I would like to see open, honest scientific debate on this vital matter.
Think about a time when your car was parked on the side of the street all day long. Then you decide to run to the store and get some things for dinner. The minute you opened the car door, you feel the currents of hot air blowing past you, and when you sit down, you feel as if your car is radiating heat! This is a tiny, yet real example of the process called the greenhouse effect. This effect includes a form of matter, absorbing heat or radiation from the sun. What happened in the car was the glass assists the absorption of the heat and trapped the heat inside, containing it. Equally, the earth's atmosphere contains gases called greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and water vapor, which absorbs the rays we receive from the sun, and trap the heat inside. Our atmosphere, which contains the greenhouse gases acts like a blanket; absorbing the heat from the sun, and preventing it from going away from the earth's surface. The more the heat gets trapped because of the increase in greenhouse gases, the more the temperature rises, causing global warming. Global warming is “an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution,” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). The two main causes of global warming are the greenhouse effect and solar variations. The Greenhouse Effect “refers to the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation atmosphere gases (mainly Greenhouse gases such as CO, NO, and Carbon Monoxide) warms the Earth’s atmosphere and surface,” (Merriam Webster Dictionary).Solar Variations are “changes in the amount of radiant energy emitted by the Sun,” (Wikipedia).
The Greenhouse Effect occurs when all of the heat is being trapped which involves elements like CH4, N2O, O3. But , the one thing that causes global warming is CO2 ( Schlosser). The society has to remember that not only the elements cause this change , critics are causing the climate change also. For example , fire is natural and beneficial but it can also cause the weather to change because it releases carbon monoxide , and all of that goes up into the atmosphere which can cause global change. Not only does it cause warm temperatures but it also disrupts ecosystems pushing those to extinction for those who can’t adapt. There is also the Greenhouse effect temperatures. They have been rising to about 0.8 degrees celsius. According to Dr. Schlosser , in the atmosphere, it returns about 30% of the energy in approaching sunlight and takes in about 30% at the same time.
Climate change exists within two distinct paradigms, a scientific discussion and a social context. Whilst both need to be considered equally, they have primarily opposed each other until this point; the science has been too complex and the social aspect too volatile. Consequently, the only way to reach an aligned resolution to climate change is to address the lack of scientific understanding and separate climate change from a political boxing match.
Today, some scientists are skeptical about the consensus on climate change. This can be compared to a situation in ancient times, where the majority of people believed the earth was flat, and only a minority dared to question that consensus. These challengers note that something not known is how much does the earth’s atmosphere respond to added carbon dioxide (McNider and Christy). This means that no one has any idea of what CO2 levels did to the earth’s climate before meaningful history. So, as many sci...
Most climate scientists agree that the main cause of global climate change is the human expansion of the greenhouse effect. This is the global warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space (climate.nasa.gov). The main gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (climate.nasa.gov). Human activities are changing the natural greenhouse effect. The burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (climate.nasa.gov). Carbon dioxide levels have increased from 280 parts per million to 379 parts per million in the last 150 years due to human act...
Firstly, global warming is said to be caused by the high levels of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by humans. Smoke produced by factories, vehicular exhaust, and the burning of fossil fuels such as coal in power plants are the primary sources of carbon dioxide. The theory is that carbon dioxide being released into the Earth's atmosphere is steadily building up because it cannot escape into space. The theory as to why the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere actually causes the Earth's average temperature to rise is outlined as follows:
Global warming has become on of the most controversial issues in the media today. While most of the Western world countries have generally accepted the premise that man's chemical emissions in the atmosphere can and are affected by the world’s climate patterns, in the United States, the issue has become so politicized with many republicans challenging the science behind the theory. Global warming is a greenhouse effect whereby gases are trapped on the earth’s surface causing it to heat up (Maslin 14). It is based on the worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by human beings through their activities since the 1880,s. In addition, global warming is not only caused by human activities only but also through climate changes in solar radiance. The problem is that, humans continue to contribute to the global warming phenomenon. All citizens should work in reducing human activities that cause global warming and also support the development of nuclear power. Scientists deem that, global warming is mainly caused by human activities which accelerate the natural process by creating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human activities have become a great contribution to the greenhouse effect and this means that climate changes are inevitable. They further argue that, if these activities continue and are not reduced, it will lead to more trapping of energy radiated from the earth and this will likely lead to extreme weather and global warming. Global warming should be at reduced levels or else, it will be catastrophic.
Global warming, or climate change is a gradual increase in average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its’ oceans. It is thought that global warming is permanently changing the climate. So, how exactly does global warming increase the Earth’s average temperature? Well, it is done by something called the greenhouse effect. When the sunlight hits our atmosphere the greenhouse gases only allows so much sunlight into the atmosphere while redirecting the rest back into space. This is what keeps Earth from being too hot or too cold. When people are adding pollution to the air – the burning of fossil fuels – they are actually destroying the ozone layer. If the ozone layer
Throughout history climates have drastically changed. There have been shifts from warm climates to the Ice Ages (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.204). Evidence suggests there have been at least a dozen abrupt climate changes throughout the history of the earth. There are a few suspected reasons for these past climate changes. One reason may be that asteroids hitting the earth and volcanic eruptions caused some of them. A further assumption is that 22-year solar magnetic cycles and 11-year sunspot cycles played a part in the changes. A further possibility is that a regular shifting in the angle of the moon orbiting earth causing changing tides and atmospheric circulation affects the global climate (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.205). Scientific studies suggest that all these played a role in past global warming and cooling periods. Today, however, there is a lot of conflict on whether humans are causing a global warming that could be disastrous to humans and all species of plants and animals on this earth. This paper will first explain the greenhouse effect, then take a look at both sides argument, and, finally, analyze the effect of global warming on world-wide sustainability
The subject of global warming is as popular as the president. These both topics have always been hot subjects in everyday life. Global warming is the biggest storm headed in our way. It is also the most important issue of our times. Those ads or public service announcement on TV about global warming might not be the most attractive but the cause behind it is very important. Global warming is one of the major threats our planet is facing. Most scientists prove the fact that global warming is mainly caused by human activities rather than natural cycles. To simplify it, most mechanisms that we use are affecting earth. These mechanisms are created by humans. Therefore, humans are affecting earth.
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are issues discussed by scientists all the time. A natural process that keeps earths temperature at a livable rate is called the greenhouse effect. The energy from the sun warms up the earth when the rays from the sun are absorbed by greenhouse gasses. The gasses then become trapped in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide are the most common greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gases cause the radiant heat of the sun to be trapped in the Earths lower atmosphere which causes global warming. If there weren’t any greenhouse gasses, the earth would be really cold due to very little sun rays being absorbed on the earth. Global warming can and will lead to several problems that affect the environment in which we humans live in. These problems can lead to warmer temperatures all around the world, it can endanger animals and the wildlife, and it can lead to widespread flooding from the glaciers melting. Here are a few more future effects that I will discuss in more detail about. Damage to human health, Severe stress on forests, wetlands, and other natural habitats, how fish will be affected. Global warming is a serious problem that will affect our generation when we are older.
The controversial subject of global warming according to a large amount of scientists is not a prominent concern. Over 31,000 scientists have signed on to a petition saying humans aren't causing global warming. More than 1000 scientists signed on to another report saying there is no global warming at all. There are tens of thousands of well-educated, mainstream scientists who do not agree that global warming is occurring at all. If so many scientists believe it is not a concern then why should we think any different? Well, a consensus shows that in reality 97% of all climate scientists agree that global warming is an issue and that it is most likely due to ...
The new worries that are starting to show prominence in society today are the increase in carbon dioxide from the use of aerosols (Calipso Outreach).... ... middle of paper ... ... There is a general worldwide consensus that climate change is occurring, but many still claim it's not man made, but a natural earth cycle.
Global warming is the gradual rise in temperature and oceans due to recent human activity. This is created by the production of too much carbon dioxide that is released into the earth’s atmosphere. The carbon dioxide, also known as a greenhouse gas, remains in the air trapping heat and gradually warming the planet. Other greenhouse gases such as: methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor also contribute to this slow warming. According to Live Science, The state of these gases being trapped is called the greenhouse effect, which is one of the leading causes of global warming (Lallanillia). All the gases are created differently and have different effects on the earth. As for some greenhouse gases can be in the atmosphere for a short amount of time, other gases can remain in the atmosphere for thousands of
Scientists blame the greenhouse gas effect in combination with societies greenhouse gas emissions for the rising temperature. The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is emitted back towards the earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere, it results in an elevation of the average surface temperature above what it would be in the absence of the gases (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Simply, global... ... middle of paper ... ... of extreme weather and melting ice caps are indicators of global warming.