For centuries, production and absorption of carbon dioxide was in balance with the ecosystem however, in the last century, human activity has caused detrimental effects to the earth’s atmosphere due to the consequential changes in earth’s natural feedback mechanism. This problem ultimately originated from the industrial revolution in the 18th century where as a result caused the constant production and burning of fossil fuels which has presently caused the warming of earth’s surface. This is ultimately a result of by the greenhouse effect “…which is caused by the interaction between earth’s atmosphere and incoming radiation from the sun.” Greenhouse gases primarily consist of carbon dioxide however others such as “…water vapour, methane, and nitrous oxide…” are also associated to the greenhouse effect. Scientifically, “solar radiation passes through the atmosphere to the surface of earth, where it is absorbed and then radiated upward as heat” is the result of the high emission of greenhouse gases. The most substantial and common way of emission is through the burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. Therefore, human activities over the past century has ultimately caused the more recent problem of the effects global warming is posing to our ecosystem and planet.
Currently, statistics have proven global warming to be a global real crisis that requires an immediate solution. Through the scientific aid in earth-orbiting satellites, it has allowed
In the last 100 years, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased, causing the Earth to warm by an average of 0.6 degrees celsius, largely a result of burning fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and land use changes increased for food production. The basic science is straightforward and climate researchers have shown that gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and others can trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Human activities such as industry, transport, energy generation and deforestation all produce these greenhouse gases. In the last 20 years, concern has grown that global warming is inevitable and now considered most probably caused by man-made increases in
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.
In late years, however, excess emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities processes (mostly burning fossil fuels) have started to warm Earth's climate at a problematic rate. This has caused the global average temperature to raise, and may potentially harm many life form on earth in near future. They are generating major greenhouse gases (GHGs) which enhance greenhouse effect. This raises the global average temperature leading to climate change, and may potentially harm many life form on earth in near
Climate change is influenced by the greenhouse effect which is the increase of Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide. On one hand, the presence of these gases in the atmosphere make the earth habitable with respect to regulating the earth’s temperature. However, an increase in the concentration of these gases results in trapping energy in the atmosphere and this in turn increases earth’s temperature. “Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between
When carbon dioxide and other toxic gasses are released into the atmosphere, they become too excessive for all the vegetation to absorb. Such conditions lead to the over-accumulation of gasses that form a layer called a greenhouse. The gasses create a greenhouse effect that prevents any heat from escaping the earth (Taylor,881). This means that most of the heat being released from the earth’s center as well as that being absorbed from the sun is retained within the atmosphere. The trapped heat has over time led to the rise in global temperatures which has subsequently had adverse effects on the ecosystem. In essence, the small changes to a temperature that have occurred on a global scale over time can lead to significant and human threatening changes in the global weather patterns. The contemporary warmth has been exhibited by melting ice lands and glaciers as well as increased floods and famines.
There has been a continuous change in the Earth’s climate throughout history (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2016). According to NASA, there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat in the last 650,000 years (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2016). The last ice age was about 7000 years old and marks the beginning of the modern climate era and human civilization (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2016). These changes have been attributed to small variations in the Earth’s orbit that changes the amount of solar energy received by the Earth (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 2016). Orbiting satellites and other technological advances such as telescopes,
In addition, human activities like deforestation may increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because forests help in carbon sequestration, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. It follows then that clearing such tress will increase the amount of carbon dioxide since carbon sequestration will not occur (3). The man-made theory of climate change also explains that when these harmful gasses reach the atmosphere, they form a blanket, which traps heat in the atmosphere. This trapping of in the atmosphere is the phenomenon that causes the planet to get warmer, hence the term global warming (Sharma, 4).
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gas is the reflect radiation that the earth emits, and stop it from being lost into space. This causes the Earth 's temperature to be higher than it would be without greenhouse gases. Ever since the Industrial Revolution began around 1750, human activities have contributed a lot to climate change by adding carbon dioxide and among other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Some scientists think that greenhouse gases are causing global warming, the rise of Earth 's surface temperature.
Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas naturally found in the atmosphere. Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s, humans have devised many inventions that burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases, which, along with other human activities such as clearing land for agriculture or urban settlements, help some of these greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere that in turn trap more heat radiation in the atmosphere causing the Earth’s climate to become warmer than it would naturally (Mastrandrea). This unnatural phenomenon is termed global warming by scientists and they blame it for an increase in the Earth’s surface temperature of about 0.6°C (about 1°F) over the last 100 years (Mastrandrea).
One of the most detrimental issues when it comes to the environment is the issue of greenhouse gases. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gasses are the gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. These gases are mainly carbon dioxide, but can also include methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. They are emitted from human activities that burn fossil fuels such as factory operations, cars, and even cattle farming. These greenhouse gasses are an issue as they are destroying the atmosphere by causing the “greenhouse effect”, which is the result of these gases being trapped in the atmosphere acting like a blanket, warming the earth. In contrast, some of these gases do the opposite and are burning holes in the atmosphere exposing us to dangerous levels of radiation from the sun. (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2017)
The warming of Earth’s surface begins with the greenhouse effect, which is the leading cause of global warming. The greenhouse effect is the exchange of incoming and outgoing energy emission that warms the Earth. A great example of this phenomenon given by Marc Lallanila, writer of “What is the Greenhouse Effect?” is when a car parked in a cold, sunny day. The solar radiation that is coming in warms up the inside of the car, but the solar energy that is going out is trapped inside the car’s closed windows. Greenhouse gases are the gases in the atmosphere that absorb radiation, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Out of all these greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the primary gas produced due to the combustion of fossil fuels from electricity, transportation, and industrial
Although many scientists argue that global warming is a natural process, it is apparent that certain human activities enhance the progression at which it transpires. These activities cause excessive amounts of carbon dioxide to set off into the atmosphere, which in turn prevent heat from escaping the earth and slowly cause our ozone layer to deplete. Burning of fossil fuels is the most common example of carbon dioxide release. Humans burn these natural resources in order to obtain gas necessary for transportation methods. Gas is needed in nearly all automobiles, buses, planes, and trains. In addition, vehicles also produce exhaust, further polluting the air. Deforestation augments the greenhouse effect as well. Plant life engrosses carbon dioxide just as humans take in oxygen. When land is cleared, a great deal of vegetation is removed along with it. Because of these actions, carbon dioxide that remains unabsorbed by plants is left in the atmosphere. Another gas by the name of methane is also harmful to the environment. Methane is produced from multiple natural sources; however, methane that is derived from cattle and rice paddies especially pertains to humans who produce them in large quantities. Crops like rice paddies are also enriched with chemical fertilizers containing yet another dangerous gas, nitrogen oxide. These causes are a chain reaction,
The issue of global warming should be on the list of our top priorities. Studies show that the average of global temperatures have risen since the Industrial Revolution began. Since the Industrial Revolution, human emissions has quadrupled the frequency of certain heat extremes and many scientists have warned that a failure to bring greenhouse gases under control could eventually lead to a 62-fold increase in extreme heat blasts (Gillis Justin A17). Most of the increase is due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. These activities contribute to a build-up in carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is made of gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen. These gases act as a blanket that covers and gives us warmth, but once these gases such as carbon dioxide absorbs heat, but does not release it back into space in which causes the increase in global temperature. This is called the greenhouse effect because it only traps heat but does not release it.
The impacts of increased greenhouse gas admission are evident through the rising global temperatures, causing extreme natural disasters and expanding sea levels. Anthropogenic climate change refers to the production of greenhouse gases emitted into the earth’s atmosphere as a result of human expansion and activity. According to research conducted by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA, 2016) the average global temperature of the Earth has risen 0.87 degrees Celsius from 1880 to 2016, the highest temperature rise recorded to date, as a result of heightened greenhouse gas admissions. It is essential to identify the causes of anthropogenic climate change and recognize the significant negative impact it is having on the global environment and the population.
Carbon dioxide and methane are a couple of the main culprits of global warming, because they trap heat causing the earth’s temperatures to increase. One methane molecule is equal to twelve carbon dioxide molecules. “Between 2002 and 2004, the data showed that US methane emissions increased by more than thirty percent, accounting for thirty to sixty percent of an enormous spike in the entire planet’s atmosphere.” (Stevens) Carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse