preview

Essay on Global Warming

Good Essays

Global Warming

Our planet's atmosphere traps energy just like a greenhouse. Energy from the Sun can enter the Earth’s atmosphere, but not all of it can easily find its way out again.

What blocks the Sun’s energy from escaping from the Earth? Unlike a greenhouse, the Earth does not have a layer of glass over it! Instead, molecules in our atmosphere called greenhouse gasses absorb the heat. Greenhouse gasses include water vapor, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. There may not be much of some of these gasses in our atmosphere, but they can have a big impact. Each greenhouse gas molecule is made of three or more atoms that are bonded loosely together. These molecules are able to …show more content…

About 30 gases produced by human activity have been identified as contributing to the greenhouse effect. These are sometimes called greenhouse gases. The main ones are carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Sunlight reaches the Earth's surface, is reflected off it, and is prevented from escaping from the atmosphere by this layer of gases, which acts like glass in a greenhouse.

Up to a point, the greenhouse effect is a natural process, and naturally occuring carbon dioxide is not dangerous. Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of the Earth would be -19C , in other words, too cold for us to live. However, the concentration of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has changed dramatically: since the 18th century, carbon dioxide has increased by 30%.

There is disagreement among scientists about the seriousness of global warming. Most scientists agree that the global temperature is rising. They do not agree on more specific elements of the issue: How much will it warm up? What will happen if it does warm up? How far are humans responsible? What should we do to stop it?

Scientists believe that if we go on producing gases at the rate we do now, it is likely that the Earth's average temperature will rise by about 0.3 degrees C every ten years. This

Get Access