Global warming is a process in which Earths overall temperature gradually increases due to CO2 and other gases. The greenhouse effect is caused by gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. These gases trap sunlight in the atmosphere, so when after the Earth absorbs energy from the sunlight the energy left over, which is heat, is trapped in the atmosphere as well. This causes a rise in temperature. Before, changes in the Earth’s temperature were caused by natural causes, like the Earth’s orbit, changes in solar activity, and volcanic eruptions. However, humanity has substantially increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, from the burning of fossil fuels – therefore increasing the amount of energy and heat that is trapped. (USEPA)
Climate change is caused by the interaction of humans on the environment. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide — the main heat-trapping greenhouse gas produced by human activities. Carbon dioxide is a “greenhouse gas” (GHG) that traps heat in the atmosphere, warming Earth's surface. It is generated by natural sources such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions, and by human activities — primarily burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas (Weeks 523). “We cause global warming by increasing the greenhouse effect, and our greenhouse gas emissions just keep accelerating,”
Volcanic eruptions are another issue that causes global warming. For instance, a single volcanic eruption will release amount of carbon dioxide and ash to the atmosphere. Once carbon dioxide increase, the temperature of earth increase and greenhouse trap the solar radiations in the earth.
Global Warming is caused by extreme quantities of greenhouse gases emitted into Earth’s near-surface atmosphere, (Deborah White). Greenhouse gases are produced by both man and occur naturally. These gases consist of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are what cause global warming or the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions, natural fires, fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and land use changes (such as converting forests to urban development. Methane is another greenhouse gas which is produced by the decay of organic substances in landfills, wetlands, and rice fields; also enteric fermentation in the digestive tracts of ruminant animals. Nitrous Oxide is produced by the use of
Global warming is caused by the depletion of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere that shields the earth's lowers atmosphere from harmful and intense solar radiation. Scientists believe that the main cause of depletion of this layer is the greenhouse gases and chlorofluorocarbons released into the atmosphere as a result of industrial processes. Some of these gases include sulfur (IV) Oxide, Chlorine, and some other carbon compounds from the combustion of fossil fuels. This gases cause the reduction in the thickness of the layer hence reducing its capacity to filter the sunrays reaching the earth surface.
This paper will define global warming and discuss how greenhouse gases affect the Earth. While greenhouse gases are necessary for life to exist on Earth, an overabundance or shortage of greenhouse gases can be detrimental. Human activities have caused an overabundance of these gases, and it is necessary for humans to become aware of how their activities affect the Earth. It is necessary for humans to begin modifying their behaviors that cause global warming and its negative effects, such as severe weather pattern changes, rises in temperatures, effects on agriculture, as well as animal and plant extinctions.
The rise of air temperatures near Earth’s surface over the past century is known as global warming. Earth has experienced periods of gradual warming and cooling throughout its existence due to natural causes, such as volcanic eruptions and variations in the Sun’s output. However, scientists have created the idea of an increase in global temperatures to human cause, mostly the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as a result of industrial industry. These greenhouse gases which absorb and trap heat emitted from Earth’s surface through a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect.
Warming seas and melting ice are the consequences of global warming which is the heating of Earth caused by greenhouse gasses trapped in Earth’s atmosphere. Global warming causes the heating of Earth’s seas, and when the water molecules in these bodies increase in temperature, they thermally expand which causes the sea to rise. The heat is also causing the melting of Earth’s ice sheets, and when the ice turns to water, it causes the sea to rise as well. Note that the water does not rise evenly. The sea level may increase in some areas as it may decrease in other areas. Sea level rise is inevitable because of the greenhouse gasses that are trapped in the atmosphere, they will always increase sea level to some degree. However, the decisions we
Every year, almost 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by human activity. That is the equivalent of 107,700,000 jet airplanes being in the air at once! This harrowing figure is the main cause of global warming, and has been increasing for the last 50 years. Global warming is caused by the increase of greenhouse gasses, carbon dioxide and methane primarily, in the earth's upper atmosphere directly caused by human burning of fossil fuels, industrial, farming, and deforestation activities. Global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic
In the last 100 years, Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.4°F. The rising global temperatures have caused changes in weather and climate. Global warming refers to the ongoing rise in the average temperature near Earth’s surface. This is causing a climate change, which refers to any significant change (major change in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns) in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time (several decades or longer). Due to this, it is projected that the temperature will rise from 2 to 11.5°F in the next hundred years (US EPA, 2014). The “drivers,” which are the principal causes making this occur, are very controversial. It is debated whether a change in temperature is due to the work of
Our world’s climate is rapidly changing, and those changes will have an enormous impact on our planet’s people, ecosystems, cities, and energy use. Average global air temperatures are already roughly 1.5 degrees higher than they were at the start of the 20th century, and “have risen about 1 degree over just the last 30 years,” According to the New England aquarium. Climate change can best be described as the long-term change in average weather conditions, including temperature, precipitation and wind. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), which is comprised of the world’s largest leading scientific experts in the field of climate change, “our climate is undergoing dramatic changes as the direct result of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that act like a glass roof around the earth, trapping in the heat that would otherwise escape to space – this commonly referred to as the ‘greenhouse effect’.” Ascending worldwide temperatures have been accompanied by adjustments in weather and climate. Countless places have seen changes in rainfall, leading to more droughts, floods, and extreme rain; in addition to more critical and recurrent heat waves. Earth’s glaciers and oceans have mastered numerous changes- our seas are becoming acidic and warming, ice caps are dissolving, and sea levels are increasing. As these alterations become more prominent in the succeeding future, they will likely present challenges to our society as well as our
Compared to the total anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses, the effect CO2 and H2O vapour have on global warming is relatively low, but spikes in greenhouse gas levels can be seen when major eruptions occur (Cassadevall et al 1983). During the Mt St Helens eruption in 1980, Cassadevall et al (1983) used a gas chromatograph to measure the average daily emissions of CO2 gas which he combined to form the average monthly emissions. He recorded that for six months following the eruption over 5000 metric tons of CO2 were released per day then after six months the emission rates slowly declined. The CO2 and H2O vapour released during eruptions does have a marginal effect on the climate, but by far the most influential gases on Earth’s climate are the sulfuric gasses released.
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).
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.
Greenhouse gases are compounds in the atmosphere that can trap and hold extra heat, which increases the temperature in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases is the cause of the greenhouse effect that leads up to global warming. The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the sun’s warmth in the lower atmosphere that is due to the visible radiation from the sun. The solar radiation reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, then the rest of the sun's energy is absorbed by the oceans and lands which result in the heating of the Earth. After that the heat from the Earth goes towards space, some of the heat is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouses gases which make the Earth warm enough to tolerate living life. The burning of fossil fuels and land clearing start to increase the number of greenhouse gases which travels into the atmosphere. The result of trapping extra heat cause the Earth’s temperature to rise. Scientist's has proven that the constant increase of heat in the atmosphere is caused by humans. The reason humans are proven guilty for the increase of global warming is because of the amount of carbon that is put into the atmosphere. Carbon is released from burning coal, oil, and gas or cutting down and burning forests. Carbon (CO2) is known as the main source of heat-trapping gas which is mainly responsible for the increase of warming over the years. The removal of trees is another cause of global