The greenhouse effect and climate change
Shubham Sarpal
University of Texas at San Antonio
Research Question: How does human activities cause rise in greenhouse gasses emissions?
Answer/Thesis: While there are many gasses that human activities emit directly into the atmosphere, some major gasses which are causing harm in the atmosphere and resulting in the increased greenhouse effect are:
• Carbon dioxide: It is originated by burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, though deforestation is also a very significant contributor.
• Methane: It is due to agriculture (especially livestock and rice fields), fossil fuel extraction and the decay of organic waste in landfill sites.
• Nitrous oxide: sources include agriculture (especially nitrogen-fertilized soils and livestock waste) and industrial processes.
• Fluorinated gases: This gas is generated due to industrial processes.
As a result of this, the United States had suffered record-breaking floods along the Mississippi River on 9th September 2011, high snowstorms from the Midwest to the Northeast even massive wildfires in the West and South, deadly tornadoes in the South and Midwest. The reasons behind the change in the extreme weather is due to global warming which is caused by increase in greenhouse gasses emissions as the scientists say.
INTRODUCTION
Global warming is caused due to the presence of the gasses in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons and nitrogen oxide
The major greenhouse gas is water vapor. Then there is carbon dioxide, plus a few trace gases (Easterling & Karl, 2011, para4). Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere by natural processes and by human actions such as burning fossil fuels. Methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are all emitted into the atmosphere by human activities (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010, Greenhouse Gas Overview section).
Human activities are the leading contributing factors to climate change contributing to global warming. Whether it’s driving cars or heating our homes with natural gas, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to an article written by Darryl Fears, “the planet is warming at an accelerated pace without any doubt, that humans are causing it with 95 percent certainty and that the past three decades have been the hottest since 1850.” The majority of human causes of global warming can be contributed to the increase of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, into the atmosphere. Of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is said to be the most considerable cause of global warming, and most carbon dioxide emissions are the result of burning fossil fuels.
Greenhouse emissions are made up of all types of gasses such as methane, nitrous oxide, and the leading emission: Carbon dioxide (N/A). “The standard ways of living has increased, as energy supply is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation also deals with a large amount of greenhouse emissions being released into our solar system. Starting in 1950, greenhouse gasses started to increase dramatically. This
Methane is byproduct of the production and transportation of coal, natural gas and oil. It is also produced from livestock and agricultural practices and from anaerobic decay of organic
The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide is caused by anthropogenic impacts such as land usage and the burning of fossil fuels. The utilization of fossil fuels has exponentially risen after the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, the emissions of carbon dioxide have followed that trend as well since it is an emission from coal, oil, and gas. Using land for construction sites and industrialized farming leads to the deforestation of trees. Trees are primary carbon sinks for
Gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane all “have the ability to absorb thermal energy (heat) emitted by the earth and thus are able to warm the atmosphere” (“Greenhouse Gases”). This warming is known as the “greenhouse effect.” The majority of greenhouse gases are a result of humans burning fossil fuels to create energy. With more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the Earth’s climate is becoming warmer, leading to threatening consequences for the planet’s population.
Other chemicals and gases include sulfur dioxide (a type of gas that can lead to acid rain), nitrogen oxide (causes smog and acid rain), carbon dioxide (which is currently one of the greatest factors of global warming), small particles (the particles can lead to health hazards and can increase the chance of lung cancer), hydrocarbons (causes smog), ash and sludge ( the ash and sludge consist of many pollutants and hold toxic metals within them like lead and mercury), and many other toxic metals (Casper 6-7).
The world naturally produces gasses, the most common being nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and methane. While these gasses are the basic building blocks of the earths atmosphere they are also green house gasses, gasses that are the main contributors to global warming. According to the Oxford English Dictionary global warming is, “A long-term gradual increase in the temperature of the earth 's atmosphere and oceans” (Global) and this increase in
Nowadays human activities like driving cars, burning coal and cutting down forests and farming produce greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases are mainly carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. These gases gather in the atmosphere and attract heat from the sun.
CFCs emitted from aerosols, air conditioners, refrigerators and foam packagings are the most detrimental of greenhouse gases. Methane is released decomposing organic matter such as animal dung, swamps and waste dumps. Nitric oxide is released from car exhausts, agricultural fertilisers and power stations. The US is known to have produced up to about a fifth of all greenhouse gases. Future predictions are that there could be violent storms and sea levels will be raised.
To begin with, it is important to discuss the common causes of climate change. The most prominent and well-known cause is what is known as the “Greenhouse Effect.” The effect is the result of various gases becoming trapped within the Earth’s atmosphere, which alters the reflection and absorption of sunlight. As the levels of the gases increase in the atmosphere, more sunlight is absorbed, causing warming of the Earth. These “greenhouse gases” include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and “F-gases.”
Recent data by NASA, EPA and other organisation can’t explained by natural causes alone but rather, human activities are responsible for the dramatic increasing in GHG and the effect this have on the earth. The major gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include:
When people drive cars, use energy to cook, cool and heat their houses, power plants, etc. all those things put gasses in the air. Gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. Each of the gases is carbon dioxide, methane, fluorinated gases, and nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide is a chemical that is transparent to solar radiation and yet it absorbs infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide enters the air through burning fossil fuels, trees, solid waste and wood products. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere longer than other gasses as the result of human activities. The US produces the most carbon with 5,800 million every year, next is China over 3,000, Russia over 2,000, Japan, 1,200 and India, 1,000 million. Methane enters through the transportation of coal, oil and natural gas. It takes a decade for methane to leave the atmosphere which converts into carbon dioxide. Fluorinated gases are used as substitutes for stratospheric substances. Lastly, Nitrous oxide is released during industrial
Climate Change is a serious social issue that can have devastating effects on human health, the Earth’s climate, and other organisms that live here. Climate Change is caused by increasing Co2 levels in the atmosphere. Because of climate change, there has been an increase natural disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and thunderstorms. These Natural disasters are life threatening and are a serious issue.
Gasses emitted from industries have led to great environmental issues such as the global warming. The phenomenon refers to the average increase in the global temperature which occurs due to discharge of carbon dioxide, greenhouse gasses, and other air pollutants into the atmosphere. The gasses accumulate in the atmosphere and absorb solar radiation from the earth surface hence making the world hotter.