Global Warming

The world around us is changing with out any question. It is easy to see that our population has doubled within the last century. Automobile industry in the last few decades has made our lives a lot easier; however it had a negative effect on the environment. Global warming is taking place because of rising levels of green house gases being released into our o-zone layer. This layer is the earths protective shield that reflects deadly solar winds and radiation. Global warming is being caused because of our increase in population and a substantial increase in the usage of fossil fuels. I believe global warming is a growing issue that the general public needs to be educated about. According to the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) approximately 6.6 tons of green house gases are emitted per person every year in the United States (www.epa.gov). Emissions per person have increased about 3.4% between 1990 and 1997. Most of these emissions are from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and power our cars. The remaining emissions come from methane wastes in our landfills, natural gas pipelines, coal, as well as from industrial chemicals and other sources. "Plant respiration and the decomposition of organic matter release more than 10 times the CO2 released by human activities; but these releases have generally been in balance during the centuries leading up to the industrial revolution with carbon dioxide absorbed by vegetation and the oceans (www.epa.gov). Not only is this going to be bad for the atmosphere but it is also changing our climate. Global surface temperatures have increased 0.5-1.0oF since the late 19th century. The 20th century's 10 warmest years all occurred in the last 15 years of the century. Of these, 1998 was the warmest year on record. The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased. Globally, sea level has risen 4-8 inches over the past century. Worldwide precipitation