Global Warming

Global Warming

Global Warming, this is the topic lining many newspaper heads, a debate among

government officials and one even presidential officials have tried to keep out of the

media. Over the last couple of years many scientist have produced factual evidence of

the average temperature through out the world rising. It is a fact that global warming is

real and that it can and will happen to our planet. Global Warming is defined as an

increase in the earth’s atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur

due to an increase in the greenhouse affect, resulting especially from pollution. Many

questions we ask are what cause global warming, how much is it changing the world in

which we live, how will we deal with it, what can we do to help, what can businesses and

industries do to help, and what can the government do?

There are many causes of global warming beginning with one of the major

greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide. Carbon Dioxide comes from power plants,

automobiles, airplanes and buildings, it traps heat into the atmosphere, causing a

warming of the earth. About 40% of carbon dioxide comes from the burning of fossil

fuels to provide electricity to power plants. Cars, trucks, mini vans, jeeps and other

automobiles contribute to at least 33% of the carbon dioxide that contributes to the global

warming effect. A pick up truck or utility vehicle that does not get good gas mileage is

worse of a hazard than a small compact car. For each gallon of gas an automobile uses it

is estimated that 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the air. Other than

automobiles and power plants, airplanes come in at a 3.5% contributing rate and

buildings at 12%. Methane releases CH4 into the atmosphere and while it is not as

common as CO2 it is 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than

carbon dioxide. The most common form of methane is rice paddies, and the U.S.

produces most of the rice grown in the world. The only gas scientists have considered to

be both good and bad is water vapor. Water holds 2/3 of the heat, and is a form of all the

greenhouse gases, but as the earth gets warmer the humidity rises allowing more

warming. This is good because the warmer the air is the higher humidity can be and this

reflects heat back into space. Next is Nitrous Oxide, it is produced by oceans and

rainforests but also manmade in the form of nylon and nitric acid (a type of fertilizer used

on farms). It is a type of gas many people may be familiar with by going to the dentist

office, also know as “laughing gas”. It is also used as an anesthetic in hospitals around

the world. Deforestation also known as logging, which is the cutii9ng down of more than

34 million acres of trees every year, contributes 20-25% of atmospheric carbon dioxide

into the atmosphere. The destroying of our forests are sending hundreds of millions of

tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Ordinarily the forests would soak

up billions of tons of carbon dioxide keeping them from reaching the atmosphere. The

little things we do everyday such as making a living, driving to work or fertilizing a crop

is causing an increase in temp and global warming.

According to Klas Burgman, a spokesman for Institute for International Studies,

the average temperature has gone up 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last 100years, due to

increasing amounts of carbon dioxide. By the year of 2100 the temperature is expected to

rise 11 Fahrenheit. This is bad because the climate will be changing at a quicker rate than

most living things adapt and because of this scientist fear that there will be a

disappearance of many species. According to the IPCC, eleven out of the twelve hottest

years since thermometers where created have been recorded as between 1995 and 2006.

Due to the increase in the average temperature, two of our planets ice sheets have started

to melt (Greenland and Antarctica). Ban Ki-moon the United States Secretary General

stated that “Antarctica and the artic are both warming 2 to 3 times faster than the global

average”. Antarctica is 99% made up of ice and is a partially frozen ocean, home to

about 4 million people and many marine birds and seals. Scientist has predicted by the

end of the century there will be almost a completed loss of summer sea-ice in the artic.

What this means is that polar bears are likely to die out due to a drastic climate change.