Global Warming
The relationship between humans and the state of the ecosystem is not only
dependent upon how many people there are, but also upon what they do. When there
were few people, the dominant factors controlling ecosystem state were the
natural ones that have operated for millions of years. The human population has
now grown so large that there are concerns that they have become a significant
element in ecosystem dynamics. One of these concerns is the relationship between
human activities and climate, particularly the recent observations and the
predictions of global warming, beginning with the alarm sounded by W. Broecker
(1975).
The relationships among humans, their activities and global temperature can be
assessed by making the appropriate measurements and analyzing the data in a way
that shows the connections and their magnitudes. Human population can be closely
estimated and the consequences of their activities can be measured. For example,
the volume of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions is an
indicator of human's energy and resource consumption. An examination of
population size, atmospheric concentrations of these gases and global
temperature relative to time and with respect to each other is presented here to
demonstrate the relations among these factors.
POPULATION GROWTH
Many of us have seen linear graphs of human population showing the enormous
growth in the last two centuries. However, significant changes in population
dynamics are lost in the exponential growth and long time scales. If the data
are replotted on a log-population by log-time scale, significant population
dynamics emerge. First, it is apparent that population growth has occurred in
three surges and second, that the time between surges has dramatically shortened
(Deevey, 1960).
Figure 1. Population (Log-population verses log-time since 1 million
years ago). Time values on x-axis, ignoring minus sign, are powers of 10 years
before and after 1975 (at 0). Vertical dashed-line at 1995. Filled circles for
known values are to left of 1995 and open circles on and to right of 1995 are
for projected values. (Data updated from Deevey, 1960). ----------
Deevey's 1960 graph has been brought up to date in Figure 1 to reflect what has
been learned since then. The data have been plotted relative to 1975 with
negative values before 1975 and positive values thereafter. The reason for this
will become clear below. The values of the time scale, ignoring the minus signs,
represent powers of 10 years.
It has been argued that a population crash occurred about 65,000 years ago (-4.8,
Fig. 1), presumably due to the prolonged ice-ages during the preceding 120,000
years (Gibbons, 1993). Humans came close to perishing and Neanderthal became
extinct. However, by 50,000 years ago (-4.6, Fig. 1), humans had generated
population mini-explosions all around the planet. Deevey's data for population
size since 500 years ago have been replaced with more recent estimates taken
from The World Almanac, (1992 - 1995) including population projections out to
2025. A vertical dashed-line has been placed at 1995. Filled symbols for the
known values are to the left of it and open symbols on and to the right of it
are for values projected into the short-term future.
The first surge coincides with the beginning of the cultural revolution about
600,000 years ago, interrupted by the population crash 65,000 years ago.
Population size rebounded 50,000 years ago and then growth slowed considerably.
The second surge began with the agricultural revolution about 10,000 years ago
and was followed by slow growth. Deevey argued that moving down the food chain
was the underlying cause of this large and rapid spurt. The timing of the
present surge matches the rise of the industrial-medical revolution 200 years
ago.
A relation between innovation and population growth is embedded in the log-log
plot. There was rapid growth at the start of each surge. Then, growth rate
slowed as people adapted to the precipitating innovations. Each surge increased
the population more than 10-fold. It appears that we are nearing the end of the
present surge as recent growth rates have declined. After the initial spurt,
subsequent innovations did not perpetuate growth rates. The only significant
innovations were those that produced the next surge. However, accumulated
innovations during the surges may have played a role in the eventual decline in
population growth rates. Starting with high birth and death rates, death rate
declines and longevity increases, but birth rates stay high. Some time later,
birth rates decline so that eventually, net births minus deaths produces slow
growth. The result is a spurt in population size. When referring to the
industrial revolution, this phenomenon has been called the "demographic
transition". It appears that this dynamic may have occurred twice before.
The decreases in time between surges suggests that, if past behavior is the best
predictor of future behavior, we are due for another surge. It may have already
begun, as indicated by the upturn in the projections at the right end of the
curve in Figure 1. What might the basis for another surge be? One can think of
several possibilities, including the "green revolution" and the "global economy".
A dominant element in past surges has been innovations in energy use (e.g., fire,
descending the food-chain, beasts of burden, fossil fuels, high-energy
agriculture). Thus, the development of an abundant and cheap energy source would
have a profound effect. Another 10-fold (or more) surge would produce a
population of 60 to 125 billion.
GLOBAL TEMPERATURE AND GREENHOUSE GASES
Figure 2. Greenhouse Gases and Mean Global Temperature (Greenhouse gas
concentrations and mean global temperature verses time). Time scale same as in
Fig. 1. Gas-concentration data have been normalized to the 0 to 1 scale on left:
CO2 (squares) - 190 to 430 ppm; CH4 (triangles) - 600 to 2400 ppb; N2O
(diamonds) - 280 to 340 ppb. Mean global temperature (circles) plotted relative
to oC on right. Vertical dashed-line at 1995, horizontal dotted line at maximum
CO2 concentration and global temperature over human history before 1990. Filled
and open symbols same as in Fig. 1. Projections in short-term future are based
upon continuation at current growth rates. (Data measured from graphs in Gribbin,
1990 and Khalil and Rasmussen, 1992). ----------
Mean-global-temperature (MGT) is related to the concentration of greenhouse
gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and other trace
gases) in the atmosphere. The most prevalent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide
(CO2). It has been shown that there is a strong relation between the atmospheric
concentration of CO2 and MGT over the last 160,000 years (Gribbin, 1990). It has
been suspected that the burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of land has
reached such proportions that these activities have precipitated a significant
increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. The concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere have been directly measured since about 1960 and have
been determined over the more distant past from air-bubbles trapped in old
Antarctic, Greenland and Siberian ice and from deep-sea sediments. Mean-global-
temperature has also been measured directly over the last few decades. Estimates
of global temperature in the distant past have been deduced from a variety of
sources. From these data, the relation among atmospheric greenhouse-gas
concentrations, MGT and time is illustrated in Figure 2.
The time scale in Figure 2 is the same as that in Figure 1. Because CO2, methane
(CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations have different scales, the data
have been normalized on a 0 to 1 scale on the left. For CO2 (squares; Gribbin,
1990), 0 is equivalent to 190 parts per million (ppm) and 1 is equivalent to 430
ppm. For CH4 (triangles; R. Cicerone in Gribbin, 1990), the range is 600 to 2400
parts per billion (ppb). For N2O (diamonds; Khalil and Rasmussen, 1992), the
scale is 280 to 340 ppb. Mean global temperature (circles; Gribbin, 1990) has
been graphed relative to the degrees-centigrade scale on the right. The vertical
dashed-line is the same as that in Figure 1. The horizontal dotted-line is the
highest CO2 concentration and temperature in human history before 1990.
Greenhouse-gas concentrations and MGT in the short-term future are based upon
continuation at the current growth rates. This will be justified in another
context below.
Figure 3. Population and Global Warming (CO2 concentration and mean
global temperature verses log-population) CO2 concentration (circles) and mean
global temperature (squares) plotted relative to their absolute scales, ppm on
the left and oC on the right, respectively. Vertical dashed line at 1995. (Data
from Figs. 1 and 2) ----------
It is clear that the concentrations of all three gases have increased
exponentially since 1950 (-1.4, Fig. 2) and that MGT has done so since 1975.
Carbon dioxide concentration began to rise in conjunction with the use of fossil
fuels after 1850. Although methane comes from a variety of sources, including
plant decay, termites and bovine flatulence, CH4 concentration rises at the same
time as CO2. This is probably due to its association with fossil-fuel production.
Nitrous oxide concentration does not begin to rise until 1950. At this time, the
use of human-made fertilizers and internal-combustion-engine exhaust increased
dramatically. Ten thousand years ago (-4, Fig. 2), MGT increased substantially
just as the agricultural revolution got started. Over the previous 200,000 years,
the ecosystem was dominated by ice-ages. Projected MGT in 2025 (1.7, Fig. 2) is
about 17oC, 1.5oC higher than in human history prior to 1990.
POPULATION AND GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
We have seen in Figures 1 and 2 that recent population, atmospheric greenhouse-
gas concentrations and MGT have grown exponentially over about the same time-
course. The relation of CO2 and MGT relative to population size can be observed
by graphing these variables as above. Figure 3 shows this graph, where the log
of population replaces log-time and CO2 concentration (circles) and MGT
(squares) are plotted relative to their absolute scales, ppm on the left and oC
on the right, respectively. The vertical dashed-line denotes 1995, as in Figures
1 and 2. When the population reached 4 billion in 1975, the converging relation
between population and the other two variables becomes apparent.
The magnitude of the relations in Figures 2 and 3 can be determined by
calculating the correlation coefficient between pairs of variables. Table 1
lists these coefficients for the population, greenhouse-gas concentration and
MGT variables that we have been examining. The coefficients for the relations
during the industrial revolution, 1800 through 1994, are above the diagonal of
the table. The coefficients since 2000 years ago through 1994 are below the
diagonal. Over the past 2000 years, there is a nearly perfect correlation
between the concentration of greenhouse gases and population and between the
greenhouse gases themselves. However, the correlations between both population
and greenhouse-gas concentrations and MGT (bottom row) are not as strong. After
1800, the latter correlations increase to near perfection (rightmost column).
The conclusion from the graphs and table is that there is a strong relationship
among population size since 1800, greenhouse-gas concentrations and MGT.
TABLE 1. Correlation coefficients among population size, atmospheric greenhouse-
gas concentrations and mean global temperature (1800 through 1994 above the top-
left to bottom-right diagonal, n=10; 2000 years ago through 1994 below the
diagonal, n=15).
Pop CO2 CH4 N2O Temp
----------
Pop .996 .984 .977 .916 CO2 .990
.994 .974 .942 CH4 .991 .992 .949 .945 N2O
.959 .943 .942 .932 Temp .718 .716 .728
.829
GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE
Determining that there is a strong relation between population size and global
warming does not tell us what the underlying mechanisms are. However,
documentation of the relationship between human activities and the release of
greenhouse gases produces a strong inference that population size and global
warming are closely related (Gribbin, 1990).
Forecasting the future is risky business. Growth rates for greenhouse-gas
concentrations and MGT could decline from those at present due to unanticipated
innovations or natural events. For example, volcanoes can spew enough ash into
the atmosphere to block sunlight and temporarily reduce MGT slightly. However,
short-term continued growth at current rates is probably an underestimate.
Although population growth rate has slowed, the population is still growing. The
dominating factor is that per-capita energy and resource consumption rates are
increasing much faster than the population. This is not only due to anticipated
increases in standards of living in underdeveloped countries, but also to future
increases in the demand for energy in the developed countries (e.g., air
conditioning) as summer temperatures rise. Since most of the energy will come
from fossil fuels, at least for the next few decades, we can expect the
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and MGT to rise in the short-term
future at a faster rate than they have recently. As MGT rises, water vapor,
another greenhouse component, will become a more and more significant factor due
to increased evaporation.
Although a 1.5oC increase in MGT above where we were in 1990 (1990 to 2025 in
Fig. 2) does not seem like much of a change, it is enough to precipitate major
changes in climate. A 1.5oC drop in MGT from where we were in 1990, for example,
would put the ecosystem on the verge of an ice-age. Already, there is a
suspicion that, since 1975, the persistent El Nino is the first sign of the
relation between global warming and climate (Kerr, 1994). As MGT increases
further, we can expect more frequent and severe hurricanes and perpetual
summertime droughts in many places, particularly in the US Midwest.
Paradoxically, more intense winter storms will occur in some places and climatic
conditions for agriculture will improve in some areas, such as in Russia
(Gribbin, 1990; Bernard, 1993).
There has been considerable debate over the ecosystem's carrying capacity for
humans. If we define that carrying capacity as the level that the ecosystem can
support without changing state more than it has over the duration of human
history, then Figures 2 and 3 indicate that we exceeded that capacity in 1975.
This is the point in time where exponential growth began to push MGT along a
path which has taken it outside the previous range. This does not necessarily
mean that humans could not survive if MGT is about 2oC higher than it has ever
been in their history. However, we will have to adapt to a radically different
climate pattern and, if MGT goes any higher than that, there could be disastrous
problems.
If MGT continues to increase beyond 2025 to 4oC above that in 1990, high-
northern-latitude temperatures could be as much as 10oC higher than at the
equator. The Arctic ice-cap would begin to melt and the permafrost under the
tundra would start thawing out. As a consequence, a thick layer of rotting peat
would contribute further to atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations (Gribbin,
1990). With a number of human-made and natural positive-feedback elements in
operation simultaneously, a threshold could be crossed (Meyers, 1995; Overpeck,
1996). Are these risks that we should be willing to take for the sake of short-
term gains?
REFERENCES
Bernard, H. W. Jr., "Global Warming Unchecked", Indiana Univ. Press, Bloomington,
1993
Broecker, W., Science, 189:460, 1975
Deevey, E. S., Scientific American, 203:195, 1960
Gibbons, A. , Science, 262:27, 1993
Gribbin, J. , "Hothouse Earth", Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1990
Kerr, R. A., Science, 266:544, 1994
Khalil, M. A. K. and R. A. Rasmussen, J. Geophys. Res., 97:4651, 1992
"The World Almanac", Pharos, New York, 1992 - 1995
Meyers, N. Science 269:358, 1995
Overpeck, J. T. Science, 271:1820, 1996
Post Script
After this document was written (about a 2 years ago), two books came out which
provide much more detail relevant to some of these issues:
HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN THE EARTH SUPPORT? by Joel E. Cohen; Norton, 1995.
DIVIDED PLANET: THE ECOLOGY OF RICH AND POOR by Tom Athanasiou; Little Brown,
1996.
Both are superbly done and provide a much more comprehensive and up to date
treatment of the population and economic topics included here.
Recent evidence (Mora et al.; SCIENCE 271:1105, 1996) indicates that the
possibility of a "greenhouse runaway" on Earth is much more remote than
indicated at the end of the previous version of this document. Therefore, the
former apocalyptic ending has been changed. Although the data presented points
to a catastrophic conclusion, this was (perhaps) an overstatement of the case.
Showing posts with label Global Warming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Warming. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Global Warming 3
Global Warming is a big problem in today¡¦s society. Global Warming also known as the Greenhouse effect is a problem everyone will soon have to face. The people of the younger generations should be educated about what Global Warming is and that it is caused due to the way people are treating the environment.
We are now entering the Greenhouse century as we know it. Planet Earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, and life on earth has existed for more than 3.5 billion years. Humans have been on earth for 2 to 3 million years. It is only been in the past 200 years people have been affected by global warming. The last 40 years have been the most damaging.
As the impacts of human influences have grown, so have the risks associated with those impacts. New technologies carry increasing risks, and the scale, frequency, and impacts of disaster caused or influenced by human activity are growing tremendously. The risks to the Earth¡¦s natural systems are becoming significantly concerning.
The world¡¦s population, currently 5.2 billion has grown from about 3 billion in 1960, and around 2 billion in 1925. Today it increased by almost 90 million each year, and is likely to reach 10 billion by 2025(Corson 4).
The reason we currently have an atmosphere crisis is because of human impact on the gases which make up our atmosphere. Our atmosphere, which is made up of four distinct layers blankets our planet and protects up in many way. One way it protects us if from the harmful rays the sun radiates on our planet. Each layer differs from the others in temperature, density, composition and in the way it absorbs radiation from the sun. The atmosphere itself is some 300 miles thick. The first layer is the Troposphere. It is the lowest layer and extends higher than any airplane can travel, about 6.8 miles. Air in this layer is heated by the earth itself and for every 1000 feet the temperature drops 3.5 „a F. When it reaches the top of this layer the temperature is about - 70„a f. The next layer extends to about 30 miles. It is less dense than the underlying layer. Unlike the troposphere, temperature increases with altitude. This warming is caused by a layer of ozone.
Ozone is a form of oxygen. The ozone absorbs most of the sun¡¦s ultraviolet radiation. This has two important effects, First, it warms the air in the stratosphere. Second, it prevents much of the harmful rays from reaching the earth surface. Temperature in the layer reaches 29„a f.
The next few layer have almost no ozone or any water vapors. Air is less dense here and not even sound travels well here.
Carbon Dioxide comprises only a small portion of the atmosphere. A little more than 0.03%.
It is colorless, odorless gas yet vitally important to life on earth. Actually too much Carbon Dioxide can be just as dangerous as too little. Carbon Dioxide molecules have the ability to absorb heat energy. The greater amount of carbon dioxide, the greater amount of heat absorbed. The heat absorbed remains in the atmosphere rather than being radiated back into space. The result is higher temperatures on earth¡¦s surface. There are many signs that the levels of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere is increasing. This threatens the balance between the amount of solar energy reaching the earth.
Breathing for humans consists of taking in oxygen and getting rid of waste gases such as Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide is a byproduct of many industrial processes, including the fermentation of sugars to produce alcohol, the decomposition of limestone to make quicklime and the manufacture of cement. But the main sources are the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests.
Because plants themselves need Carbon Dioxide Through photosynthesis plants absorb Carbon Dioxide and act as a natural defense against global warming. But there is a problem...people are destroying forests at an alarming rate. This deforestation increases Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere in two ways. One with out the forests, Carbon Dioxide that would have been absorbed for photosynthesis remains in the air. The other is when the forest is burned or if trees decay after cutting them down, they release the carbon they have absorbed over their entire lifetime.
Burning fossil fuels pours huge amount of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. About 5.6 Billion tons a year! The increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows solar energy to pass through and prevents heat given off the earth form escaping into space. Other gasses affect the atmosphere come from many sources including CFCs from aerosol cans, refrigerants and cleaning solvents. This damaging cycle is called The Greenhouse Effect.
The growth of human numbers and their impacts on the earth¡¦s resources have greatly accelerated since World War II. The production of food, energy, and industrial commodities is associated with much of the deterioration of the Earth¡¦s life-support systems.
Some of the ways that Earth may respond to global warming could be gradual or could be rapid. By continuing to add greenhouse gases to the air we may be surprised by some climate changes. As an example when the Arctic warms, huge amounts of methane now trapped under ice could escape into the air. Methane is a Greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, these added emissions could cause the Earth to warm even faster than now expected.
Part of the West Antarctic ice sheet precariously rest on the sea floor. As the sea warms, the ice might become destabilized, break up and melt. As a result over the next 300 years sea level would rise faster than currently predicted. Warmer water temperatures might lead to changes in the course of major ocean currents. Their paths determine the distribution of ocean temperatures and nutrients that sustain marine life. If the currents were to change direction, entire marine ecosystems could be disrupted.
It is known that plants and animals are being pushed to extinction. Also it is known about the role in raising the Earth¡¦s temperature. However no one knows how the two are connected. Global Warming may be proved to be the single threat to fellow species.
Vast quantities of pollutants are pouring into the atmosphere , posing health threat to humans, damaging the environment and changing the Earth¡¦s climate. Historically, the air has renewed itself through interaction with vegetation and the oceans. Today, however, this process is threatened by increasing use of fossil fuels, expanding industrial production, and growing use of motor vehicles.(Corson 220)
The most common and widespread pollutants currently emitted by human activities are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds particulate. Dozens of toxic chemicals are commonly found in the air surrounding urban areas.
In recent years, many industrial nations have controlled air pollution with some success. Europe and North America are now suffering serious damage from acid deposition. Increasing pollution from the growing use of motor vehicles plagues many nations. Car sales in Western industrialized nations rose 71 percent from 1970 to 1986.
We are now entering the Greenhouse century as we know it. Planet Earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, and life on earth has existed for more than 3.5 billion years. Humans have been on earth for 2 to 3 million years. It is only been in the past 200 years people have been affected by global warming. The last 40 years have been the most damaging.
As the impacts of human influences have grown, so have the risks associated with those impacts. New technologies carry increasing risks, and the scale, frequency, and impacts of disaster caused or influenced by human activity are growing tremendously. The risks to the Earth¡¦s natural systems are becoming significantly concerning.
The world¡¦s population, currently 5.2 billion has grown from about 3 billion in 1960, and around 2 billion in 1925. Today it increased by almost 90 million each year, and is likely to reach 10 billion by 2025(Corson 4).
The reason we currently have an atmosphere crisis is because of human impact on the gases which make up our atmosphere. Our atmosphere, which is made up of four distinct layers blankets our planet and protects up in many way. One way it protects us if from the harmful rays the sun radiates on our planet. Each layer differs from the others in temperature, density, composition and in the way it absorbs radiation from the sun. The atmosphere itself is some 300 miles thick. The first layer is the Troposphere. It is the lowest layer and extends higher than any airplane can travel, about 6.8 miles. Air in this layer is heated by the earth itself and for every 1000 feet the temperature drops 3.5 „a F. When it reaches the top of this layer the temperature is about - 70„a f. The next layer extends to about 30 miles. It is less dense than the underlying layer. Unlike the troposphere, temperature increases with altitude. This warming is caused by a layer of ozone.
Ozone is a form of oxygen. The ozone absorbs most of the sun¡¦s ultraviolet radiation. This has two important effects, First, it warms the air in the stratosphere. Second, it prevents much of the harmful rays from reaching the earth surface. Temperature in the layer reaches 29„a f.
The next few layer have almost no ozone or any water vapors. Air is less dense here and not even sound travels well here.
Carbon Dioxide comprises only a small portion of the atmosphere. A little more than 0.03%.
It is colorless, odorless gas yet vitally important to life on earth. Actually too much Carbon Dioxide can be just as dangerous as too little. Carbon Dioxide molecules have the ability to absorb heat energy. The greater amount of carbon dioxide, the greater amount of heat absorbed. The heat absorbed remains in the atmosphere rather than being radiated back into space. The result is higher temperatures on earth¡¦s surface. There are many signs that the levels of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere is increasing. This threatens the balance between the amount of solar energy reaching the earth.
Breathing for humans consists of taking in oxygen and getting rid of waste gases such as Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide is a byproduct of many industrial processes, including the fermentation of sugars to produce alcohol, the decomposition of limestone to make quicklime and the manufacture of cement. But the main sources are the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests.
Because plants themselves need Carbon Dioxide Through photosynthesis plants absorb Carbon Dioxide and act as a natural defense against global warming. But there is a problem...people are destroying forests at an alarming rate. This deforestation increases Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere in two ways. One with out the forests, Carbon Dioxide that would have been absorbed for photosynthesis remains in the air. The other is when the forest is burned or if trees decay after cutting them down, they release the carbon they have absorbed over their entire lifetime.
Burning fossil fuels pours huge amount of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. About 5.6 Billion tons a year! The increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows solar energy to pass through and prevents heat given off the earth form escaping into space. Other gasses affect the atmosphere come from many sources including CFCs from aerosol cans, refrigerants and cleaning solvents. This damaging cycle is called The Greenhouse Effect.
The growth of human numbers and their impacts on the earth¡¦s resources have greatly accelerated since World War II. The production of food, energy, and industrial commodities is associated with much of the deterioration of the Earth¡¦s life-support systems.
Some of the ways that Earth may respond to global warming could be gradual or could be rapid. By continuing to add greenhouse gases to the air we may be surprised by some climate changes. As an example when the Arctic warms, huge amounts of methane now trapped under ice could escape into the air. Methane is a Greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, these added emissions could cause the Earth to warm even faster than now expected.
Part of the West Antarctic ice sheet precariously rest on the sea floor. As the sea warms, the ice might become destabilized, break up and melt. As a result over the next 300 years sea level would rise faster than currently predicted. Warmer water temperatures might lead to changes in the course of major ocean currents. Their paths determine the distribution of ocean temperatures and nutrients that sustain marine life. If the currents were to change direction, entire marine ecosystems could be disrupted.
It is known that plants and animals are being pushed to extinction. Also it is known about the role in raising the Earth¡¦s temperature. However no one knows how the two are connected. Global Warming may be proved to be the single threat to fellow species.
Vast quantities of pollutants are pouring into the atmosphere , posing health threat to humans, damaging the environment and changing the Earth¡¦s climate. Historically, the air has renewed itself through interaction with vegetation and the oceans. Today, however, this process is threatened by increasing use of fossil fuels, expanding industrial production, and growing use of motor vehicles.(Corson 220)
The most common and widespread pollutants currently emitted by human activities are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds particulate. Dozens of toxic chemicals are commonly found in the air surrounding urban areas.
In recent years, many industrial nations have controlled air pollution with some success. Europe and North America are now suffering serious damage from acid deposition. Increasing pollution from the growing use of motor vehicles plagues many nations. Car sales in Western industrialized nations rose 71 percent from 1970 to 1986.
Global Warming
What is global warming, and how is it affecting the Earth and its inhabitants? Global Warming is sometimes referred to as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the absorption of energy radiated from the Earth's surface by carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to become warmer. The greenhouse effect is what is causing the temperature on the Earth to rise, and creating many problems that will begin to occur in the coming decades. For the last 10,000 years, the Earth's climate has been extraordinarily beneficial to mankind. "Humans have prospered tremendously well under a benign atmosphere," (Bates 28). Today, however, major changes are taking place. People are conducting an inadvertent global experiment by changing the face of the entire planet. We are destroying the ozone layer, which allows life to exist on the Earth's surface. All of these activities are unfavorably altering the composition of the biosphere and the Earth's heat balance. If we do not slow down our use of fossil fuels and stop destroying, the forests, the world could become hotter than it has been in the past million years. Average global temperatures have risen 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last century. If carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases continue to spill into the atmosphere, global temperatures could rise five to 10 degrees by the middle of the next century. The warning will be the greatest at the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, with the largest temperature rises occurring in winter. Most areas will experience summertime highs well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. New temperature records will be set each year. As a possible prelude to global warming, the decade of the 1980's has had the six hottest years of the century (Erandson 18-22). Atmospheric disturbances brought on by the additional warming will produce more violent storms and larger death tolls. Some areas, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, will dry out and a greater occurrence of lightning strikes will set massive forest fires. The charring of the Earth by natural and man-made forest fires will dump additional quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Changes in temperature and rainfall brought on by global warming will in turn change the composition of the forests. At the present rate of destruction, most of the rain forests will be gone by the middle of the next century. This will allow man-made deserts to encroach on once lush areas. (Bassett 1-2). Evaporation rates will also increase and circulation patterns will change. Decreased rainfall in some areas will results in increased rainfall in others. In some regions, river flow will be reduced or stopped all together completely. Other areas will experience sudden downpours that create massive floods. The central portions of the continents, which normally experience occasional droughts, might become permanently dry wastelands. Vast areas of once productive cropland could lose topsoil and become man-made deserts. Coastal regions, where half the human population lives, will feel the adverse effects of rising sea levels as the ice caps melt under rising ocean temperatures. If the present melting continues, the sea could rise as much as 6 feet by the middle of the next century (Bassett 1-2). Large tracks of coastal land would disappear, as would shallow barrier islands and coral reefs. Low-lying fertile deltas that support millions of people would vanish. Delicate wetlands, where many species of marine life hatch their young, would be reclaimed by the sea. Vulnerable coastal cities would have to move farther inland or build protective walls against the angry sea, where a larger number of extremely dangerous hurricanes would prowl the ocean stretches. Forests and other wildlife habitats might not have enough time to adjust to the rapidly changing climate. The warming will rearrange entire biological communities and cause many species to become extinct. Weeds and pests could overrun much of the landscape. Since life controls the climate to some extent, it is uncertain what long-term effects a diminished biosphere will have on the world as a whole. It is becoming more apparent, however, that as man continues to squander the Earth's resources, the climate could change in such a way that it is no longer benevolent to mankind. The greenhouse effect and global warming both correspond with each other. The green house effect is recalled as incoming solar radiation that passes through the Earth's atmosphere but prevents much of the outgoing infrared radiation from escaping into outer space. The global warming refers to a long term rise in the average temperature of the Earth. How do they correspond with each other? Simply, because without one, the other doesn't exist. The natural greenhouse effect has kept the Earth's average surface temperature around 33 degrees Celsius, warmer than it would be if there were no atmosphere. The natural gases in the greenhouse effect are water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), as well as other trace gases. Life could not exist if there was no natural greenhouse effect. The reason for the natural greenhouse effect is so that all the creatures living on Earth can live and breathe. We as inhabitants of this Earth must do our part in preserving it, or there won't be much left for our children to live on. Human activities are causing some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to build up in the atmosphere. Each time we burn gasoline, oil, coal, or even natural gas, more carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere (Erandson 34). By cutting down the forest trees, we allow air pollution to set in. This, therefore, causes many problems in addition to many others. Now that there are no trees to help filter out pollution, we are allowing more damage to the atmosphere causing global warming. These certain gases that occur naturally in the atmosphere tend to trap the sun's heat which is called global warming. By trapping in the sun's heat, the Earth can be warmed up. Many of the Earth's natural disasters, such as volcanic activity, and other factors, have caused our planet's (Bates 23) atmosphere to become either colder or warmer. The global average temperature of the surface has increased by one degree Fahrenheit over the past century. This indicates that this warming trend is due to human influences. In conclusion, if there was no greenhouse effect then there would be no global warming. The greenhouse effect causes the global warming to increase as well as humans and other creatures influence. There are many ways to help prevent and protect both. If people try to help out, then it would be a longer process to keep the ozone layer healthy longer. But, nothing will be done until we as humans start helping out. Works CitedBates, Albert K. Climate in Crisis: The greenhouse Effect and what we can do Tennessee: The Book Pub. Co. 1990. Erandson, Jon. Greenhouse Effect: Tomorrow's Disaster Today. Pennsylvania: Tab Books. 1990. Bassett, Tony. "A Crusade against those who see a greenhouse effect." The Toledo Blade: December 6, 1995.
Global Warming
Reptiles Enjoyed Warm Arctic
(Global Warming)
An article written by ABC News writer Kenneth Chang discusses the change in climate of the arctic from ninety million years ago. Seven hundred miles from the North Pole, lies an island called Axel Heiberg, a barren land that scientists have dug up fossil bones of a cold-blooded reptile known as a champsosaur.
How does this happen in an arctic, freezing land? How does a reptile that needs the warmth of the sun to survive, live in a frigid climate? Well, we know they lived on Axel Heiberg, so at one point in time the island was obviously somewhat tropical. It was probably something like Florida or Georgia currently is, except some ninety million years ago. Temperatures were likely to average almost sixty degrees Fahrenheit, with summer temperatures getting into the eighties and even nineties. The same cannot be said about the current Axel Heiberg climate. Nowadays, summer sees snowfall, and winter temperatures routinely hit minus sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
Granted, it's been millions of years, but what causes this kind of climate change? Gigantic lava flows could be the answer. In 1996, 30-foot-thick layers of rock were discovered on Axel Heiberg Island. These layers were caused by one single volcanic eruption. Similar eruptions in Iceland and Hawaii caused 3-foot layers. This is a very big difference in the lava flows. Similar flows have been discovered in the Caribbean, Pacific Ocean, South Africa, and even Southwest United States. These eruptions could distribute Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Magma rose from the earth's center, shooting "heat-trapping" Carbon Dioxide molecules into the air, which raises the temperatures. This is the same CO2 problem that is occurring right now in our world. We see this in the Greenhouse Effect, which eventually leads into Global Warming.
The Greenhouse Effect, which is defined as " the warming of an atmosphere by its absorbing and reemitting infrared radiation while allowing short-wave radiation to pass through. The gases that are responsible for the Earth's atmospheric Greenhouse Effect are Water Vapor and Carbon Dioxide." The same Carbon Dioxide that was being emitted millions of years ago from the volcanic eruptions. Carbon Dioxide is an infrared radiation absorber, which makes it such an important aspect of Global Warming.
This is one of the main reasons for the current Global Warming we are experiencing. The CO2 is steadily increasing in the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels. Deforestation is also adding to this increase in Carbon Dioxide, due to tropical rain forests being cut down, and being replaced by less effective CO2-removing plants. Numerical climate models predict that by the year 2100 the greenhouse gases will warm the surface air of the earth by two to six degrees Fahrenheit. Knowing this, one might realize how the island of Axel Heiberg was once part of tropic climate.
Don Brinkman, curator of vertebrae paleontology at the Royal Tyrell Museum, says that the average temperature of Axel Heiberg was at least fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. "This is giving a minimum estimate," says Bunkman, "It may have been warmer!" These estimates are being measured by the living needs of the organisms' bones that were discovered on the island in 1996. Depending on the organism, the temperature has to be at least a certain degrees for them to survive. Cold Blooded animals need warmth to survive, and these animals obviously survived.
This period, millions of years ago, was warm, but it couldn't have been that warm! If it were too warm, the Tropics would've been overheated. This would've killed off many species around the equator, but fossil records don't show any die-off during that period. This period seems to have lasted one to two million years before it ever cooled off again.
What is the problem with this "Global Warming?" There are several negative effects that coincide with Global Warming. First, annual average precipitation will be greater amongst most regions. At the same time, shifting winds might reduce rain, inducing difficult agricultural conditions. This is especially difficult since models predict that more precipitation will fall over higher latitudes during the winter. Also, more extreme precipitation events might occur, such as floods and droughts. Among other problems might be a rise in sea level due to the melting of glaciers, which would also expand the oceans as they warm up. In just one hundred years, the water could rise as much as twenty inches from its present level.
Not all of the effects of Global Warming are negative. Many scientists predict that the increase in carbon dioxide will act as a fertilizer for some plants, which will accelerate their growth. More plants will consume more CO2, which might even out the over-abundance of carbon dioxide in our environment.
The effect that this warming will have on the world is still not clear. Most models suggest that the lower atmosphere will warm, while the upper atmosphere will cool at the same rate. This cooling that we might see is brought on by the addition of CO2, which emits more infrared radiation to space than they receive in return.
Global Warming is without a doubt going on in our world today. What are the consequences? We are not totally sure. Is it a good thing? The negatives out-weigh the positives. One thing that is realized is that if this keeps up, the Island of Axel Neiberg might be a tropic climate like it once was millions of years ago!
(Global Warming)
An article written by ABC News writer Kenneth Chang discusses the change in climate of the arctic from ninety million years ago. Seven hundred miles from the North Pole, lies an island called Axel Heiberg, a barren land that scientists have dug up fossil bones of a cold-blooded reptile known as a champsosaur.
How does this happen in an arctic, freezing land? How does a reptile that needs the warmth of the sun to survive, live in a frigid climate? Well, we know they lived on Axel Heiberg, so at one point in time the island was obviously somewhat tropical. It was probably something like Florida or Georgia currently is, except some ninety million years ago. Temperatures were likely to average almost sixty degrees Fahrenheit, with summer temperatures getting into the eighties and even nineties. The same cannot be said about the current Axel Heiberg climate. Nowadays, summer sees snowfall, and winter temperatures routinely hit minus sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
Granted, it's been millions of years, but what causes this kind of climate change? Gigantic lava flows could be the answer. In 1996, 30-foot-thick layers of rock were discovered on Axel Heiberg Island. These layers were caused by one single volcanic eruption. Similar eruptions in Iceland and Hawaii caused 3-foot layers. This is a very big difference in the lava flows. Similar flows have been discovered in the Caribbean, Pacific Ocean, South Africa, and even Southwest United States. These eruptions could distribute Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Magma rose from the earth's center, shooting "heat-trapping" Carbon Dioxide molecules into the air, which raises the temperatures. This is the same CO2 problem that is occurring right now in our world. We see this in the Greenhouse Effect, which eventually leads into Global Warming.
The Greenhouse Effect, which is defined as " the warming of an atmosphere by its absorbing and reemitting infrared radiation while allowing short-wave radiation to pass through. The gases that are responsible for the Earth's atmospheric Greenhouse Effect are Water Vapor and Carbon Dioxide." The same Carbon Dioxide that was being emitted millions of years ago from the volcanic eruptions. Carbon Dioxide is an infrared radiation absorber, which makes it such an important aspect of Global Warming.
This is one of the main reasons for the current Global Warming we are experiencing. The CO2 is steadily increasing in the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels. Deforestation is also adding to this increase in Carbon Dioxide, due to tropical rain forests being cut down, and being replaced by less effective CO2-removing plants. Numerical climate models predict that by the year 2100 the greenhouse gases will warm the surface air of the earth by two to six degrees Fahrenheit. Knowing this, one might realize how the island of Axel Heiberg was once part of tropic climate.
Don Brinkman, curator of vertebrae paleontology at the Royal Tyrell Museum, says that the average temperature of Axel Heiberg was at least fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. "This is giving a minimum estimate," says Bunkman, "It may have been warmer!" These estimates are being measured by the living needs of the organisms' bones that were discovered on the island in 1996. Depending on the organism, the temperature has to be at least a certain degrees for them to survive. Cold Blooded animals need warmth to survive, and these animals obviously survived.
This period, millions of years ago, was warm, but it couldn't have been that warm! If it were too warm, the Tropics would've been overheated. This would've killed off many species around the equator, but fossil records don't show any die-off during that period. This period seems to have lasted one to two million years before it ever cooled off again.
What is the problem with this "Global Warming?" There are several negative effects that coincide with Global Warming. First, annual average precipitation will be greater amongst most regions. At the same time, shifting winds might reduce rain, inducing difficult agricultural conditions. This is especially difficult since models predict that more precipitation will fall over higher latitudes during the winter. Also, more extreme precipitation events might occur, such as floods and droughts. Among other problems might be a rise in sea level due to the melting of glaciers, which would also expand the oceans as they warm up. In just one hundred years, the water could rise as much as twenty inches from its present level.
Not all of the effects of Global Warming are negative. Many scientists predict that the increase in carbon dioxide will act as a fertilizer for some plants, which will accelerate their growth. More plants will consume more CO2, which might even out the over-abundance of carbon dioxide in our environment.
The effect that this warming will have on the world is still not clear. Most models suggest that the lower atmosphere will warm, while the upper atmosphere will cool at the same rate. This cooling that we might see is brought on by the addition of CO2, which emits more infrared radiation to space than they receive in return.
Global Warming is without a doubt going on in our world today. What are the consequences? We are not totally sure. Is it a good thing? The negatives out-weigh the positives. One thing that is realized is that if this keeps up, the Island of Axel Neiberg might be a tropic climate like it once was millions of years ago!
Environmental Affects Of Global Warming
Environmental effects of global warming
The greenhouse effect and global warming are issues that are talked about by geologists all the time. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps the earth at temperatures that are livable. Energy from the sun warms the earth when its heat rays are absorbed by greenhouse gasses and become trapped in the atmosphere. Some of the most common greenhouse gasses are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. If there were no greenhouse gasses, very few rays
would be absorbed and the earth would be extremely cold. When too many rays are absorbed, the
earth's atmosphere starts to warm, which leads to global warming. Global warming can lead to
many problems that affects the environment in which we live.
In order to talk about global warming, we must first learn what causes the greenhouse
effect. A lot of the rays from the sun are absorbed by water vapor that is naturally in our
atmosphere. Water vapor accounts for "80 percent of natural greenhouse warming. The
remaining 20 percent is due to other gasses that are present in very small amounts" (Murck,
Skinner and Porter 488). Carbon dioxide is also a big absorber of the sun's heat rays. Humans
can cause a lot of carbon dioxide to be released. Every time we burn fossil fuels, we release more
carbon dioxide. Emissions from cars also increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. If there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere more rays from the sun are
absorbed. This will cause the atmosphere and the earth's temperature to warm. The warming of
the earth will cause the oceans to become warmer. When they heat up, more water is evaporated,
causing more carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. Once this process starts, it is
extremely hard to control. If the temperature keeps rising, more carbon dioxide will be released.
Another greenhouse gas is methane: "Methane absorbs infrared radiation 25 times more
effectively than carbon dioxide, making it an important greenhouse gas despite its relatively low
concentration" (490). There have been many studies on how methane is released into the
atmosphere. Methane in the atmosphere is "generated by biological activity related to rice
cultivation, leaks in domestic and industrial gaslines, and the digestive process of domestic
livestock, especially cattle" (490).
An environmental effect of global warming is the fact that higher temperatures will lead to
a change in the water cycle. Some places may experience more rain. Warmer temperatures will
cause a greater amount of evaporation from lakes, rivers, and oceans. In some areas this could be
good, and in others it could be considered bad. In northern regions of the United States, an
increase in the temperature and amount of rain could actually extend the growing season of crops.
This would in turn mean more money for farmers in the northern region. It could also hurt some
farmers. Too much rain is bad for some crops. Certain areas will actually get less rain, which
would lead to more droughts and have a negative impact on crops. Warm and wet weather is
usually a factor that promotes tropical storms. Global warming would lead to tropical storms'
appearing with greater frequency. More rain will also force plant life to adjust. Forests and plant
life migrate naturally, but scientists say that global warming would cause them to migrate at a
much faster rate. If the climate changes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says,
"some forest species in North America will shift by as much as 300 miles to the north"
(www.pirg.org/enviro/global_w/fact.htm). If a region is getting more rain and plants on the
border of that region need rain to survive, they will naturally begin growing in the new region.
The Environmental Media Services Organization has found that the greenhouse effect
"could drive global temperatures up as much as 6 degrees by the year 2100 - an increase in heat
comparable to the 10 degree warming that ended the last ice age"
(www.ems.org/climate/sub2_html). If a ten degree warming was the factor that ended the ice
age, imagine what another warming by about that same amount could do. Scientists believe that a
warming of only 6 degrees would cause glaciers to melt at a high rate. This would cause an
increase in the level of the oceans. According to the article "Turning up the Heat: How Global
Warming Threatens Life in the Sea," coastal cities and islands would be in danger of flooding if
the ocean levels rose: "Only a 1-cm rise in sea level can erode a full 1 meter of beach" (Berntson
and Mathews-Amos www.worldwildelife.org/news/pups/wwf_ocean.htm). Sea ice would also be
susceptible to melting, which would raise the water level even more.
Global warming will not just make sea levels rise, it will also affect sea life. Corals "are
intolerant of temperatures just a few degrees warmer than usual" (ibid.). Small increases in the
temperature can kill corals. There have been problems with corals dying in the past few years
because of increased water temperatures. Other marine life may migrate northward or southward
because the waters are warmer. The warm water would make them think that they were in their
natural habitat, when they were actually migrating toward the poles. Food would be scarce in
their new habitat.
Patterns of the circulation of sea water are disturbed by global warming. Cold water
moves along the sea floor towards the equator and warm water around the equator moves toward
the poles across the surface of the ocean. It is known as thermohaline circulation. It is a very
important process concerning ocean life. This circulation process brings oxygenated water to the
sea floor. If this did not happen, "water along the sea floor would become depleted of the oxygen
organisms need to survive" (ibid.).
Fish, such as salmon, are also sensitive to the temperature of the water. During the
summer when the water is warm, salmon have a higher metabolic rate. During the winter months,
their metabolism slows down, which is good because less food is available. With global warming
and increased water temperatures, salmon would have a higher metabolic rate, even if it were
during the winter. Less food would be available for them and many salmon would die.
Another impact of global warming will be that some diseases are likely to be spread more
easily. Mosquitoes are a major carrier of tropical diseases. They are commonly known for
carrying malaria, cholera, and dengue fever. Malaria outbreaks are usually confined to "where the
minimum winter temperature reaches no lower than 16 [degrees Celsius]," according to the World
Wide Fund for Nature, an independent conservation organization
(www.panda.org/climate/climate_docs/health_factsheet/malria.htm). Scientists are beginning to
notice that malaria outbreaks are occurring outside these places. They are attributing this to
increased temperatures from global warming. Places such as California, Texas, Florida, Michigan,
and New York have had more cases of malaria. People from these states know that the summers
have been very hot and humid lately. Malaria mosquitoes thrive in hot and humid weather.
Increased temperatures and more rain in some areas will cause hot and humid weather, which will
allow for mosquitoes to migrate to new places and spread the disease. A study suggests that
"malaria transmission would increase from 45% of the globe to 60%, if atmospheric levels of
greenhouse gases reach concentrations equivalent to a doubling of CO2 since the industrial
revolution" (ibid.). Cholera and dengue fever are also carried by mosquitoes and thrive in warm
and moist climates. As with malaria, more cholera and dengue fever outbreaks would occur
because of migrating mosquitoes.
As stated earlier, the warming of the oceans will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere and will make global warming a problem of increasing severity. There are other
ways that this happens too. As the weather becomes warmer, more organic matter in the ground
will be decomposed. This causes carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere: "If average
temperatures would rise by .3 degrees C per decade, soils will release an amount of CO2 equal to
nearly 20 percent of the projected amount released by combustion of fossil fuels" (Murck, Skinner
and Porter 495 ). Gas hydrates will also decompose with warmer temperatures. Gas hydrates are
"icelike solids in which molecules of gas, mainly methane, are locked in the structure of water"
and are usually found in frozen soil or in ocean sediments (495). Scientists have found that "gas
hydrates worldwide hold a total of 10,000 billion metric tons of carbon, twice the amount
contained in all the known coal, gas, and oil reserves on the land" (495). When temperatures
increase, frozen soil will melt and release gas hydrates, and hydrates from ocean sediment will also
break down. Because of this, more methane and carbon will be released into the atmosphere,
making the greenhouse effect even stronger. This will damage our environment even more.
Global warming is becoming a major problem as we move to the 21st century and beyond.
When more greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane are released, they trap heat rays
and keep them in our atmosphere. This causes an increase in temperature. Increases in
temperature can do a lot of damage, even in small increases. Only a few degrees ended the ice
age thousands of years ago. Another warming like that can have huge environmental effects.
Changes in temperature will upset water cycles. Some areas will get more precipitation, some
will get less. A warming of a few degrees would cause glaciers and sea ice to melt. This would
lead to ocean levels rising and would damage coastal cities and islands. It would also cause a
disruption in different species living in the ocean and increase the levels of some disease,
especially ones carried by mosquitoes, which thrive in warm climates. In order to stop global
warming, much has to be done. Although it is very difficult to reverse once the process is started,
global warming has to be stopped if we want to live like we are now. Emission of fossil fuels by
humans is a big factor in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Controlling these
emissions is one of the first of many steps that we must take in order to combat global warming.
If it is not controlled, problems such as the aforementioned ones, along with others, will definitely
disrupt our living patterns.
Works Cited
Berntson, Ewann, "Turning up the Heat: How Global Warming Threatens Life in the Sea." World
Wildelife Fund and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. 20 Jan. 2000
.
"Fast Facts" 1999. Environmental Media Services. 20 Jan. 2000
.
"Malaria and Dengue Fever" World Wildlife Fund for Nature. 20 Jan. 2000
.
Murck, Barbara, Brian Skinner, and Stephen Porter. Environmental Geology. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996.
"Stop Global Warming." Mar. 1999. Public Interest Research Groups. 20 Jan. 2000
.
Tarbuck, Edward and Frederick Lutgens. Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
The greenhouse effect and global warming are issues that are talked about by geologists all the time. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps the earth at temperatures that are livable. Energy from the sun warms the earth when its heat rays are absorbed by greenhouse gasses and become trapped in the atmosphere. Some of the most common greenhouse gasses are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. If there were no greenhouse gasses, very few rays
would be absorbed and the earth would be extremely cold. When too many rays are absorbed, the
earth's atmosphere starts to warm, which leads to global warming. Global warming can lead to
many problems that affects the environment in which we live.
In order to talk about global warming, we must first learn what causes the greenhouse
effect. A lot of the rays from the sun are absorbed by water vapor that is naturally in our
atmosphere. Water vapor accounts for "80 percent of natural greenhouse warming. The
remaining 20 percent is due to other gasses that are present in very small amounts" (Murck,
Skinner and Porter 488). Carbon dioxide is also a big absorber of the sun's heat rays. Humans
can cause a lot of carbon dioxide to be released. Every time we burn fossil fuels, we release more
carbon dioxide. Emissions from cars also increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. If there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere more rays from the sun are
absorbed. This will cause the atmosphere and the earth's temperature to warm. The warming of
the earth will cause the oceans to become warmer. When they heat up, more water is evaporated,
causing more carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. Once this process starts, it is
extremely hard to control. If the temperature keeps rising, more carbon dioxide will be released.
Another greenhouse gas is methane: "Methane absorbs infrared radiation 25 times more
effectively than carbon dioxide, making it an important greenhouse gas despite its relatively low
concentration" (490). There have been many studies on how methane is released into the
atmosphere. Methane in the atmosphere is "generated by biological activity related to rice
cultivation, leaks in domestic and industrial gaslines, and the digestive process of domestic
livestock, especially cattle" (490).
An environmental effect of global warming is the fact that higher temperatures will lead to
a change in the water cycle. Some places may experience more rain. Warmer temperatures will
cause a greater amount of evaporation from lakes, rivers, and oceans. In some areas this could be
good, and in others it could be considered bad. In northern regions of the United States, an
increase in the temperature and amount of rain could actually extend the growing season of crops.
This would in turn mean more money for farmers in the northern region. It could also hurt some
farmers. Too much rain is bad for some crops. Certain areas will actually get less rain, which
would lead to more droughts and have a negative impact on crops. Warm and wet weather is
usually a factor that promotes tropical storms. Global warming would lead to tropical storms'
appearing with greater frequency. More rain will also force plant life to adjust. Forests and plant
life migrate naturally, but scientists say that global warming would cause them to migrate at a
much faster rate. If the climate changes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says,
"some forest species in North America will shift by as much as 300 miles to the north"
(www.pirg.org/enviro/global_w/fact.htm). If a region is getting more rain and plants on the
border of that region need rain to survive, they will naturally begin growing in the new region.
The Environmental Media Services Organization has found that the greenhouse effect
"could drive global temperatures up as much as 6 degrees by the year 2100 - an increase in heat
comparable to the 10 degree warming that ended the last ice age"
(www.ems.org/climate/sub2_html). If a ten degree warming was the factor that ended the ice
age, imagine what another warming by about that same amount could do. Scientists believe that a
warming of only 6 degrees would cause glaciers to melt at a high rate. This would cause an
increase in the level of the oceans. According to the article "Turning up the Heat: How Global
Warming Threatens Life in the Sea," coastal cities and islands would be in danger of flooding if
the ocean levels rose: "Only a 1-cm rise in sea level can erode a full 1 meter of beach" (Berntson
and Mathews-Amos www.worldwildelife.org/news/pups/wwf_ocean.htm). Sea ice would also be
susceptible to melting, which would raise the water level even more.
Global warming will not just make sea levels rise, it will also affect sea life. Corals "are
intolerant of temperatures just a few degrees warmer than usual" (ibid.). Small increases in the
temperature can kill corals. There have been problems with corals dying in the past few years
because of increased water temperatures. Other marine life may migrate northward or southward
because the waters are warmer. The warm water would make them think that they were in their
natural habitat, when they were actually migrating toward the poles. Food would be scarce in
their new habitat.
Patterns of the circulation of sea water are disturbed by global warming. Cold water
moves along the sea floor towards the equator and warm water around the equator moves toward
the poles across the surface of the ocean. It is known as thermohaline circulation. It is a very
important process concerning ocean life. This circulation process brings oxygenated water to the
sea floor. If this did not happen, "water along the sea floor would become depleted of the oxygen
organisms need to survive" (ibid.).
Fish, such as salmon, are also sensitive to the temperature of the water. During the
summer when the water is warm, salmon have a higher metabolic rate. During the winter months,
their metabolism slows down, which is good because less food is available. With global warming
and increased water temperatures, salmon would have a higher metabolic rate, even if it were
during the winter. Less food would be available for them and many salmon would die.
Another impact of global warming will be that some diseases are likely to be spread more
easily. Mosquitoes are a major carrier of tropical diseases. They are commonly known for
carrying malaria, cholera, and dengue fever. Malaria outbreaks are usually confined to "where the
minimum winter temperature reaches no lower than 16 [degrees Celsius]," according to the World
Wide Fund for Nature, an independent conservation organization
(www.panda.org/climate/climate_docs/health_factsheet/malria.htm). Scientists are beginning to
notice that malaria outbreaks are occurring outside these places. They are attributing this to
increased temperatures from global warming. Places such as California, Texas, Florida, Michigan,
and New York have had more cases of malaria. People from these states know that the summers
have been very hot and humid lately. Malaria mosquitoes thrive in hot and humid weather.
Increased temperatures and more rain in some areas will cause hot and humid weather, which will
allow for mosquitoes to migrate to new places and spread the disease. A study suggests that
"malaria transmission would increase from 45% of the globe to 60%, if atmospheric levels of
greenhouse gases reach concentrations equivalent to a doubling of CO2 since the industrial
revolution" (ibid.). Cholera and dengue fever are also carried by mosquitoes and thrive in warm
and moist climates. As with malaria, more cholera and dengue fever outbreaks would occur
because of migrating mosquitoes.
As stated earlier, the warming of the oceans will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere and will make global warming a problem of increasing severity. There are other
ways that this happens too. As the weather becomes warmer, more organic matter in the ground
will be decomposed. This causes carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere: "If average
temperatures would rise by .3 degrees C per decade, soils will release an amount of CO2 equal to
nearly 20 percent of the projected amount released by combustion of fossil fuels" (Murck, Skinner
and Porter 495 ). Gas hydrates will also decompose with warmer temperatures. Gas hydrates are
"icelike solids in which molecules of gas, mainly methane, are locked in the structure of water"
and are usually found in frozen soil or in ocean sediments (495). Scientists have found that "gas
hydrates worldwide hold a total of 10,000 billion metric tons of carbon, twice the amount
contained in all the known coal, gas, and oil reserves on the land" (495). When temperatures
increase, frozen soil will melt and release gas hydrates, and hydrates from ocean sediment will also
break down. Because of this, more methane and carbon will be released into the atmosphere,
making the greenhouse effect even stronger. This will damage our environment even more.
Global warming is becoming a major problem as we move to the 21st century and beyond.
When more greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane are released, they trap heat rays
and keep them in our atmosphere. This causes an increase in temperature. Increases in
temperature can do a lot of damage, even in small increases. Only a few degrees ended the ice
age thousands of years ago. Another warming like that can have huge environmental effects.
Changes in temperature will upset water cycles. Some areas will get more precipitation, some
will get less. A warming of a few degrees would cause glaciers and sea ice to melt. This would
lead to ocean levels rising and would damage coastal cities and islands. It would also cause a
disruption in different species living in the ocean and increase the levels of some disease,
especially ones carried by mosquitoes, which thrive in warm climates. In order to stop global
warming, much has to be done. Although it is very difficult to reverse once the process is started,
global warming has to be stopped if we want to live like we are now. Emission of fossil fuels by
humans is a big factor in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Controlling these
emissions is one of the first of many steps that we must take in order to combat global warming.
If it is not controlled, problems such as the aforementioned ones, along with others, will definitely
disrupt our living patterns.
Works Cited
Berntson, Ewann, "Turning up the Heat: How Global Warming Threatens Life in the Sea." World
Wildelife Fund and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. 20 Jan. 2000
.
"Fast Facts" 1999. Environmental Media Services. 20 Jan. 2000
.
"Malaria and Dengue Fever" World Wildlife Fund for Nature. 20 Jan. 2000
.
Murck, Barbara, Brian Skinner, and Stephen Porter. Environmental Geology. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996.
"Stop Global Warming." Mar. 1999. Public Interest Research Groups. 20 Jan. 2000
.
Tarbuck, Edward and Frederick Lutgens. Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
The Problems The United States Has With Other Countries On Global Warm
In my paper, I plan to explain why the United States and other nations cannot get along when it comes to environmental issues. I plan to break up the paper into three sections that contains what global warming is and how it effects the world, the United States problems and conflicts with other counties about this subject, and my own conclusion based on the information I have found.
Global warming is a serious issue in today's society. World powers such as the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia can usually see eye to eye with each other about global warming. Other countries, either less developed or more climate aware, do not agree with the countries that are more industrial, because they want strict regulations on air pollution that the more developed countries do not want. The more industrialized countries complain because they say that in order to keep the world going at a safe and orderly pace, they cannot have a change the lifestyle that we are used to today. Both sets of countries know that the amount of greenhouse gasses need to be lightened, but cannot come up with a viable solution.
In order to understand what the countries are talking about, one would have to know why the earth is warming and what exactly is causing it. Greenhouse gasses are what is causing the earth to retain more heat. Greenhouse gasses "that have increased over the industrial period are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20), and chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11." (2-453) The increase in these gases has caused global warming and it continues to rise today. Factory smoke stacks, car emissions, forests burning, and energy usage that burn fossil fuels produce the highest percentage of the gasses that harm the Earth and continue our warming trend. (5-1) For example, the United States, for the nine month period of January to November 2000, "had the warmest nine month period since records began in 1895." because we use the most fossil fuels and put out the most greenhouse gasses (6-1). This was all caused by the growing industrial age that we live in today.
Why do greenhouse gases produce global warming? "Infrared active gases (IR), principally water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ozone (O3), naturally present in the Earth's atmosphere, absorb thermal IR radiation emitted by the Earth's surface and atmosphere". (2-453) The greenhouse gasses stop the flow of infrared waves out of the Earth's atmosphere. When the atmosphere is warmed it emits IR radiation, with a portion of the energy acting to warm the surface and the Earth's atmosphere. As a result the average surface temperature of the Earth is higher than it would normally be without the atmospheric absorption and re-radiation of IR energy. This is known as the "Greenhouse effect". The predictions of the future of these greenhouse gasses being in our atmosphere is based on how much we put into the atmosphere and how much is consumed. One thing is for certain, there are still large controversies on how much of these gasses that are let into the atmosphere are by natural or man made processes. (2-453-454)
One of the only known things on Earth that consumes CO2 is plant life. The industrial nations cut down and consume more trees then they can reforest. Also, toxins and pollutants kill plant life in the oceans like algae. This is a major reason for the abundance of CO2. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere went "from about 280 PPM in the preindustrial age to about 364 PPM in 1997…" (2-454) The amount consumed is far less that the amount that is put into the atmosphere.
One of the major reasons that the rest of the world is unhappy with the United States is that we produce the most greenhouse gasses on the planet. The reason for this is our large amounts of factories and inadequate transportation. Chart one shows the amounts of greenhouse gasses as related to the other parts of the world in 1998.
Chart 1
The United States understands that they are making to many green house gasses but feel that they need to in order to survive. The United States is doing little to prevent global warming. It is not doing as much to prevent it as much as it is to prepare it for the inevitable. "In New Jersey… the state government has begun an aggressive program of buying out property owners whose homes or business are in vulnerable flood planes."(4-2) In New York City they are teaching public school children about global warming so that they may conserve energy and be environmentally conscious. (4-2) These are little, insignificannot
things that they doing to try to keep energy levels down, but they are failing miserably. If you ask the U.S. if their doing a good job in trying to reduce pollution they will tell you yes they are. They can teach kids in school about the dangers of wasting energy (seeing if there are even awake or paying attention), but they won't put higher standards on factory and car emissions.
In order to help reduce these gasses in the U.S. and around the world the United Nations have held conferences to try to establish an environmental treaty. There was a proposed treaty, which was called the Kyoto Protocol. (5-2) This treaty explained that certain countries were to cut "their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 to at least 5 percent below emissions in 1990. So far, no industrialized countries have ratified the pact." (5-2) There were to many provisions the United States could not uphold. They could not put their industrial revolution on hold, even if it was for the sake of the environment. No one can seem to agree on this treaty, so this conference ended with little progress.
Most countries could not agree on certain parts of the provisions of the treaty. Prime example, "The European Union and the United States remain far apart on key provisions, including the amount of credit a country can get by investing in climate- protection projects abroad and how much credit towards emissions cuts could be gained by using forests to absorb carbon dioxide." (5-2) Many environmental campaigners were mad because countries would only have to save forests to receive credit for emissions goals and not by lowering pollution made by cars and burning fossil fuels. The United States wanted to take credit for not cutting down as many trees, but failed to lower standards for factories. They told the UN that they were doing their part, when in fact they were doing very little. This would be a reason why they called another Conference of the Parties three years later. This conference was known as Cop 6. (5-2)
"Conference delegates have been meeting at the Netherlands Congress Center in The Hague for two weeks…in an effort to hammer out detailed rules for implementing a climate change treaty negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, three years ago." (3-1) There were still disagreements about what each region was to do about these greenhouse gasses. The main issue is "whether governments should focus on adapting to an inevitable future, or on efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and thus to try to change that future, if only in a marginal way." (4-2) The United States only wanted to prepare for the future, not prevent it. Everyone was hoping that the United States would see that their view was wrong and give into the majority of the worlds' view. If the United States gave in, other countries that backed them would follow suit.
Many other nations are very unhappy with the United States and the way they handle the environment. "The United States remains obsessed with the idea that it can use the dollar to buy itself out of trouble. U.S. plays dirty at the climate summit." said a commentary in South Africa's daily mail and guardian. (6-1) Also, French minister Dominique Voynet said, "United States proposals had been unacceptable but held out hope for the Kyoto process."(6-2) He also stated that he would hope that the United States knows that Houston, Texas is five times as worse as Paris, France in the global gas situation. (6-2) There were also comments that the reason why the committee's meeting, before Cop 6, ended was because of the United States. They said that the "U.S. insisted that grasslands and forests should count in carbon sequestration" and that was the major reason why talks ended. (6-1)
Scientists brought up many interesting facts for all sides to hear at this conference. They were particularly trying to reach the ears of the United States in order to reach a compromise with them. One of these facts was that these gasses will change the climate so severely that we will have droughts, heat waves, and severe thunder storms. (6-2) This is all due to the average temperature increases. This would also effect sea levels because of the polar caps melting. Coastal regions would be in danger because of a four-foot increase in one hundred years. (4-3) Another fact that was brought up was that the United States does not know the difference between "climate variability" and "climate change." The scientists said that change was man-made and that variability was nature taking its course. The United States had their scientist ready to back them up by saying that there was a gradual warming of the earth a thousand years ago, followed by five-hundred years of colder ages. So that seemed like it might be nature is taking its course just like it did before. (1-2)
The talks had ended though, with the agreement to meet again sometime next year. The opposing side could not come to an agreement with the United States and the other big countries. Countries like Saudi Arabia backed the U.S. because of the fact that they purchase so much oil and goods that keep their country going. Frank Loy, who is under the secretary of state for global affairs said, "The United States is not in the business of signing up to agreements it knows it cannot fulfill. We don't make promises we can't keep." (3-6) This assumes that the United States knows it cannot win this battle and someday will have to fold to the UN. This would be the reason why other countries do not like the way that we handle our environmental issues. We are stubborn and hard headed in our ways, even though we are destroying our Earth. The World Wildlife Fund stated about the United States that "Their insistence on exploiting almost every loophole in the Kyoto Protocol stalled the painfully slow progress of the last three years." (3-6) They said that we should have not walked away and stuck with negotiations.
The whole point is that the UN and the European Union is trying to make is that we burn to many fossil fuels and cannot keep greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. The only thing the UN wants is for the big, industrial countries, like the U.S., China, Japan, and Australia, to put more regulations on transportation and energy usage. The United States needs to conserve more energy and use better means of public transportation. We produce the highest amounts of greenhouse gasses and should take more of the blame for the damage we cause. The main reason why other nations have conflicts with the United States is we do not take any blame. We are big babies that take and do not give. We should do our part in conserving energy, using less fossil fuels, regulating standards for factory emissions, and use better public transportation or the world will keep diminishing slowly.
Works Cited
1. Horner, Chris. "Scientists Continue To Assail Climate Treaty." http://www.globalwarming.org/cop6horner.htm
2. Fellows, Hall, Killeen, Ledley, Schwartz, Sundquist. "Climate Change and Greenhouse Gasses" Vol. 80, No. 39. 28 September 1999 p. 453- 475 http://www.agu.org/eos_elec?99148e.html
3. Fuller, Jim. "Ministers Unable to Reach Agreement at Climate Change Conference" 25 November 2000. Http://globalchange.gov/news/hague_conference_2000_11_25.html
4. Johnson, Kirk. "Global Warming Moves From Impassioned Words to Modest Deeds." New York Times 19 November 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/19/science/19CLIM.html
5. Revkin, Andrew C. "Effort to Cut Warming Lacks Time and Unity." New York Times 24 November 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/24/science/24CLIM.html
6. Zengerle, Patricia. "World Powers Trade Charges on Climate Talks' Failure" 26 November 2000 http://dialynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001126/ts/environment_climate_dc_28.html
Global warming is a serious issue in today's society. World powers such as the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia can usually see eye to eye with each other about global warming. Other countries, either less developed or more climate aware, do not agree with the countries that are more industrial, because they want strict regulations on air pollution that the more developed countries do not want. The more industrialized countries complain because they say that in order to keep the world going at a safe and orderly pace, they cannot have a change the lifestyle that we are used to today. Both sets of countries know that the amount of greenhouse gasses need to be lightened, but cannot come up with a viable solution.
In order to understand what the countries are talking about, one would have to know why the earth is warming and what exactly is causing it. Greenhouse gasses are what is causing the earth to retain more heat. Greenhouse gasses "that have increased over the industrial period are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20), and chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11." (2-453) The increase in these gases has caused global warming and it continues to rise today. Factory smoke stacks, car emissions, forests burning, and energy usage that burn fossil fuels produce the highest percentage of the gasses that harm the Earth and continue our warming trend. (5-1) For example, the United States, for the nine month period of January to November 2000, "had the warmest nine month period since records began in 1895." because we use the most fossil fuels and put out the most greenhouse gasses (6-1). This was all caused by the growing industrial age that we live in today.
Why do greenhouse gases produce global warming? "Infrared active gases (IR), principally water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ozone (O3), naturally present in the Earth's atmosphere, absorb thermal IR radiation emitted by the Earth's surface and atmosphere". (2-453) The greenhouse gasses stop the flow of infrared waves out of the Earth's atmosphere. When the atmosphere is warmed it emits IR radiation, with a portion of the energy acting to warm the surface and the Earth's atmosphere. As a result the average surface temperature of the Earth is higher than it would normally be without the atmospheric absorption and re-radiation of IR energy. This is known as the "Greenhouse effect". The predictions of the future of these greenhouse gasses being in our atmosphere is based on how much we put into the atmosphere and how much is consumed. One thing is for certain, there are still large controversies on how much of these gasses that are let into the atmosphere are by natural or man made processes. (2-453-454)
One of the only known things on Earth that consumes CO2 is plant life. The industrial nations cut down and consume more trees then they can reforest. Also, toxins and pollutants kill plant life in the oceans like algae. This is a major reason for the abundance of CO2. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere went "from about 280 PPM in the preindustrial age to about 364 PPM in 1997…" (2-454) The amount consumed is far less that the amount that is put into the atmosphere.
One of the major reasons that the rest of the world is unhappy with the United States is that we produce the most greenhouse gasses on the planet. The reason for this is our large amounts of factories and inadequate transportation. Chart one shows the amounts of greenhouse gasses as related to the other parts of the world in 1998.
Chart 1
The United States understands that they are making to many green house gasses but feel that they need to in order to survive. The United States is doing little to prevent global warming. It is not doing as much to prevent it as much as it is to prepare it for the inevitable. "In New Jersey… the state government has begun an aggressive program of buying out property owners whose homes or business are in vulnerable flood planes."(4-2) In New York City they are teaching public school children about global warming so that they may conserve energy and be environmentally conscious. (4-2) These are little, insignificannot
things that they doing to try to keep energy levels down, but they are failing miserably. If you ask the U.S. if their doing a good job in trying to reduce pollution they will tell you yes they are. They can teach kids in school about the dangers of wasting energy (seeing if there are even awake or paying attention), but they won't put higher standards on factory and car emissions.
In order to help reduce these gasses in the U.S. and around the world the United Nations have held conferences to try to establish an environmental treaty. There was a proposed treaty, which was called the Kyoto Protocol. (5-2) This treaty explained that certain countries were to cut "their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 to at least 5 percent below emissions in 1990. So far, no industrialized countries have ratified the pact." (5-2) There were to many provisions the United States could not uphold. They could not put their industrial revolution on hold, even if it was for the sake of the environment. No one can seem to agree on this treaty, so this conference ended with little progress.
Most countries could not agree on certain parts of the provisions of the treaty. Prime example, "The European Union and the United States remain far apart on key provisions, including the amount of credit a country can get by investing in climate- protection projects abroad and how much credit towards emissions cuts could be gained by using forests to absorb carbon dioxide." (5-2) Many environmental campaigners were mad because countries would only have to save forests to receive credit for emissions goals and not by lowering pollution made by cars and burning fossil fuels. The United States wanted to take credit for not cutting down as many trees, but failed to lower standards for factories. They told the UN that they were doing their part, when in fact they were doing very little. This would be a reason why they called another Conference of the Parties three years later. This conference was known as Cop 6. (5-2)
"Conference delegates have been meeting at the Netherlands Congress Center in The Hague for two weeks…in an effort to hammer out detailed rules for implementing a climate change treaty negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, three years ago." (3-1) There were still disagreements about what each region was to do about these greenhouse gasses. The main issue is "whether governments should focus on adapting to an inevitable future, or on efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and thus to try to change that future, if only in a marginal way." (4-2) The United States only wanted to prepare for the future, not prevent it. Everyone was hoping that the United States would see that their view was wrong and give into the majority of the worlds' view. If the United States gave in, other countries that backed them would follow suit.
Many other nations are very unhappy with the United States and the way they handle the environment. "The United States remains obsessed with the idea that it can use the dollar to buy itself out of trouble. U.S. plays dirty at the climate summit." said a commentary in South Africa's daily mail and guardian. (6-1) Also, French minister Dominique Voynet said, "United States proposals had been unacceptable but held out hope for the Kyoto process."(6-2) He also stated that he would hope that the United States knows that Houston, Texas is five times as worse as Paris, France in the global gas situation. (6-2) There were also comments that the reason why the committee's meeting, before Cop 6, ended was because of the United States. They said that the "U.S. insisted that grasslands and forests should count in carbon sequestration" and that was the major reason why talks ended. (6-1)
Scientists brought up many interesting facts for all sides to hear at this conference. They were particularly trying to reach the ears of the United States in order to reach a compromise with them. One of these facts was that these gasses will change the climate so severely that we will have droughts, heat waves, and severe thunder storms. (6-2) This is all due to the average temperature increases. This would also effect sea levels because of the polar caps melting. Coastal regions would be in danger because of a four-foot increase in one hundred years. (4-3) Another fact that was brought up was that the United States does not know the difference between "climate variability" and "climate change." The scientists said that change was man-made and that variability was nature taking its course. The United States had their scientist ready to back them up by saying that there was a gradual warming of the earth a thousand years ago, followed by five-hundred years of colder ages. So that seemed like it might be nature is taking its course just like it did before. (1-2)
The talks had ended though, with the agreement to meet again sometime next year. The opposing side could not come to an agreement with the United States and the other big countries. Countries like Saudi Arabia backed the U.S. because of the fact that they purchase so much oil and goods that keep their country going. Frank Loy, who is under the secretary of state for global affairs said, "The United States is not in the business of signing up to agreements it knows it cannot fulfill. We don't make promises we can't keep." (3-6) This assumes that the United States knows it cannot win this battle and someday will have to fold to the UN. This would be the reason why other countries do not like the way that we handle our environmental issues. We are stubborn and hard headed in our ways, even though we are destroying our Earth. The World Wildlife Fund stated about the United States that "Their insistence on exploiting almost every loophole in the Kyoto Protocol stalled the painfully slow progress of the last three years." (3-6) They said that we should have not walked away and stuck with negotiations.
The whole point is that the UN and the European Union is trying to make is that we burn to many fossil fuels and cannot keep greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. The only thing the UN wants is for the big, industrial countries, like the U.S., China, Japan, and Australia, to put more regulations on transportation and energy usage. The United States needs to conserve more energy and use better means of public transportation. We produce the highest amounts of greenhouse gasses and should take more of the blame for the damage we cause. The main reason why other nations have conflicts with the United States is we do not take any blame. We are big babies that take and do not give. We should do our part in conserving energy, using less fossil fuels, regulating standards for factory emissions, and use better public transportation or the world will keep diminishing slowly.
Works Cited
1. Horner, Chris. "Scientists Continue To Assail Climate Treaty." http://www.globalwarming.org/cop6horner.htm
2. Fellows, Hall, Killeen, Ledley, Schwartz, Sundquist. "Climate Change and Greenhouse Gasses" Vol. 80, No. 39. 28 September 1999 p. 453- 475 http://www.agu.org/eos_elec?99148e.html
3. Fuller, Jim. "Ministers Unable to Reach Agreement at Climate Change Conference" 25 November 2000. Http://globalchange.gov/news/hague_conference_2000_11_25.html
4. Johnson, Kirk. "Global Warming Moves From Impassioned Words to Modest Deeds." New York Times 19 November 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/19/science/19CLIM.html
5. Revkin, Andrew C. "Effort to Cut Warming Lacks Time and Unity." New York Times 24 November 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/24/science/24CLIM.html
6. Zengerle, Patricia. "World Powers Trade Charges on Climate Talks' Failure" 26 November 2000 http://dialynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001126/ts/environment_climate_dc_28.html
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Global Warming
Global Warming
Global Warming or Climate Change is quantifiable boost in the average temperature of Earth’s oceans, landmasses, and atmosphere. Scientists consider Earth is presently facing an era of rapid warming brought on by increasing levels of heat-trapping gases, known as greenhouse gases, in the ambiance. Greenhouse gases keep the radiant energy (heat) supply to Earth by the Sun in a procedure known as the greenhouse effect (Silver, 2008). Greenhouse gases appear naturally, and without them the earth would be too cold to continue life as we know it. Since the starting of the Industrial Revolution in the mid year 1700, though, human being actions have added increasingly of these gases into the atmosphere. For instance, levels of carbon dioxide, an influential greenhouse gas, have increasing by thirty-five percent since year 1750, largely from the burning of fossil fuel such as oil, coal, and natural gas. With extra greenhouse gases in the merge, the ambiance acts like a congealing blanket and ensnare more heat. (Silver, 2008)
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Planet Earth has warmed and cooled lots of times since its formation approximately 4.6 billion years ago. Global climate changes were owing to lots of factors, comprising massive volcanic emissions, which boost carbon dioxide in the ambiance; changes in the strength of energy released by the Sun; and changing in Earth’s position relation to the Sun, both in its orbit and in the leaning of its rotate axis. Changing in Earth’s position, recognized as Milankovitch cycles, unite to produce cyclical variations in the global temperature. These cycles are supposed to be accountable for the repeated move forward and move away of glaciers and ice layers throughout the Pleistocene Era, when planet Earth went from side to side rather usual cycles of colder “glacial” era and heater “interglacial” era. Glacial era occurred at approximately 100,000-year gaps. (Archer, 2006)
An interglacial era began approximately 10,000 years ago, when the last glacial period came to an end. Earlier to that glacial period, an interglacial period happened approximately 125,000 years ago (Silver, 2008). Throughout interglacial periods, greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide naturally boost in the ambiance from boosted animal and plant life. But since year 1750 greenhouse gases have boosted radically to levels not observed in hundreds of thousands of years, owing to the quick growth of the human being population joint with growth in agriculture and technology. Human being actions now are a powerful issue effecting Earth’s vigorous temperature. (Silver, 2008)
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The ice of the Polar area provides clues to the structure of planet Earth’s early atmosphere. Ice cores that scientists have bored from the ice layers of Antarctica and Greenland provide natural records of both atmospheric and temperature greenhouse gases leaving back hundreds of thousands of years. Sheets in these ice cores shaped by regular snowfall patterns let scientists to decide the glacial period in each core. By calculating small air bubbles trapped in the ice and properties of the ice itself, scientists can approximation the temperature and quantity of greenhouse gases in planet Earth’s earlier period atmosphere at the time every sheet shaped. Stand on this data, scientists identify that greenhouse gases have now raised to higher levels than at any period in the last 650,000 years.(David, 2007)
Greenhouse gases are increasing and hotness are following. Before the late year 1800, the normal surface hotness of planet Earth was approximately 15°C (59°F). More than the past hundreds years, the normal surface temperature has increased by about 0.7°C (1.3°F) with largely of the boost occurring since the year 1970. Scientists have connected even this quantity of temperate to various changes taking place round the globe, comprising melting polar ice and mountain glaciers, rising sea level, additional strong and longer droughts, additional strong storms, additional numerous heat waves, and changes in the life cycles of lots of animals and plants. (Archer, 2006)Temperate has been largely dramatic in the Arctic, where warmth have increased roughly twice as much as the worldwide average.
Global Warming Causes
Planet Earth absorbs largely of the heat spread out by the sun and reproduces back the remaining part. Greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, ozone and water vapor trap the reflected warmth (Silver, 2008). Therefore prohibited from escaping, the reflected warmth insert to the heat of surface air. An irresistible majority of our scientific society agrees that human being activities have an important influence on global warming. Fossil-fuel-burning, vehicles Factories emitting smoke and even the burning of firewood direct to boosts releases of carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide gas is one of the “greenhouse” gases that catch the warmth from the sun. The heater air direct to boost water desertion, and water vapor is one more greenhouse gas that catch the heat. Another human being activity that direct to global warming is the cut downing of trees for firewood and timber. (David, 2007)
Global Warming Effects
Warmer air warmth causes glaciers to melt, with the resulting water running into the oceans. This directs to increase in sea levels that can go under water populated areas, including entire countries such as the Maldives (Stow, 2007). Global warming directs to alter in temperature. Climate alters decrease agricultural yields and boosts the strength of severe weather measures such as cyclones and flooding. Tree cut downing has its own influence. Except every tree felling is replaced by planting one or more trees in its area, once wooded areas become deserts. Trees absorb carbon dioxide gas in the ambiance. Smaller numbers of trees mean higher absorption of carbon dioxide gas. Alters in weather, rainfall levels and land use patterns can direct to extermination of species, and boosts in the occurrence of mosquito-borne and other types of illness. Global warming results are therefore different and extremely troublemaking to human being survival. (Houghton, 2009)
Reducing Global Warming
Global warming costs are therefore is too grave to be unnoticed. Corrective action is making difficult by the truth that some human being scientists differ with the consensus. According to a number of, the cyclical weather patterns are nothing new. The planet earth has gone from side to side such cycles and endured several glacial periods. Planet earth may have survived, but not planet earth inhabitant such as dinosaurs. (Houghton, 2009)
Regardless of the argument, governments are taking steps to defend the atmosphere. An effort is being made to decrease greenhouse gas releases, and to penalize the releases. In numerous countries, the law necessitate that each felled tree have to be replaced by planting two new seeding. At an individual level, we too can contribute (Silver, 2008). For instance, we can:
· Burn fewer fossil fuel by going in for fuel-competent small cars, or even improved, using community transport
· Decrease energy expenditure by switching off electrical devices while not wanted
· Utilize energy-competent light bulbs and heating devices
· Reduce the utilize of wood-based yields such as paper, and fossil-based yields such as plastic
· Recycle plastic and paper products
Lastly the general agreement is that human being activity such as tree-felling and fossil-fuel burning, other practices direct to global warming. Global warming has numerous trouble making effects as sketch above. In calculation to governments, we as persons can do much to decrease global warming.
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References
David, Laurie. (2007). Down-to-Earth Guide To Global Warming. New York: Orchard Books.
Archer, David. (2006). Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
Houghton, John. (2009). Global Warming: The Complete Briefing. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Silver, Jerry. (2008). Global Warming and Climate Change Demystified. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2008.
Stow, Dorrik. (2007). “Climate control: ocean and atmosphere are intricately linked. Dorrik Stow explores some of the facts, effects and challenges of global warming”. London: Thomson Gale.
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