Global warming

What is global warming?
Global warming is the increase of average temperature on Earth. The greenhouse effect is when greenhouse gases cause heat to be trapped near the surface of the Earth. Greenhouse gases are gases that hold heat in near the Earth. This heats up the Earth and causes more water vapor to form in the air. Since there is more water vapor, a greenhouse gas, the cyclecontinues with more heating and more water vapor.

What are some causes of global warming?
Humans have increased the contribution of greenhouse gases by a lot. Solar variations including variations in its orbit around the sun have increased the Earth’s temperature.The Sun may have contributed about 45–50% of the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface from 1900 to 2000. Changesin volcanic activity may also have had a warming effect up to the 1950s but now has more of a cooling effect.

How do we produce global warming?
Cars, airplanes and trains release carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. Thirty percent of greenhouse gases come from transportation vehicles. Cement making releases carbon from carbonate rocks. Carbonate rocks lock up carbon dioxide, keeping itfrom contributing to the greenhouse effect. Cement making and fossil fuel burning combined added more than six billion tons of carbon to the atmosphere every year. Cutting trees for housing development can release carbon slowly into the atmosphere. Methane is another greenhouse gas that comes from once living things that decay such as garbage. As garbage decays in landfills it releasesmethane.Methane is more effective that carbon dioxide at absorbing heat, making it a potentially more dangerous greenhouse gas. Nitrous oxide is another greenhouse gas that is added to the atmosphere by use as a soil fertilizer. Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs destroy the ozone layer which shields the surface of the Earth from ultraviolet rays.

How can we reduce global warming?
The Kyoto Protocol set up asystem where countries have to pay for emissions beyond what they are allowed. Carbon offset schemes are when you pay for energy saving products somewhere else so that the carbon you are causing to be released into the atmosphere is balanced by someone else not releasing carbon. We can use alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Nuclear power is not renewable and thebyproduct of it is nuclear waste which is radioactive and so this is not a good source of energy at this time. People can use their cars less. Instead they can walk, ride a bike or take public transportation. The government should offer more public transportation so that people will be more likely to take it instead of their cars. The government should have stricter standards on car mileage. Ifpeople must use their cars they should carpool whenever possible. On a personal level people can choose to recycle, compost food waste, use renewable energy, save water, buy local food, turn off lights or use low energy bulbs, insulate their homes, use cars less, take vacations near home to avoid airplanes, grow your own food, replace windows, use saving appliances and plant more trees.

What arethe effects of global warming?
• The greenhouse effect is when carbon dioxide and water vapor trap heat from the sun then the particles comes down from the atmosphere and release it.
• Artic regions will melt.
• The polar ice mass is getting smaller by a percent every decade.
• The Albedo effect happens when ice is melted and the Earth has less reflectivity
• Winters havebeen getting shorter
• Small islands will be covered by the rising sea.
• People die from heat waves.
• There will be less food for developing countries.
• There will be more risk of contracting disease.
• There will be less available ground for farming or developing and larger oceans.
• Coral reefs are dying.
• Cold area wildlife will begin dying out.
•...