Global Warming Essay -- Environmental Climate Change, Greenhouse Gase

Global Warming Global warming is the progressive gradual rise of the earth's surface temperature thought to be caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect and responsible for changes in global climate patterns. The greenhouse effect is a term used to describe the roles of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases in keeping the Earth's surface warmer than it would be otherwise. These "radiatively active" gases are relatively transparent to incoming shortwave radiation, but are relatively opaque to outgoing longwave radiation. The latter radiation, which would otherwise escape to space, is trapped by these gases within the lower levels of the atmosphere. The subsequent reradiation of some of the energy back to the surface maintains surface temperatures higher than they would be if the gases were absent. There is concern that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, (the carbon dioxide emissions are primarily caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy) methane, and manmade chlorofluorocarbons, may enhance the greenhouse effect (this is called the enhanced greenhouse effect) and cause global warming. There are several important factors that have caused the increase in greenhouse gases over the past 200 years. Fossil fuels - coal, oil and natural gas - contain carbon. When they are burnt as a source of energy, they release carb on dioxide. The global demand for energy, primarily from fossil fuels, has grown to an average annual rate of approximately two per cent for almost two centuries - although the demand for energy varies considerably over time and among different regions. The burning of fossil fuels on a global scale produces around 20 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. About half of these emissions are absorbed by oceans and plants. The rest stays in the atmosphere. Deforestation also contributes to increases in carbon dioxide, although on a much smaller scale, through the burning and decaying of vegetation. The reduction in vegetation also means that there are fewer plants to absorb the gas. Methane has various sources including herbivorous animals such as sheep and cattle that release it as a byproduct of digestion, rice paddies, land fills and forest fires. It can also enter the atmosphere from natural gas fields and coal mines. There are various sources of nitrous oxide including the use of fertili... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We as a world community need to seriously do something drastic to slow down the process of global warming, otherwise we may find ourselves in a situation where we can't turn back the hands of time and we're suffering because of Global warming. We need to make sure that future generations can live a happy and uncomplicated life; they shouldn't have to suffer from the impacts of Global warming that we (the current generation) have mostly caused. BIBLIOGRAPHY: - Macmillan Senior Geography 1 textbook. â€Å"Bush Administration Launches Historic Federal Climate Change Initiatives†. US Climate Change Science Program. (Accessed 23 Nov 2006) . â€Å"Executive Summary – Climate Change†. The White House. (Accessed 23 Nov 2006) http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/climatechange.html>. â€Å"The Kyoto Protocol†. Matthews, J. EGEE 101 Lesson 10 Online Course Content. (Accessed 23 Nov 2006). . â€Å"Overview: The Need for the Best Available Science to Address Global Climate Change Issues†. 24 July 2003. http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/stratplan2003/vision/overview.htm>.