June Avant English 101 November 22, 2010 Global Warming Controversy Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere which causes climatic changes. Global warming leads to changes in rainfall patterns, sea level, negative impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. Al Gore and Daniel Botkin both have great points about global warming. Botkin has a scientific perspective about global warming; however, Gore’s position is better. Al Gore uses facts and evidence to support his views about global warming.
Whether you drive your car to work, turn on your light to illuminate a dark room or just watching television, you are burning using up energy that is being processed at a coal plant. Now that you know the enemy, let me inform you of its damage. Over the years, it’s been recorded that global warming has warmed up the entire planet causing water levels to rise; this may lead to devastating floods in costal cities all across the world. If that isn’t bad enough, we’re causing man made diseases with all the pollutants in the air. One such disease would be asthma, which takes the lives of 250,000 worldwide every year.
These industrial activities have raised atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide which contribute to greenhouse gases. The extra amount of these gases mean there is a thicker layer, meaning the gases absorb outgoing long-wave radiation which traps in too much heat. Increasing amounts of CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapour and ozone all contribute to this. The main cause in this rise is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and petrol. Since the industrial revolution the levels of atmospheric CO₂ have increased from 280 parts per million to 380ppm for the past 10,000.
Acid rain releases aluminium from the soils into the water, an element which is highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms. Sulfur dioxide itself is a pungent gas which causes breathing difficulties at low concentrations. Nitrogen dioxide can cause respiratory difficulties and damages organ tissue. Under the influence of sunlight, it produces ozone, photochemical smog. Carbon dioxide is an significant contributor to the enhanced greenhouse effect.
West Virginia Chemical Spill Effecting Our Environment Industrialization has greatly impacted our Earth. In the article Federal Grand Jury Investigates West Virginia Chemical Spill, the authors, Drew Griffin and David Fitzpatrick, emphasize the damage the chemical spill did to our planet. Many people were left with no water to use and the environment was greatly damaged by the spill. Chemical plants allow our society to develop some service such as water, electricity or disposal services. Conversely, Chemical plants can contaminate the pure water or create harmful diseases to humans and the Earth.
Large amounts of methane and other poisonous gases released into the air from the gas wells contribute to heavy air pollution and global warming. Fracking has been linked to movement of radioactive materials and heavy metals from the underground layers of the earth to the surface through flow-back
Global Warming By Amanda Lardino Sci 275 What are the main causes of global warming? Is there things we can do to prevent it? Those are two of the main questions that have come to mind about the way to focus our thoughts on what can be done to decrease this issue in the world today. One of the major atmospheric issues that has been destroying the environment for years is global warming. I have read that in the present compared to the past global warming has increased tremendously.
“Their influence is known as the greenhouse gases, which are carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapor”(“American Meteorological Society 2007”). These gases mixes with the sun ultraviolet rays, disburse into the earth atmosphere with harmful results. Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is one way the human activities effects the environment. Carbon dioxide from the exhaust of cars in heavily polluted cities, farming machinery such as tractors, and smokestacks of refinery companies are just some of the ways carbon dioxide gases are release into the atmosphere by human contributors. The nitrous oxide gases affect the aquatic ecosystem food web chains, which leads from the smallest phytoplankton up to the largest mammal, which is man.
Our irresponsible behavior is also obvious when it comes to oil consumption. There are so many of us that are using inefficient transportation vehicles that create increasingly growing demand for oil. Our taste for big and low fuel efficient cars had proven itself to be very expensive one. The cars produced by Ford, GM and Chrysler are famous for being huge, powerful but very environment unfriendly. The problem became serious one when a huge number of Californians decided to purchase those vehicles and began carelessly driving around the state without the worry how they will affect the environment or the demand for oil.
Global Warming!! Global Warming is the increase of the average temperature on Earth. As the Earth is getting hotter, disasters like hurricanes, droughts and floods are getting more frequent. Global warming is very heart breaking and is becoming a serious problem in a negative way. It needs to come to the end and the only ones that can stop this epidemic is “us”.