“The increase in the mean temperature of the earth due to excessive emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen.” ( Green) These extra gases are making it hard for heat to escape the Earth’s atmosphere resulting in warmer temperatures. Here is a model of the Greenhouse Effect retrieved from http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html. Ethical Issues on Global Warming There are many causes of Global Warming to include Carbon Dioxide from power plants, cars, airplanes, and from buildings. “In 2002 about 40% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation.”(Ayres) 93% of electricity generations is produced by coal. 33% of the carbon dioxide comes from vehicles.
First we must look at the greenhouse effect. As our text states the greenhouse effect are gases that are naturally found in our atmosphere. These gases trap heat as it escapes from the Earth’s surface. Greenhouse gases let sunlight in, which is good, but they prevent heat from escaping. This in turn naturally causes warmer temperatures.
The cycles alter the quantity of seasonal solar radiation reaching each latitude and astronomical accuracy can be used to estimate these cycles. Therefore, the location of incoming radiation referring to where the continents are situated is crucial. There has been a gradual growth in the energy output of the Sun in the industrial era, resulting in a small positive radiative forcing (Figure 2.2). Solar output has a direct impact on the heat in the Earth and on the abundance of some GHGs (e.g. stratospheric ozone).
Global warming can effect numerous aspects of the environment including water resources, coastal resources, agriculture, forests, and energy consumption. The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earth’s surface. As this energy passes through the atmosphere, a certain percentage gets scattered. Some part of this energy is reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actually remains behind to heat the earth.
Currently around 1 billion of vehicles are in circulation in the world and are emitting carbon dioxide. Naturally the normal percentage of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is 0.035%. Nowadays, with all the vehicles that are increasing on our roads, the level of carbon dioxide is rising rapidly. Since the past 200 years, the level of carbon dioxide has increased up to 35%. This gas is the principle contributor to global warming.
Global warming is found to be caused by the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect has been described, by the US Vice President Al Gore, as the potentially most dangerous environmental problem facing mankind, with consequences second only to nuclear war (CS, What is the Greenhouse Effect?). The Green house effect is the process in which gases build up thermal energy in the atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation (NS, p625). This process is naturally occurring, it has kept the earth warm enough for the humans to keep living. The earth is about 60% warmer than it would be without the greenhouse effect.
The Greenhouse effect is a natural phenomena occurring on planet Earth. There are natural as well as human-made causes of the greenhouse effect. The natural causes of the Green house effect are the emissions of gases like nitrous oxide, carbon-di-oxide, methane, ozone and water vapour. The life on Earth depends entirely on the Sun. The energy for life is supplied by the Sun.
Global warming is the change in climate due to the greenhouse effect. The sun may be the source of heat to our planet, but if it wasn’t for the greenhouse effect our planet would have an average temperature of 1 degree Fahrenheit, which is not warm enough for some life (National Geographic, 2007). When the heat from the sun comes through the atmosphere a majority of the heat is absorbed in the surface of the earth. The heat that is not absorbed reflects off the earth’s surface and is then sent towards our atmosphere in the form of infrared radiation. Our atmosphere stores gases, known as greenhouse gases, like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane gas, fluorinated gases, and nitrous oxide.
Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and other industrial processes, leading to a build-up of greenhouse gasses. Generally, the atmosphere contains mainly nitrogen and oxygen with trace amounts of water vapour. Now, due to excessive release of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides from fossil fuels, methane from organic waste materials and other gases begin to be part of the atmosphere. The heat capacity of the atmosphere increases as the amount of the emission increases. The ultraviolet ray from the sun normally bounces back into space but now it is absorbed by these gases through radiation.
Some of the radiation are absorbed, reflected or scattered, while the rest reaches the surface and warms the land and the oceans. Because the earth’s surface is cooler than the sun, the earth emits long-wave, largely infra red, terrestrial radiation back to the atmosphere where much is absorbed by greenhouse gases since these gases are more efficient in trapping long wave radiation. Some of the greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chloro-fluoro carbons and ozone. When these gases in the atmosphere absorb terrestrial radiation, they warm, but eventually they radiate this energy away. Some of this long wave terrestrial radiation travels upward, where it may be reabsorbed by other gas molecules.