Global Warming, a Manmade Problem

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Global Warming, a Manmade Problem? Global warming, by definition, is the increase in the ocean and near-surface temperatures. Over the past few decades, there have been debates regarding whether global warming is real, whether it can be reversed, and how it is caused. Through research, scientists have discovered that global warming is, in fact, a real issue that is caused by increases in greenhouse gases (David). Now that global warming has been studied further, there is still debate over whether the increase in the greenhouse gases are caused by natural sources, such as volcanoes and forest fires, or if it is caused by man-made practices such as emissions from driving automobiles (David). The controversy first gained national attention in 2005 when former vice president Al Gore released the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Gore’s documentary is a compilation of scientific research, theories, and facts. All of which serve to prove that human activity as the main culprit of global warming. Although the issue did not start to gain national attention until the early 2000s, scientists have been studying atmospheric gases and the effect that human consumption of fossil fuels has on the atmosphere and climate since the early nineteenth century (Rich). The overwhelming consensus among scientists today is that the climate is changing drastically and humans are causing it through specific, preventable actions (Rich). Global warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases, which, under normal conditions, it (the greenhouse effect) is what makes life sustainable by keeping the earth within a constant range of temperatures (Gore). About 30 percent of the light and the heat of the sun is reflected back into space, either by clouds, or by the earth’s surface (especially ice, which is particularly reflective.) About 20 percent of the light and heat from the sun is
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