Global Warming: a Social Issue

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Global Warming: A Social Issue There are many social issues in our country that are not going to disappear from our society, unless people contribute and put forth the effort to discontinue the various issues. The planet is warming, from the North pole to the South pole, and everywhere in between. The gradual increase in temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, caused by the increase of greenhouse gasses, produced by human activities is known as global warming. Global warming is a controversy that has plagued our state, country, and our world for centuries and is rapidly getting worse at an alarming rate. Ever since the early 1980’s, the earth’s surface has increased by about 0.8 degrees. Scientists are 90% certain that global warming is caused by human activities that increase the levels of greenhouse gases. A greenhouse gas is a gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone are all greenhouse gases that regulate the earths temperature. Without them, the earth would nearly average only 33 degrees celsius. Greenhouse gases are produced by the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. Not only is carbon dioxide mainly responsible for most of the warming, but also methane released from agriculture, nitrous oxide released from fertilizers and from gases as well, used for refrigeration and industrial processes. Other than the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation is another cause of the heightened level of greenhouse gases. Its the removal of forests or a stand of trees which causes carbon dioxide to linger in the atmosphere, and produces a layer in the atmosphere that traps radiation from the sun. This then converts to heat which causes global warming. With the temperature continually rising, its beginning to melt ice sheets and glaciers across
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