“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.
Global warming has been a highly debated topic for quite a bit of time now. Is it or is it not happening? Global warming is an increase of temperature that causes related changes in climate and the environment. This has been seen in Antarctica especially. The change of temperature in Antarctica due to global warming has had many effects on wildlife and the environment already.
EAP VI/A R/W YUCHENG WAN 11/27/12 Is Global Warming Manmade? Abstract Global warming is caused by numerous activities such as driving, taking airplanes, generating electricity, displaying fireworks, using air conditioning, developing industry and logging because those activities emit so much carbon dioxide that global temperatures rise up. Trees store CO2 in the forest system, so if forests are damaged, much CO2 will be released, which will increase the global temperatures. As this paper illustrates, natural climate cycles have already changed from warm to cool, so global warming is not because of natural factors. The solutions for global warming may include improving the efficiency of energy, protecting forests, producing more energy from renewable sources, generating electricity by wind, traveling in more fuel-efficiently vehicles, riding bicycles and using more efficient electrical appliances.
Owing to the development of industry and the use of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere has produced and the average global temperature seems to have risen. What’s more, deforestation can affect climate changes. The growing of trees and plants can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere because of photosynthesis, however, deforestation lead to carbon dioxide emissions. Both of these can lead to global warming of the atmosphere. The report (UNEPWMO, 2004, P10) also pointed out, the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are altering the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
Moreover, if we stabilized concentrations and the composition of today's atmosphere remained steady (which would require a dramatic reduction in current greenhouse gas emissions), surface air temperatures would continue to warm. This is because the oceans, which store heat, take many decades to fully respond to higher greenhouse gas concentrations. The rapid increase in carbon dioxide emissions observed during the last 250 years is expected to continue for several decades to come. Various scenarios have been examined, depending on factors like fuel use and efficiency. Even the best case scenario predicts further increases in carbon dioxide emissions until about 2040.
The oceans play an important role in determining the atmospheric concentration of CO2. Changes in ocean circulation may affect the climate through the movement of CO2 into or out of the atmosphere. Earth orbital changes - The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. Changes in the tilt of the earth can lead to small but climatically important changes in the strength of the seasons, more tilt means warmer summers
A huge issue is the rising of sea levels, due to the increase in global temperatures. There are many factors linked with this causing the sea level rise, one of which being the thermal expansion of the water. As the temperature of the sea water increases, so will the volume of the water, and as such, the water occupies more space, meaning the mean sea levels will rise. (National Geographic, n.d.) Approximately half of the sea level rise in the past 100 years is attributed to thermal expansion of the water. Furthermore, more and more ice from glaciers and polar ice caps is melting during summer, and not being balanced back out in winter months.
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
The Earth’s average temperature has risen 0.6°C, while areas in the Arctic have risen up to 3.0°C in the last 20th century (Gardiner, 2008). Increasing temperatures have already caused changes in the Arctic such as; sea ice covering the Arctic has decreased in area and thickness due to melting of ice and snow, the warming of permafrost, snow cover area has also decreased, and ice on the rivers will freeze later during fall and break up earlier in spring. But why are these Polar Regions more vulnerable to climate change? This is due to the light colour of snow and ice and high albedo, which reflects the solar energy back into space. Due to the increase in greenhouse gases less solar energy is reflected back into space and more solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth causing the increase in ice and snow melting (Main & Ahlenius, 2011).
Burning coal, petroleum and other fossil fuels at extremely high temperatures is the primary means by which electricity is produced. This leads large amounts of pollutants in our air and water. The atmosphere already absorbs a ton of greenhouse gases naturally, but is trapping up to 25 percent more of the sun's radiation due to annual increases in