Top Ten Causes of Global Warming (Part 3)

7. Nitrous Oxide

According to http://www.smm.org, nitrous oxide has about 310 times the effect on global warming than carbon dioxide. In other words, despite the fact that Nitrous Oxide makes up such a tiny amount of the atmospheric gases, it is more dangerous than carbon dioxide.

The causes of Nitrous oxide are unknown as of now. Some believe this gas comes from microorganisms and natural reactions in the earth. This would not account for the fact that the amount of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere has increased. Others believe that the increase could come from the sun, sunspot activity, and other factors that can be related o the thinning of the ozone layer.
 
8. Deforestation

In the past, many countries demolished forests to fuel a growing market for wooden goods; chairs, tables, homes, and so forth, so their country can grow and prosper. Now, when developing nations are trying to build their nations, they can't because trees are made up of 50% carbon. Many countries need to destroy their forests to make room for farm land and feed their people. Other countries need to create products and help their countries economies.

In 2006, a workshop was held, according to http://www.fao.org. At this workshop 200 leaders from developing nations attended to discuss the destruction of the world's forests. To help those nations who attended a deal will be put into place that will allow the developing nations to feed their population with less farmland.
 
9. City Gridlock

According to an article on, http://www.austintraffic.blogspot.com Austin Texas is one of the worst traffic nightmares anywhere. A 2 hour wait to go a short distance of only a few miles is no way of traveling. All the idle cars starting and stopping to move the few inches in front of them is not a way to improve the environment. According to the article, construction new roadways and highways take a very long time and could be a bit faster. Others said that even if more room for traffic was built; it would all be taken up by more cars, thus, ruining any chance for a reduction in traffic.
 
10. Carbon in Atmosphere and Ocean

According to an article on, http://www.scienceblog.com, Asian black carbon covers about 8,000 kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. What does this have to do with global warming? When the black carbon floats over the ocean, it prevents the ocean from absorbing the heat of the sun and reflects it back increasing the temperature of the earth. The pollution also reflects some of the heat that would heat the water but the atmospheric heating is greater.

Water actually contains more carbon than the atmosphere. With more carbon dissolved in the water than in the atmosphere, the earth remains balanced. When that balance changes, problems arise. Plants need a certain amount of carbon, but can suffer with an increased amount. Just like when a person overdoses on a certain vitamin, so can a plant with too much carbon. The destruction of plants would further increase the effects of global warming by reducing the amount of carbon being taken from the air. Adversely, if enough time passes, perhaps plants can adapt and absorb more carbon? Nothing related to global warming is every one sided.

At last, a conclusion must be reached. Which side will you stand on? Now that the facts are in front of you, will you choose to continue leaving the light on in your bedroom and leaving or will you turn it off? Do you think that would even help at all? The question of global warming being the end of civilization is up to you to decide. Read everything you can on the topic, create your own ideas, and share them with the world.


Article Source: EzineArticles – George Christodoulou

Top Ten Causes of Global Warming (Part 2)

4. Pollution from Airplanes

Airplanes are indispensable to today's society. Businessmen fly across the country on a daily basis to meet the demand of industry. In less than 24 hours, you can fly across the circumference of the planet traveling from the US to China. So how can you possibly blame these amazing gravity defying machines of global warming? 10% of the green house gas emissions come from airplanes. You might be going to a vacation or to a business meeting but those airplanes you travel on are releasing their pollution directly into the air they fly in.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, during the 3 days after 9/11, there was a difference of 4°F in the average highs and lows compared to other days. What caused this change? It is believed that the contrails of the air crafts are the cause of this. Following 9/11, all airplanes were grounded. This allowed scientists to see the difference in the temperatures with contrails in the sky and without them. Although airplanes do pollute the sky, they accidentally reflect some sunlight.

5. Pollution from Buildings

Although many believe those large SUV's and Airplanes are the cause for all the commotion going on about global warming, the houses we live in may be a larger contributor. Unlike cars and airplanes, homes have a long lifespan of 50- 100 years meaning that changes in this area may be difficult to accomplish. Houses are mainly built to burn oil, or run on coal. In most houses, coal is used for electricity because it is the cheapest and most abundant resource.

To assist with this problem, architects will have to start using materials that can reduce the consumption of fuels by making them better ventilated or better at holding in heat. Government regulators must pass laws forcing contractors to follow stricter guidelines when building homes to reduce energy consumption. Finally, individuals can reduce the amount of frivolous energy they use on a daily basis.

6. Methane Stored in Water and Ice

With the increase in temperature, a fear of methane being released into the air arises. Methane is approximately 60 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a green house gas. According to scientists, in the past, a rapid release of methane has led to immense heating of the earth. In the past, when the earth's temperature rose to a certain level, such as 8 degrees above normal, the earth's temperature then increased an additional 14 degrees.

Methane is stored in the earths oceans and is released when the temperature increases and pressure reduces. Also, methane can be found in ice. When ice melts, methane stored in the ice is released. Scientists fear that if the earth reaches a certain temperature, it would be impossible to turn back and prevent a massive increase in temperature.

Article Source: EzineArticles – George Christodoulou

Top Ten Causes of Global Warming (Part 1)

Global warming has been discussed over and over again. In recent months even politicians like Al Gore have gotten involved. He created a documentary called, "An Inconvenient Truth", to try and push for more action as well as to enlighten the public. His view is that there are solid facts that global warming exists and skeptic scientists don't. Many people believe that global warming does not exist because they are not being affected directly; however, scientists believe that the increase in natural disasters comes from global warming.

In NY, I hear a few people here and there saying, "you call this global warming" just because the temperature is at 10 degrees even though this winter it only snowed once compared to the past. Have you ever seen the painting of George Washington sailing across the Delaware River? If you have, you know there is ice in that water. Now if you look at that river during the time of year that picture was taken, there is no ice. What about in the summer when you feel the heat of the sun and realize it is a little hotter now then a few years ago? That could all be in your mind due to media hype and all, but how can you tell?

Where does all this global warming stem from anyway? Who or what is the cause of all this debate and discussion? Some People are afraid and they want answers to their questions. The following is the list of the top 10 causes of global warming. With all the facts laid out, one can make a better decision about what global warming is and how it might affect them.


1. Carbon Dioxide From power Plants

One of the largest contributors to global warming is said to be pollution from power plants. Every time you turn on a light, you add to the tons of carbon spewed into the sky by long tubes connected to these massive coal or oil driven "machines". According to recent studies, approximately 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions comes form power plants. Natural gas, coal, and oil are the 3 types of polluting power plants. Coal is the biggest contributor out of the 3 because of it releases more carbon than the rest of them per capita. Studies, like the one done in the film, "An Inconvenient Truth", show that the levels of carbon in the atmosphere has increased drastically in recent years and will probably continue to increase in the years to come.

Some skeptics believe that the levels of carbon are completely normal. According to http://www.geocraft.com, the levels of carbon found in the atmosphere today mirror those found hundreds of thousands of years ago. They believe the scientific "proof" that global warming exists is taken out of cortexes because they look at the past 100 years instead of the bigger picture. The earth has been around of billions of years; earthquakes, monsoons, ice ages, meteors, and so forth, have all affected the earth without destroying every living thing on it.

Despite what others say, many people have created solutions for the pollution caused by power plants. For example, products that help to reduce the green house emissions have emerged. Filters that improve the quality of the air released into the atmosphere have been created to solve this problem. In addition, government regulations have been placed to force owners of large industrial buildings to improve the quality of the air produced by their buildings. Finally, hydrogen power has also become a way of reducing carbon.

According to Tom Simonite of http://www.newscientisttech.com, using carbon is better than using water to generate power, and it is completely environmentally friendly.


2. Pollution Emitted from Cars

Driving to work in the morning is one example of this. When your stuck in traffic, how long does your car stay idle on the road, releasing it's pollution into the air? There are approximately, 3 billion vehicles being used today. Similarly with the power plants, cars also emit carbon into the air. Cars emit millions of tons of pollutants into the air. In some dense cities, this causes some of the smog and ozone problems. 1,500 cases of cancer are reported each year from pollution according to http://www.nsc.org.

Luckily, solutions are available. Many ask, "What can I do." One thing that can be done is a switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles such as hybrid or electric cars. Some countries are even using cars that run on hydrogen. In the near future, talk about ethanol to replace gasoline in cars seems to be a promising change.


3. Pollution from Trucks

Trucks, although less in volume, make up for a large portion of the earth's pollution with each truck's individual output of pollutants. The difference between cars and trucks is the type of fuel used to run them. Diesel, the standard for trucks and other vehicles used for carrying large loads, is known to be less clean than gasoline. Trucks roaring down streets can bee seen from a mile away with a tiny smoke stack blowing out the product of having to carry large amounts of goods from one place to the other. 

How can our society get rid of trucks? They are vital for the economic health of certain companies. They are used to build homes and carry supplies, People go camping and carry gear with them, and the list goes on. According to http://www.ucsusa.org, diesel is reaching a point where it can no longer meet the standards of government regulations. What kind of alternative can be used instead?


Article Source: EzineArticles – George Christodoulou

Causes of Global Warming (Literature 3)

The majority of the scientific community believes that global warming is a real threat to the world as we know it today. They believe that global warming mostly results from the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities such as industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and deforestation.

There are many causes of global warming. One cause is carbon dioxide that is made from the burning of fossil fuels from power plants for the purpose of electricity generation. Coal makes up 93% of these emissions. Coal emits 1.7 times more carbon per unit of energy when burned than natural gas and 1.25 times more carbon than oil. Consequently, natural gas gives off 50% less carbon dioxide for the same amount of energy produced. Another cause is carbon dioxide that is made from the burning of gasoline in internal-combustion engines of cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and jeeps. Poor gas mileage is considered the main culprit here. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's 2000 Fuel Economy Guide, a new Dodge Durango sports utility vehicle (with a 5.9 liter engine) that gets 12 miles per gallon in the city will emit around 800 pounds of carbon dioxide over a distance of 500 city miles; this translates to 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the air for every gallon of gas a vehicle consumes.

Another cause of global warming is carbon dioxide that is made from commercial trucks, contributing another 13% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon dioxide that is made from airplanes is another cause of global warming - the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that aviation causes 3.5% of global warming, with a projection that it will rise to 15% by 2050.

Another cause of climate warming is carbon dioxide that is emitted by the structure of buildings, accounting for another 12% of carbon dioxide emissions.

Methane is another cause of climate warming, as methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. According to the IPCC, methane is 20 times more effective than CO2 in trapping heat in the atmosphere. US Emissions Inventory 2004 levels of atmospheric methane have risen 145% in the last 100 years. Sources of this rise in methane include rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs, and fossil fuel production.

Another cause of global warming is nitrous oxide, a colourless, non-flammable gas with a sweetish odour. It is naturally produced by oceans and rainforests, while it is also artificially produced in nylon, nitric acid production, agricultural fertilizers, cars with catalytic converters, and burning organic matter.

Deforestation is also one of the causes of global warming, the second-leading cause only to carbon emissions. Deforestation is responsible for 25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, as 34 million acres of trees are burn and cut each year. The destroying of tropical forests alone emit hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

City gridlock is another global warming cause. According to an annual study by traffic engineers from Texas A&M University, drivers in Los Angeles and New York alone waste 600 million gallons of gas annually while just sitting in traffic. That translates into around 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere. And remember, just two major U.S. cities are named, not to mention the rest of the U.S. and the world.

Another global warming cause is just the amount of carbon already in the Earth's atmosphere naturally, as 750 billion tons of carbon are present. Add in another 800 billion tons of carbon that is dissolved in the surface layers of the world's oceans.

As you can see, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the major causes of global warming. You can also see there are many sources of these gases, especially carbon dioxide. Much work needs to be done in order to address all the causes of global warming.

Article Source: EzineArticles – Bryan Wong

Causes of Global Warming (Literature 2)

Global warming is a phenomenon that has been discussed widely nowadays and global warming causes are one of the most studied subjects presently in the world. Through out the world many governments, institutes and universities are trying to find out what are the causes for global warming. As the effects of global warming is becoming more and more evident, many of us have started to realize that steps have to be taken to control Global warming at the earliest and various countries and people have started working towards it.

The earth, the 3rd planet of our solar system, the planet brimming with life and beautiful landscape, is on the verge of getting destroyed. The main reason is global warming. Global warming is the slow and steady increase in the temperature of earth and its atmosphere. The increase in the temperature of earth has caused many effects like the melting of ice in Polar Regions, increase in disease occurrences, drastic climatic changes including rainfall and dry periods.

One of the major causes for global warming can be attributed to the activities of man. The man which thinks of himself as the most intelligent thing on earth is knowingly or unknowingly destroying its own habitat. The activities of man has lead to an increase in the so called greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide etc. the gases have created an effect of green house on the earths surface which prevents the reflection of the rays from sun and thus causes the increase in temperature. Carbon dioxide concentration in the air has increased due to the emissions from cars, airplanes, power plants, industries etc. another reason for it is the deforestation. Forests have been cut down paying way for agriculture, industries and cities. The trees were natural regulators of carbon dioxide which used to control its level's in the atmosphere.

Another is the CFC which is used in refrigerators, in fire extinguisher's which destroys the natural ozone layer. The ozone layer was a natural barrier which used to prevent the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun. Without this layer, the rays fall on the earth and cause the temperature to increase. Researchers have found an ozone hole in our atmosphere, which they say is the main reason for the melting of glacier's in the Polar Regions. Earth which mainly consists of developing or underdeveloped countries, which holds a major population needs electricity for the day to day activities. The electricity supply is mainly satisfied by burning fossil fuels. The fossil fuel on burning releases carbon dioxide which causes global warming.

The causes of the global warming have been in work for a long time and slowly it has caused the increase in the temperature. The satisfactory fact is that at least now the governments of various countries and its people have started to understand that they are one of the causes for the global warming. Therefore combined efforts by the different countries have started to control the global warming and thereby prevent our habitat from destruction. Awareness, alternative forms of energy, conservation of energy, and reforestation can help.

These are the major causes of global warming and hopefully by taking measures we can bring this grave situation under control. If people are educated about the global warming causes, they can do what they can to control global warming in their everyday life.

Article Source: EzineArticles – Carl Ganser

Causes of Global Warming (Literature 1)

Global warming is an issue that requires a worldwide audience. It needs to be taken care of because it might be the reason for the world's demise. It is like a lit fuse of dynamite, the catalyst for its explosion. It is very essential that all inhabitants of this planet take part in the campaign against it. However, we won't be able to take part in this quest if we don't understand and learn what causes global warming. Today, we shall open our eyes to the truth and know the culprit behind this international phenomenon.

Global warming is created by humankind. The culprit is no one but us. Because of our will to innovate and progress, we gave birth to industrialization. Industrial activities that were birthed by men release a byproduct. This byproduct is made up of carbon and it is thrown up in the air in huge amounts. Allow us to be more specific as we explain this process.

Industries like factories, power plants and others burn fuel. Vehicles, machines and others also burn fuel. When you burn fuel, it creates a byproduct that has no use. This byproduct is carbon gas. These carbon gases are blown up in the air thru chimneys, exhausts, and mufflers in large amounts. Naturally, the atmosphere has carbon gases. The purpose of these gases is to lock in sunlight and produce warmth that would render the planet habitable for all life living on it. This is the reason why we don't freeze to death at night. However, because of the increase in industrial activity and the amount of carbon gases thrown up in the atmosphere, it traps in more heat than usual. So instead of maintaining a balanced temperature, the planet becomes hotter. This is what we call global warming. Therefore, we can say now that what cause global warming is human activities that burn fuel. That is only one of the major contributors.

The rise in global temperature is capable of bringing forth catastrophic events. As the global temperature goes higher, the polar caps also melts down even more quicker, dumping fresh water in the ocean. This creates a chain reaction. The sea level rises, drowning low - lying coastal areas on its path. The fresh water dumped on the ocean's seawater also disrupts the normal weather patterns, creating freak storms and other weather related calamities.

If we don't act now, we will be all subjected to the wrath of Mother Nature. Therefore, do your part now and save mother earth. Help save the environment.

 
Article Source: EzineArticles – Daniel Landback

What is Global Warming (Literature 3)

What is the definition of global warming? If the weather - related calamities happening all around you isn't enough to define it then you are on the right place. Our article will help you understand global warming and its causes and effects to the planet and to humankind. We will do this through defining global warming itself. If you want to learn about it, all you have to do is read this article. So sit back, breathe in, relax, and enjoy this article while you can. You need to be enlightened on what's going on nowadays. This article will explain it to you.
Global warming is a global issue that needs to be taken seriously. Everyone living in this planet should be concerned about it. The world is required to take actions on stopping it. However, how can a person understand if he or she doesn't know anything about it? This is the reason why we wrote this article.
Global warming is defined as the phenomenon where the global temperature rises to an abnormally - high level. The rise in the temperature creates a chain effect all over the world and we are all constantly experiencing it now. However, what causes global warming? How can we define it if we don't really know the lowdown about it?
Here's how it happened:
Naturally, the planet has carbon gases present in the atmosphere. The purpose of these gases is to trap sunlight and the heat that it produces. It traps just the right amount of heat that is sufficient to make this planet habitable for all living things, day and night. However, because of man's continues quest to innovation and technology, industries were created. These industries create machines, use vehicles, and most importantly, burn fuel, which produces a byproduct, called carbon gases. These carbon gases are thrown up in the atmosphere in large amounts. This adds up to the natural carbon gas content of the atmosphere and throwing it off - balance. As a result, it locks in more heat than usual. Hot enough to melt the polar ice caps. Molten polar ice caps dump fresh water continuously. This raises the water level all over the world, which floods low - lying coastal areas resulting to calamities and even death. It also disrupts wind patterns, which dictates the weather. This creates abnormal weather schedules, which are far different from what we all use to have.
Global warming is a global catastrophe waiting to reach its full potential and unleash hell to all living being. Let us not let it dominate. Let us find ways in stopping this phenomenon. Be part of the campaign in saving the environment.

 
Article Source: EzineArticles – Daniel Landback