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

What is Global Warming (Literature 2)

Since the late 1960s, but more prominently in the last twenty years we have all heard of the phrase 'global warming.' Generally most people by now have an idea that this has something to do with the planets temperature, but, that it's cause's and effects are often hard to identify and quantify.

Global warming is a natural occurrence, think of planet Earth as a very, very complex machine, it has many intricate systems which allow it to sustain life, and global warming is simply one of  those systems, whereby 'greenhouse gases' as they have become known, trap solar heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Greenhouse gases can be natural, such as water vapour, but the levels of others such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are not always so natural. By trapping solar heat greenhouse gases affect the Earth's temperature and keep the planet from getting too cold (alternatively we might experience global cooling). In this respect it is a vital, natural event that makes our planet habitable, but the fear is that it is a process which has been affected by human behaviour which could have serious repercussions.

Perhaps the most important and controversial question is, to what extent has human activity increased or speeded up the process of global warming, and how? It has been argued that since the  industrial age, the burning of naturally found fossil fuels such as coal and oil has increased the amount of carbon dioxide that has been released into the Earth's atmosphere, and that this has speeded up global warming. Further more as the world's population increases, so has our need for energy, meaning the problem increases year on year, especially, when considering the additional pollution from emerging countries such as China.

Public opinion seems to be mixed generally on this subject, varying from people who adamantly don't believe or care, to people who devote their life to creating awareness. Even governments' aren't entirely convinced, or are at least, slow to act. The previous American administration, under President George W Bush, toed an almost non-committal line based on G8 recommendations to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and seemed impartial when faced with the issue of the human impact on global warming. This may largely have been to do with national policy, but there is also a hint that it is based on personal belief as well as financial interests (The US had a preferred policy of burning home coal reserves as opposed to using cleaner gas energy). Factor into this that China refused to reduce it's own carbon footprint until America did so and sometimes the situation seems deadlocked (but please read further).

This is ironic considering that after losing the 2000 American Election, Mr Bush's opposition leader, former Vice President Al Gore presented in a film about the same issue, An Inconvenient Truth  (David Guggenheim, 2006), details exactly how man's behaviour is having an effect on the environment. Reiterating that the burning of fossil fuels, air travel, car use and the depletion of green / forest land has increased the amount of carbon dioxide (and other man made greenhouse gases) that accumulates in the atmosphere.

The issue is so important that in 1988 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up. The aim of the IPCC is to offer an objective source of information about the causes of climate change, its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences. It comprises of many scientists writing papers to outline those causes and effects that they believe are man-made or being sped up by human behaviour.
And, as previously mentioned it's not new news, as early as 1968, Paul R. Ehrlich commented in his book The Population Bomb that: the greenhouse effect is being enhanced now by the greatly increased level of carbon dioxide, that [a]t the moment we cannot predict what the overall climatic results will be of our using the atmosphere as a garbage dump.

So what has taken us so long? Because over 40 years later we can see what the effects of using our atmosphere as a garbage dump, are. Our polar ice caps are melting. Vast areas of American landscape's are changing, such as in Patagonia where glaciers are disappearing. If shelf ice in Greenland melts, sea levels could raise by as much as 20 foot, reducing land mass across the planet (not to mention the amount of extra trapped greenhouses gases they will release on breaking up). The ice is also fresh water which will affect the salinity in the water affecting natural sea life. Greenpeace also states that based on our current behaviour and negligence, within 50 years one third of all land based animals will face extinction. And, as  natural disasters increase, such as hurricanes (Katrina), droughts, floods, its not hard to see that already it is having an impact on human life, with around 150,000 people dying every year as a direct result of global warming.

In summary, whether you believe in man's affect on global warming or not, we as humans need to take more responsibility for the care taking of our planet. I've personally known people who regard the whole thing as rubbish, and that's their belief (in my opinion they are dangerously wrong), but understanding two basic things must / should still prompt people to action, which is; that no country can afford not to recycle, and, sooner or later we WILL run out of fossil fuels, the burning of which are a proven link to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The two easiest things that we can do to alleviate this problem on an individual level is try to recycle as much as possible and reduce our energy usage. Think carefully about the products you buy, do they come in recycled packaging (indeed is half the packaging required), can you get your energy from cleaner providers? Should you invest in a greener car, or failing that use public transport more often, remember to switch off appliances when not in use, use energy efficient light bulbs. Everything that we do, can done be in a greener way. As the world is a complex living machine, see yourself as a part of the whole. As the study aid for  An Inconvenient Truth suggests 'Think globally, act locally.' Your actions will have an impact on your local, and then, the world  wide environment. Although we seriously are threatened by what has been labelled by the Prince of Wales as, 'mankind's greatest challenge,' we still have time to make a difference.

 
Article Source: EzineArticles – Christope Catesson

What is Global Warming (Literature 1)

Global warming - this is something all of us are hearing quite a lot. It kinds of creates a consciousness within ourselves about our future. So, what is global warming? It can be termed as the rise in atmospheric temperature of our earth, due to many reasons. Deforestation, burning of fossil fuels etc can result in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which when increased results in the rise in atmospheric temperature.

Global warming is increasing and affecting us in many ways. We are completely dependent on fuels and machines in many aspects of our life. From the gas we use for cooking to the vehicle in which we travel, all uses some kind of natural resources which will get depleted with constant use and also release some gases which are harmful for our earth.

Global warming causes damage to every living thing on earth. Here are some of the effects of global warming which we must know.
1. Affects health of humans and animals alike. Depletion of the ozone layer can cause respiratory and skin problems.
2. Agriculture may get affected due to the rise in the temperature and increased carbon-di-oxide in the atmosphere.
3. It causes changes in the climate, thereby resulting in long droughts or rain, thereby affecting civilization in many ways.
4. It results in the rise in sea levels, which results in the decrease of the coastal line.

With many effects, it has become one of the most talked about subjects in our schools, colleges and environmental groups. We can do our little bit to help stop global warming. Here's how:
1. Use fresh air as much as possible. Avoid air conditioners which can emit CFCs that are harmful to us.
2. Use natural lighting as compared to the incandescent bulbs. You can also use CFL's which use 60% less energy as compared to the other bulbs.
3. Recycling is a wonderful way to help stop excessive usage of depleting natural resources.
4. Try to use bicycles as a means of transportation. Public transport also can help bring down the excessive usage of natural resources.
5. Plant trees - a small step can go a long way in helping conserve nature and also reducing the damage done to our planet.

Children must be taught about global warming and its effects and how well we can counter this by our little steps. Making our earth beautiful with a little effort can bring about a bright future for the next generation.

 
Article Source: EzineArticles – Pady N.