Glen Luckman What is Global Warming?

What is Global Warming?

Glen Luckman What is Global Warming? By Lisa Mills

Global warming is explained as an increase in the average temperature of the earth. Hurricanes, droughts and floods are more frequent and this is said to be the result of global warming.

Scientists claim that over the last 100 years or so the temperature near the earth’s surface has risen. This means the earth is now warmer than it has been for the last thousand years. What is more, the warmest years ever recorded have been in the last eight years.

There has always been climate change, but according to scientists increased temperature rises in recent years has been faster than ever before. They therefore feel that the global warming we are now experiencing is not a natural occurrence but one that is being brought on by man.

Throughout history temperatures have varied substantially depending upon the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Natural gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have always been in the atmosphere as without them Earth would be a very chilly planet!

Farmers around the world use nitrogen fertilizers and it’s use is increasing in order to feed the growing world population. These fertilizers are often washed away into lakes and oceans where algae feeds on them and the consequence is they bloom uncontrollably and eventually starve the water of oxygen creating a dead zone.

Since the industrial revolution carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 40% which is the result of burning fossil fuels, deforestation and industrial production.

Some carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere, the rest is absorbed into the sea and vegetation. CO2 should be compensated by plant absorption, but as the earth’s atmosphere becomes warmer plants close their pores to prevent the loss of water and switch to consuming oxygen and produce carbon dioxide instead.

Global warming can be compared to the inside of a car on a hot sunny day. The sun will heat the inside of the car but the heat will then be unable to escape, thus causing a greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is the absorption and emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere which in turn warm the lower atmosphere of the surface of the earth. The issue of global warming is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

There are many natural causes of gas emissions into the atmosphere. Ruminant animals for instance produce methane gas which is 25% more potent than carbon dioxide. Global meat consumption has increased and is still rising, this in turn means more cows, more methane gas.