by David Nuttle

Created on: August 21, 2008

To understand the causes and effect of global warming, you must first know something about natural climate change. The Earth has always experienced climate change due to small variations in orbit and solar intensity. There have always been periodic volcanic eruptions with related aerosol emissions and significant releases of CO2. Tectonic plates have shifted causing some climatic changes. Ocean currents and temperatures change over time. When ocean temperatures are cool, oceans capture and hold CO2. When the ocean temperatures warm considerably, the CO2 is released and we have more natural greenhouse gas. As a result, the Earth has long had cycles of cooling and heating. Those persons who claim that global warming is a hoax, generally use climate change evidence to conclude that global warming is a natural event. Such a conclusion is false as I will explain below.

Global warming is the increase of average measured temperatures of the Earth's oceans and near-surface air. In the 100 year period ending 2005, scientific evidence indicates that the Earth has an increase of such temperatures measuring 0.74 degrees F (0.18 degrees C). A large percentage of this temperature increase is believed to be from man-made (anthropogenic) causes due to dramatically increasing population numbers, worldwide, along with massive CO2 pollution from burning very large quantities of fossil fuels. Humans also cause many types of pollution that increases the overall quantity of greenhouse gas; e.g. the daily burning of charcoal by over 1 (one) billion people who now use charcoal for cooking and heating (due to a lack of other fuel options). By increasing the level of greenhouse gas over and above natural levels, the added pollution caused by humans has greatly increased the amount of global warming, and the damages (effect) caused by global warming.

The effect of human acceleration of global warming is shown in: 1) Rising seal levels; 2) More extreme weather events; 3) Changes in precipitation; 4) More desertification & deforestation; 5) Glacier retreat; 6) Crop yield decreases; 7) More species extinctions; 8) An increase of disease vectors; and 9) Increasing numbers of refugees who are forced from their homes. On an indirect basis, another effect of global warming has been a general refusal to accept the reality of the threat. All the National Academies of Science, for major industrialized nations, agree that global warming at current levels presents significant threats. However, a few

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>