The document defines key terms related to global warming such as the greenhouse effect, climate change, and global warming. It then discusses the relationship between these concepts and how increased greenhouse gas concentrations can lead to global warming and climate change. The document also outlines some human and natural causes of global warming as well as potential economic, environmental, and health impacts. It notes arguments made by those who dispute the extent of human-caused global warming and concludes by stating that while humans contribute, climate change has natural factors and humans can help mitigate temperature increases.
2. Definitions Greenhouse Effect: heating of the Earth’s atmosphere through absorbing and emitting the radiation given off from the Sun and Earth. Climate Change: a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. Global Warming: the increase in average temperatures of Earth and the atmosphere due in part to increase in Carbon Dioxide levels.
3. Relation Concerns of the Greenhouse effect include that the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases intensify the greenhouse effect. Higher concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap more infrared energy in the atmosphere than what occurs naturally. The additional heat further warms the atmosphere and Earth’s surface. Climate models suggest this natural warming is being enhanced by human activities that increase concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The increase in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, accentuating the natural greenhouse effect globally, results in global warming. This temperature change due to global warming is a change in climate, making it a climate change.
4. Causes of Global Warming Humans emit gases that cause the global warming in everyday life. Developing countries use energy sources that emit greenhouse gases for their energy source. The gases emitted act as a blanket and retain the Earth’s heat in the atmosphere.
5. Consequences Increase in the average temperature of Earth and its atmosphere. Rising sea level from the melting of polar ice caps. Changes in climate and temperature can offset ecosystems causing damage to the animals and plants in the ecosystem. More health problems may occur because bacteria is known to grow faster in warmer temperatures.
6. Impact on Economy Positive: longer growing seasons and farmers would make more money. Negative: More pests in longer summers to kill plants, longer and hotter summers lead to more forest fires which hurt lumber industry, more health problems would come up, causing increase health care cost.
7. Fighting Global Warming Drive Hybrid cars Ride your bike or carpool Convert to alternative energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal). Deforestation that is caused by cutting and burning of forests for the purpose of residence and industrialization. Recycle
8. Arguments against Global Warming Humans do not emit enough carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases to cause catastrophic warming consequences. A warmer climate may be beneficial to human civilizations, like warmer climates have helped other era’s of human life. Accurate temperature satellites read hardly no change in temperature in the lower troposphere in the last 20 years.
9. Opinions on Global Warming Humans have played apart in global warming by emitting greenhouse gases but, there are other things causing global warming along with humans. Climate change is a naturally occur event and the temperature change experience now will not be catastrophic. Humans can play a role in stopping the extreme increase in global temperature.
10. Work Cited http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/climate+change http://www.globalwarming.org.in/ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/global-warming-and-the-greenhouse-effect.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/global-warming-and-the-greenhouse-effect.html http://www.aproundtable.org/tps30info/globalwarmup.html