The Greenhouse Effect (1308 words)
The Greenhouse EffectThe Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect occurs when gases
such as methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and CFCs trap heat in the
atmosphere by acting as a pane of glass in a car. The glass lets
the sunlight in to make heat, but when the heat tries to get out the gases
absorb the heat. Holding this heat in causes heat waves, droughts,
and climate changes which could alter our way of living.
The main gases that cause the greenhouse
effect are water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane, which comes
mainly from animal manure. Other gases like nitrogen oxide and chloroflurocarbons,
man made gases, get caught in the atmosphere as well. The decay of
animals and respiration are two main natural sources of carbon dioxide.
In my opinion, we the people of the world should try to slow down the emission
of greenhouse gases and/or find ways to balance the gases so the climate
doesn’t change so rapidly. If it did, we would be forced to adapt
to the new climate that we brought upon ourselves. If we had an international
cooperation to put a damper on the production of chloroflurocarbons and
slowed down the use of fossil fuels it would dramatically slow done the
process of ?global warming’. Carbon dioxide pollution from the increase
of industry and transportation is a major cause of global warming.
These two causes are connected with the growth in the world population.
As the population grows the necessity for food and other products increase,
therefore industry must grow to keep up with the demand. The increase
in transportation is directly due to the growing population and the need
for jobs and the growing congestion on our highways. Another cause
in global warming is deforestation. Trees remove carbon dioxide from
the air as they grow. The carbon dioxide is released back into the
air as they are cut and burned. The forest ability to reduce the
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is decreasing due to massive deforestation
around the world. These causes seem simple and fixable, but if they
are not cut down, the Earth and its inhabitants will feel the effects.
Over the last hundred years, the
global temperatures have been increasing slowly, but steadily. Since
1980, the temperature has risen 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
each decade. Scientist predict that if we continue putting the same
amount of gas into the atmosphere, that by the year 2030 the temperature
will be rising as much as 0.5 degrees C (0.9 degrees Fahrenheit) or more
per decade. Overall, the global temperature could rise anywhere from
5 to 9 degrees over the next fifty years.
If the temperatures do rise, as predicted,
several things could happen. The increase of temperature could alter
the growth of crops in areas near the equator due to insufficient rain
and heat. This could really hurt countries that rely in imported
food. With the high temperatures the polar ice caps could melt and
cause the sea water level to go up 1 to 3 feet. This could take out
small islands, coastal cities and some shallow rivers. The Everglades
in Florida would be almost, if not totally, wiped right off the map.
The Everglades is the home for many animals and plant life. If it
did get flooded, they would all have to move northward across very dry
land, which they will not be able to endure for very long. When the
hot temperatures do spread southward and northward, tropical disease will
spread with it. Diseases that were down in Mexico will, maybe, occur
in North and South Carolina or eventually Vermont. These new diseases
will be hard to deal with causing many more deaths and illnesses that before.
The financial problem with this is that the flooding will cause dams to
be built and cities to be reconstructed. The shortage in food will
cause the price of the food to go up and with all the diseases, we will
need more medical supplies and workers. All of this combined could
and will cost a lot of money if we don’t do something about it now.
The computer models can’t predict
exactly that the climate is going to be in the future, but they can come
close to what it will be like down the road. Scientists proved this
by predicting, with computers, what the climate was in the past.
Then, by looking back in records, they found that the predictions were
close to being right. The ?Topex’ (Topographic Experiment) collected
information on the changes of the sea level, the temperatures across the
globe, and the amount of gases emitted into the atmosphere. Each
day, the satellite made 500,000 measurements, each at a different place
on the Earth. Measurements were all made between 66 degrees north
and south latitudes.
The Cretaceous period occurred over
a hundred million years ago. It was the warmest period we have knowledge
of yet. There was so much carbon dioxide in the air that the oceans
rose many meters. North America was flooded and split into two pieces.
The temperature then was more than 15 degrees greater than the average
temperature today.
Scientists believe that the tilt
of the Earth’s axis changes to title the opposite way every 10,000 years
like a cycle. While going through this cycle, it will change the
climate of and area. Right now it is moving so that North America
is going to be closer to the sun in the winter. Seasons become more
extreme when the opposite happens. This controls the cycle of ice
ages.
Volcanoes, when they erupt, send clouds
of dust into the air blocking out sunlight. This would cool the Earth
off more. Oceans are known to absorb carbon dioxide because of the
ocean currents and the action of plankton. There is some evidence
that there is a naturally rapid climate change between each ice age, which
confuses the whole global warming and idea.
I think every human being should take
part in the fight to stop global warming. The government is the key
to this and they better do something soon or it will be too late.
First, the American government should sponsor a meeting between the nations
of this world. They should establish a committee for handling the
money, politics, and scientific research in order to help cut back the
emission of gases into the atmosphere. Every country will contribute
by donating money. If they refuse, they will be boycotted and the
participating countries will sell nothing to them.
Global warming is a big threat to our nation
and the world. If we do not act now, it may be too late. Of
course, there is no sure way of telling if there is actually a greenhouse
effect, but let us not take any chances. Look at what is happening
to this world, and you will see that there is a pollution problem.
There are steps being taken at this moment to reduce the gases put into
the air, but it still is not enough. We need to cut back more by
taking a few easy steps. Plant a tree, or take a bus or carpool to
work instead of driving your own car. Those things may not seem like
a lot, but if more and more people do it, it will make a difference.
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