Global warming - rising of the earth's average temperature, great enough to cause changes in global climate. The present warming is generally attributed to an increase of the greenhouse effect - when natural greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reflect enough heat from the sun back to the earth to support life.
Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, have risen to levels not seen for millions of years due to human industry and agriculture. As a result, we're facing a serious threat to our well-being and survival today from global warming.
If we don't start fixing the causes of global warming now, our environment will suffer devastating consequences. Scientists predict we will experience extreme temperature fluctuations, rises in sea levels, unthinkable storms of destruction, and the disappearance of a variety of species.
Alarming events consistent with scientific forecasts about the effects of global warming are already becoming more and more commonplace. But, fortunately, science also tells us how we can start trying to reverse those impacts by making significant repairs to our planet, and by acting immediately!
Understanding the Causes
To understand what we need to do to stop the effects of global warming, we must first look at what is causing this life-threatening phenomenon. According to scientific journals, the earth's temperature has risen due to an increase in greenhouse gases over the last half century. Below are three of those gases which man has added to our environment the most.
- 75% Carbon Dioxide - Released by power plants burning fossil fuels (mainly coal) to generate electricity, and emitted by automobiles and airplanes burning gasoline.
- 18% Methane - Produced by agricultural byproducts (ex. livestock manure), wetlands (ex. marshes) and human waste (ex. landfills).
- 9% Nitrous Oxide - A natural gas stirred up from over-cultivating and fertilizing land, and is released by animal waste and industrial plants.
