Atmospheric Issues (Sci 275 Week 5 Assignment)

Atmospheric Issues
Kristin Barker SCI 275 University of Phoenix
03/31/2013
April Croxton

The following paper is meant to inform you about a serious threat facing the world today. This threat is known as Global Warming and has been a controversial topic which has been making headlines across the world in recent years. Throughout this paper we will discuss the possible causes and effects of Global Warming and the ways we can work to prevent them.
According to Google definitions, Global Warming is “a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth 's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants” ("Global Warming", 2013). One cause that is not mentioned in the definition of Global Warming is Urbanization. Urbanization is defined as the physical growth of urban areas as a result of rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very largest ones ("Urbanization", 2013). With population increases come more buildings, roads, cars, and pollution. Each of these has their own effect on Global Warming.
When a city expands, more houses and buildings are built to meet the demands of new residents and business that are moving into a location. In order to construct new building, heavy vehicles are needed to clear land and begin construction. These heavy vehicles emit CO2 into the atmosphere. CO2 is a greenhouse gas which is part of the greenhouse effect that causes Global Warming. The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm a planet 's lower atmosphere and surface ("Global Warming", 2013). In addition, new buildings cause indoor pollutants that are released through air vents, open doors, and open windows. These pollutants include formaldehyde (H2CO) from carpet and plywood, as well as, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from paint and solvents ("Air Pollution", 2013). All of the above pollutants contribute to air pollution which increases Global Warming.
Air pollution not only increases the effects of Global Warming and leads to several health issues. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution have caused approximately 3.3 million deaths worldwide ("Air Pollution", 2013). Some of these health issues include respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization ("Air Pollution", 2013). The most common sources of air pollution include particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Children aged less than five years that live in developing countries are the most vulnerable population in terms of total deaths attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution ("Air Pollution", 2013). This is why we need to take Global Warming seriously. It is not just an invisible myth used to incite fear in us by politicians. It is a reality and it comprises both our present and future ways of life.
In addition to new building being constructed, new paved roads are needed for cars to drive on. We already discussed that cars emit CO2 but new roads also play their part as well. New roads and building radiate heat from the sun back into the atmosphere. They also retain that heat which doesn’t allow the nights to cool off as easily as they usually would when the new roads and buildings aren’t present. This increases the average highs of the area which contributes to Global Warming.
Reducing the amount of future climate change is called mitigation of climate change ("Global Warming", 2013). Recently an international council was founded to mitigate climate change. This council is known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC. According to the IPCC the activities which enhance the capacity of carbon skins to absorb greenhouse gases (GHCs) from the atmosphere and cut down on GHG emissions are known as mitigation. If we really want to reduce GHC emissions, we must enact policies, standards, and laws which will help to lower GHC emissions a lower range through one of the multiple differing scenarios mention in the IPCC’s report “Summary Report for Policymakers.” As the years pass and GHC emissions continue to rise, it will become increasingly harder to pass these policies and regulate GHC emissions. It is imperative for us to begin enacting these policies before we reach the point of no return.
In recent years, Global Warming has taken the back page of politics and has been a laughing point for news agencies. It has also been long debated as to whether or not there is any accurate physical proof showing that Global Warming is occurring. We need to make Global Warming a bigger focus of politics and a household concern. This should not be a topic of fear, it needs to be a topic of concern and education. In other words, panicking is unnecessary because we still have time to change the path we are on. We can begin by regulating and placing standards on car emissions, finding environmentally safe materials for building construction, and increasing public transportation and both public awareness and education. Doing so will make everyone aware of the causes of being environmentally naïve and how we can be self-conscious of our impact on our environment. Then we can make progress on preventing global warming.
In conclusion, the topics we discussed are only a few of several major issues that contribute to Global Warming. Urbanization is the increase of a population in a specific area. This population increase requires new buildings, roads, cars, and causes a pollution increase. All of which increase the effects of Global Warming. In order to prevent Global Warming we must mitigate it by reducing GHC emissions and pass regulations which lead to a standard of living an environmentally safe and conscious way of life.

References
Air Pollution. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution#Indoor_air_quality_.28IAQ.29
Global Warming. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=define+global+warming&rlz=1C1ASUT_enUS479US479&aq=0&oq=define+global+warming&sugexp=chrome,mod=0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1ASUT_enUS479US479&q=global+warming&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=lQGXUL_qNsHYywG5moGoCA&ved=0CB4QkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=6e782702bc466146&bpcl=37189454&biw=136
Urbanization. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization

References: Air Pollution. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution#Indoor_air_quality_.28IAQ.29 Global Warming. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=define+global+warming&rlz=1C1ASUT_enUS479US479&aq=0&oq=define+global+warming&sugexp=chrome,mod=0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1ASUT_enUS479US479&q=global+warming&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=lQGXUL_qNsHYywG5moGoCA&ved=0CB4QkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=6e782702bc466146&bpcl=37189454&biw=136 Urbanization. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization