Globe Warming

Globe Warming

Many scientists believe that the Earth atmosphere is heating up rapidly, researchers and scientists believes humans are the main cause. The term globe warming another term for "global warming" is "climate change." refers to the increase in the average temperature of global surface air and oceans since about 1950, and to continuing increases in those temperatures. Emissions from human activities have caused this unnatural change. Using the latest computer models, and the latest weathering technology their forecasts are worrisome of what might global warming mean to our planet. Global warming begins when the sun’s energy, in the form of light and heat, enters the Earth. However, it rises up, escapes the earth’s atmosphere, and returns to space in the form of infrared waves. Due to the presence of greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, most of this radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. This is nature’s way of keeping the Earth at a comfortable temperature; without it, this planet would be too cold to even live in. You cannot exactly say they are harmful; it's just that now we have greatly increased the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) along with other greenhouse gases, thereby thickening the atmosphere trapping more heat and bringing up the Earth’s average temperature dangerously warmer. While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing, when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature. Here are some of the causes of the greenhouse effect: burning natural gas, coal and oil-including gasoline for automobile engines-raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide. Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and "global warming" that is currently under way. Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function. Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere. Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

The effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice; it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move also the sea is getting higher due to the Ice melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.
Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.
Sea level rise became faster over the last century.
Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas.
Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.
Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees. Other effects could happen later this century, if warming continues.

Sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59 centimeters) by the end of the century, and continued melting at the poles could add between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters).
Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.
Species that depend on one another may become out of sync. For example, plants could bloom earlier than their pollinating insects become active.
Floods and droughts will become more common. Rainfall in Ethiopia, where droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50 years.
Less fresh water will be available. If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either.
Some diseases will spread such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
Ecosystems will change some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct. Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier. Polar bear biologist Ian Sterling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay. He fears that if sea ice disappears, the polar bears will as well. Not only globe warming can affect our environment but it can also affect our economy and how governments are run. For instance a shorter winter means that many pests, such as the pine bark beetle, are not dying off in the winter and are killing millions of trees. Warmer summers have led to an increase in forest fires. The dead trees have increased the intensity of these fires, leading to destruction of timber. Longer summers have led to an increase in the allergy season and increased health care costs for asthma and allergy sufferers. In addition, increased air pollution kills 1,000 U.S. residents for every 1°C increase in temperatures. Increased Hurricanes Cost U.S. Billions, many experts believe that global warming increases the size and frequency of hurricanes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina created $125 billion in damage, with $66 billion in insured losses. It caused GDP to decline from 3.8% in Q3 to 1.3% in Q4 2005. In 2008, Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike hit the U.S. Though they did not cause as much damage, they support the trend of more frequent and more severe hurricanes caused by global warming (but lately we didn’t have that much severe storm though). The globe economy can also be affect by climate change let say the Department of Energy invested $1 billion to spur the biofuels industry. Last year, over 100 biofuel factories produced 6.4 billion gallons of ethanol using 18 million acres of corn. This was 20% of total U.S. corn production, which drove corn prices to a record $4 per bushel. Since most of corn production is used to feed livestock, this food prices increased four percent. Higher food prices will lead to thousands of people starving and decline of the dollar when a country have item that are high price people will not spend they will rather hold on to their dollar than go buy if that the dollar will see a decline in but it can also h