How to Solve the Problem of Global Warming

After the horrible hurricane attacked the U.S.A, more and more people consider the environmental problems as the most serious problem which human beings have to face in the twenty-first century. If humans keep standing by from protecting nature, then global warming will be the natural consequence of their inaction. Accordingly, people must try to find some suitable ways to prevent this situation. Currently, the three most efficient solutions of this problem are a moratorium of deforestation, a universal carbon tax and international cooperation. Global warming is a tendency which there is an increase in earth’s surface temperature which is caused by excess greenhouse gas emissions. The phenomena of this problem are the change of global climate, the melting of ice cap and the increase in sea level. A research organization reported that “in the 20th century the average global surface temperature has increased by 0.6±0.2℃ and the average sea level has risen by 0.1 to 0.2 metres. Snow cover has decreased by 10 percent since the 1960s”(Gupta & Tol, 2003, p.19). After research, scientists discovered some causes of global warming. First, they found that burning of fossil fuels caused the rise in the release of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include “Carbon dioxide (CO2)”, “Methane (CH4)”, “Nitrous oxide (N2O)”, “Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)”, “Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)” and “Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)”(KYOTO PROTOCOL, 1997, Annex A). The major element of greenhouse gases is the carbon dioxide. The fact is the carbon dioxide which is formed during the process of burning fossil fuels holds the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, so the temperature of earth’s surface keeps increasing. Another important reason for global warming is unlimited deforestation. The trees can separate the carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen during the process of photosynthesis when they are alive, but, more important, the subsoil of the forests contains a huge amount of carbon, and this carbon

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