The ocean levels are rising, the forest are disappearing, the glaciers are melting, and the seasons’ lengths are changing as well. These changes are a result of a rise in global temperature which is believed to be a result of the increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is thought that the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 ppm and we have already passed this value and it is projected that the amount will only increase until changes are made to stop using fossil fuels and replenish the Earth’s carbon sinks (page 23). The global temperature increase has also created feedback systems, such as water vapor that only continue to increase the global temperature (page 27). The global temperature increase has changed the length of the seasons on Earth, which has in turn affected the lives of insects such as beetles that feed on trees (which has added to the decrease in abundance of the Earth’s forest) and mosquitos that carry infectious diseases that are now able to spread at an increased rate (page…
Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth 's carbon cycle. Yet human-related emissions are responsible for the increase in CO2 emissions. The use of electricity accounts for 37% of total U.S. emissions, while transportation 31%, industry accounts for 15%, residential and commercial 10%, and other non-fossil fuel combustion 6%. That is 99% of the total globe greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States increased by about 7% between 1990 and 2013. (EPA, 2015) Not leaving out pollution also a contributor of increases in anthropogenic CO2. These things are the cause of the earth heating up, or global warming. Trees and plants help soak up the CO2 in the atmosphere but with the tearing down of trees to build industry buildings, residential and commercial buildings there are fewer trees and plants to take in CO2 for photosynthesis.…
In one premises, Contoski argued that there is no connection between carbon dioxide and global warming, and it is the weakest of greenhouse. Contoski conclusion is that “the public has been led to believe that increased carbon dioxide from human activities is causing a greenhouse effect that is heating the planet, but carbon dioxide comprises only 0.035% of our atmosphere and is a very weak greenhouse gas” (Global Warming is a Myth).…
An important issue affecting the world today is climate change due to the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases that is released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are gases that accumulate in the atmosphere due to human activity and the earth's natural biological and chemical processes. The four major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide , methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). The main contributing factor to climate change is the abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Due to the burning of fossil fuels, solid waste, trees, and other chemical reactions carbon dioxide is absorbed into the atmosphere enhancing the greenhouse effect.…
Greenhouse Gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere that may raise average temperatures on Earth. The burning of fossil fuels could be responsible for the increased levels of carbon dioxide. If current trends continue, future concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide in parts per million (ppm) could reach the levels shown in the accompanying table. The CO2 concentration in the year 2000 was greater than it had been at any time in the previous 160,000 years.…
The carbon cycle is based on carbon dioxide which is a very important element because it is a part of all life. All living things are made of elements such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. There are such compounds that are necessary for life such as sugars, fats, proteins etc. that joins with carbon to form these essential elements. Carbon is not just in all living things; carbon is also present in the earth’s atmosphere, soils, crust, and oceans. When we look at earth as a system, these components act as storage for large amounts of carbon and when there is movement between these storages, they connect to create cycles. An example of such cycle is photosynthesis in which the carbon in the atmosphere is used to create new plant material. Over time, these plants die or decay, are harvested by humans, or burned for energy or in wildfires. All these processes, which are movements that can cycle carbon back into the atmosphere, are amongst various components within the ecosystems, and after a while releases the carbon back into the atmosphere. Humans breathe oxygen in which plants breathe carbon dioxide and releases oxygen and when human’s burn trees and other solid carbon deposits into the atmosphere, the plants that breathe the CO2 can’t keep up and the CO2 is building up. While the CO2 builds up fast since the past hundreds of years, it traps solar heat and increases the global temperature rapidly. This is not good for humans and if this chain reaction continues, who knows if humans will be able to deal with the ultimate temperature change.…
In the reading ‘Global Warming” by Jill Egan the author explain how the Carbon Dioxide(CO2) is setting a layer on the atmosphere that is blocking the heats waves to get out, causing a global warming alert that could destroy a million kinds of plants and animals by the year 2050. According to studies, about 20 percent of the Earth's land area could be affected by this phenomenon .…
CO2 is one of the main gases contributing to global warming, which is scientifically proven to accelerate the natural process of climate change - currently the most serious environmental and…
In our society today global warming has become a topic of great debate. While many individuals are skeptical or disregard the theories regarding the Earth’s climate change, others look to the scientific literature that clearly supports the changes of our climate. According to the article “No Need to Panic About Global Warming”, global warming should be of no concern to individuals. “Many scientists and engineers who have looked carefully and independently at the science of climate” offer no evidence regarding the inflated climate changes and increased occurrence of aggressive greenhouse gasses. The article explains that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant and is a key component to the life cycle of the biosphere. The author argues…
There is evidence that global warming is becoming worse primarily due to rise in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. In 1950s, the concentration of carbon dioxide was at 315 parts per million. Currently, the concentration is about 385 parts per million. To discover an increase in concentration of carbon dioxide throughout history, scientists have used bubbles of air trapped in ice and results show that the current concentration of carbon dioxide is the highest and has been, for more than 10,000 years (Maslin, 2007).…
Ans. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that absorbs heat radiated by Earth’s surface. Increasing carbon dioxide could increase the greenhouse effect and lead to global warming.…
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions has led to the increase in global temperatures in the past century . Because of the preponderance of evidence linking greenhouse gases and climate change, governments worldwide are developing policy to reduce CO2 emissions.…
Ever since the Industrial Revolution started in the 1700s the emission of carbon dioxide has been the major problem for frequent occurrences of natural disasters because we are living in the time in which Earth is starting to warm up. Furthermore, carbon dioxide has taken its contribution as a major “greenhouse gas” in which it prevents heat from sunlight from escaping Earth. Because of the continuation of emission of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels such negative aspects are caused by a warm climate change such as melting of glaciers, stronger hurricanes, and more heat waves and…
Why don’t democrats like climate change? Do you feel the same way about democrats? “Democrats believe that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to our economy, our national security, and our children’s health and futures, and that Americans deserve the jobs and security that come from becoming the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.” If climate change continues, it will melt the polar ice caps. Climate change also interferes with the quality of the air. It is a national security threat. Worst of all, climate change affects children’s health and futures.…
For the past decade now there has been a long ongoing controversy, this controversy being this issue of global climate change. It has been a subject many people have been aware of yet few have actually talked about with the general public, as a result is has become one of the most undermined, yet widely discussed issues being held today amongst primarily scientists. Although scientist heavily debate on the subject, making suggestions on what needs to be done and pointing out the causes for climate change; we as a group need to take action in finding out what is happening to the Earth. It is only educating the general public is the only way we can come closer to reversing the damaged caused by global warming and climate…