Introduction In my investigation I will show the cause of global warming, the effects it is having on earth today and what we all can do to help minimize it. I want to learn more about global warming so that I can share with others the understanding of it and what it is really doing to our planet. Global warming is the most serious potential environmental concern today. Global warming is the rising in the average temperature of the world. The temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit from the mid 1800’s to now. Researchers believe that human activity is the main cause. Human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through buildup of greenhouse gases. Global warming is also known as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is what regulates the temperature of our planet. There are many things affected by global warming, air pollution, vanishing wildlife, spreading of disease, coral bleaching and melting ice caps to just name a few. According to former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, we are facing a climate crisis, one that may seem to be happening slowly but is actually happening very quickly. If we don’t recognize that this is a real crisis and take action, then the consequences will only get worse.
What Is Global Warming? To better understand what’s happening to our planet we must first educate ourselves on what global warming is. Global warming is also known as the “Greenhouse effect”. Atmospheric gases form a shield that surrounds earth. The air that makes up our atmosphere is made of primarily of Nitrogen and Oxygen. The remainder is made up of trace gases including carbon dioxide and methane which are called greenhouse gases. As the sun’s rays strike the earth’s surface heat is radiated back into the atmosphere. Some heat escapes into space – but the remaining heat is trapped by greenhouse gases, such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon