Global Warming

Summer for All Seasons

The atmosphere is something that surrounds us everyday, but do we really think about the changes that occur in it. It isn't that we just aren't paying attention, but more of the fact that it is hard to notice slight changes over long periods of time. Environment awareness has been on the rise in recent decades. What was once considered a thought; is now a concern regarding global warming. The “greenhouse effect” is a theory in which contributes to global warming. Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution have severely raised the atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and all greenhouse gases that help trap heat near the Earth’s surface.

To expand on the issue of global warming, we need to first break down this philosophy. Global warming is closely linked with the “greenhouse effect.” Global warming is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases (Time for a change.) The “greenhouse effect” is the warmth that happens when certain gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The light is let in by these gases and keeps heat from escaping, like the greenhouse glass walls. The sunlight shines onto the Earth’s surface, where it is then immersed and then bounces back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, the “greenhouse” gases entrap some of this heat, and the rest break away into space. More heat is trapped as more greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect theory presents the idea that the Earth’s atmospheric temperature is steadily rising due to deterioration of the o-zone layer. The rapid rise in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, are a serious problem because it is increasing the climate faster than it should be. In addition, the new and more unstable climate poses dangerous challenges to all species and plant life.

In past years, the Earth's climate has continually fluctuated between temperatures like those we see today but has always keep temperatures cold enough that ice covered much of North America and Europe. Observations show that the oceans have been heating up since 1975. According to the Environmental Defense, “Climate and ocean experts now agree on the cause of the temperature rise — human-produced global warming.” Ocean surface temperatures worldwide have risen on average 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.5 degrees Celsius, and ocean waters in many tropical regions have risen by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century (Environmental Defense.) This is about 30 times the amount of heat added to the atmosphere.

Now, with awareness of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice glaciers (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels greatly. As the mercury rises, the climate can change in unpredicted ways. Also weather can become more extreme as sea level rises. This would mean more powerful storms; more rain then followed by droughts that are longer and drier which would be difficult for growing crops, the many changes in which animals and plants will survive, and the loss of water supplies that have previously come from glaciers.

According to the Water Pollution Guide, “Industry is a huge source of water pollution, it produces pollutants that are extremely harmful to people and the environment.” Lead, mercury, sulphur, and oils are just a few sources that cause industrial pollutants. Lead is a metallic element that can cause environmental and health problems. Once the environment is contaminated this non-biodegradable substance (substance that is not capable of decaying through the action of living organism) is very hard to clean up. Lead is harmful to the health of many living things in our environment such as animals, including humans. Mercury is just as harmful as lead and is harmful to the health of animals as they can be very ill through mercury poisoning. Sulphur is another non-metallic substance that is hazardous to marine life. Just imagine how many hazardous waste that ends up in the ocean that is hazardous for aquatic life. There are many documentaries that discuss the threat to animals from humans throwing away their trash into the ocean or the runoff will carry it into the ocean such as the plastic rings from the six pack soda pop. They have shown ducks with the plastic rings from the six pack containers around the neck of the ducks and then there would be oil spilled, leaked or carried into the ocean which threatens aquatic life and plants. Oil does not dissolve in water; instead it creates a thick layer on the water surface. With the oil sitting on top of the water’s surface, it can eliminate marine plants receiving enough light for photosynthesis (receiving sunlight to grow just as it would be