Global Warming

GLOBAL WARMING

The scientific definition of global warming is the following: an increase in the Earth’s average

atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse

effect. Most of global warming is due to human activities over the past 50 years. These activities include

burning fossil fuels, land clearing, and agriculture.

The most vulnerable part of the Earth’s ecosystem is its atmosphere. There’s a thin layer of atmosphere

that traps infrared rays. The problem is that pollution makes that thin layer thicker so the rays can’t escape.

That thickened layer bounces the rays back which cause an increase in the Earth’s average temperature. An

increase in the Earth’s temperature can cause hurricanes, floods, droughts, a rise in sea level, and glacier retreat.

About 40% of the people of Earth get their water from glaciers. That’s going to start to be a problem because

the ice cap has diminished about 40% in the past 50 years. The United States is responsible for most of the

global warming. We are one of the nations that haven’t signed the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol