There are numerous causes of global warming. These causes can be divided into two primary groups – natural causes and man-made causes.
While humans can do little to eradicate natural causes, it is possible to reduce or eliminate man-made causes.
Among the natural causes of global warming are sunspots, permafrost and water vapor; while among the man-made or anthropogenic causes are the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, fertilizer use and mining.
The natural causes of global warming have been contributing to it since before recorded history. But natural causes alone are not substantial enough to result in the climate changes currently taking place on our planet.
Most man-made causes of global warming result from an increase in greenhouse gases, which are gases that trap or absorb infrared radiation emitted from the planet.
According to studies, carbon dioxide is the most significant cause of global warming, and most carbon dioxide emissions result from the burning of fossil fuels. Each time a fossil fuel burns, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increase. Carbon dioxide absorbs infrared energy emitted from the Earth, preventing it from returning to space.
The drastic increase in the emission of carbon dioxide within the last 30 years caused by burning fossil fuels has been identified as the major reason for the change of temperature in the atmosphere
The generation of electricity through the burning of fossil fuels accounts for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the US, according to their Environmental Protection Agency. Coal is the largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions, giving off nearly twice as much carbon per energy unit as natural gas.
Carbon emissions from the burning of gasoline to power cars, trucks, and other methods of transportation is also one of the leading global warming causes in the US. The pollution created by cars and trucks constitutes nearly one-fifth of American emissions, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
As we have been taught in school, all living plants are capable of storing carbon, but as the number of plants on the planet declines, the amount of carbon dioxide free to build up in the atmosphere increases. Moreover, decaying plants give off stored carbon, thereby releasing a large abundance of carbon into the air during the clearing of forests or grasslands for building purposes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicates that 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to deforestation.
Much worst, each time we add fertilizer to soil, nitrogen oxide escapes into the atmosphere. When it comes to atmospheric warming, a pound of nitrous oxide is 300 times worse than a pound of carbon dioxide, making fertilizer use in farming one of the leading causes of global warming, according to the EPA.
Also, mining oil and coal allows methane – a greenhouse gas – to escape from the earth. Any time the soil is disturbed, stored gases make their way into the environment. According to the Clean Air Task Force, eight percent of all methane emissions can be traced to coal mining.
Global warming is the increase in average temperature of the oceans and the atmosphere. The surface temperature of Earth depends on a balance of incoming and outgoing heat. When outgoing heat or energy exceeds incoming energy, an ice age occurs. Global warming results when incoming energy levels are greater than outgoing energy levels.
Global warming can potentially affect every aspect of life on Earth as outlined by the UCS. Higher average temperatures will cause changes in plant and crop life, which can decrease worldwide food supplies. Warmer polar winters will result in melting sea ice, which will cause a rise in sea level. Warmer temperatures will also increase evaporation from large water bodies, which in turn, will increase cloud formation and the amount of rainfall.
Other potential effects of global warming include more frequent and stronger hurricanes and storms, as well as higher rates of some diseases, such as malaria
The steady rise in the global population is going to make the underlying causes of global climate change worse, making things even more difficult for an increasingly large number of people.
Scientists have spent several decades studying global warming in an attempt to predict what changes will occur in the future and determine how man can slow down or stop these changes from taking place. However, it took more than 20 years for people to broadly accept that mankind is causing global warming with the emission of greenhouse gases.
Unfortunately, no one can directly stop the natural contributors to global warming.
But by taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, we can help prevent global warming by decreasing the environmentally devastating effects of man-made causes.
It’s your personal decision whether you want to be the cause of global warming.
For me, I believe that it’s about time we make the moves to lessen the man-made causes of climate change.
