Global Warming Nightmare !!

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The greenhouse effect, a natural process that regulates the temperature of Earth, is a very complex system. As the sun hits the Earth to heat it, some of the heat bounces back up into space. The remainder of the heat becomes trapped in the atmosphere, due to clouds and greenhouse gasses. The Earth's atmosphere has many components. It contains 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% Trace Gasses. In addition, greenhouse gasses, the gasses that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, are water vapor, clouds, and other gasses. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would be 60 degrees colder, and not able to support life. There are also man made greenhouse gasses that if exerted in abundance, can harm the Earth. The major man made greenhouse gasses are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Basically, the greenhouse effect conserves the warm temperature of the Earth. As more and more fossil fuels are being burned, the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are drastically increasing. In addition, methane and nitrogen levels in the atmosphere are rising, due to everyday human activity, such as driving cars. In contrast, completely diminishing greenhouse gasses emissions in the atmosphere is not an option, as natural gas emissions occur naturally and are needed for the greenhouse effect. However, we do need to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere. If we fail to do so, global warming will remain on the rise. 

GLOBAL WARMING: THE BIG PICTURE

Global Warming, a topic much discussed, is they theory that the Earth is gradually getting warmer, due to atmospheric changes. As fossil fuels are continuously being burned, carbon dioxide is being emitted into the atmosphere, making the Earth warmer. Too many greenhouse gasses are being released into the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Because the Earth is being made warmer, many things in the environment are beginning to change for the worse. 

GLOBAL WARMING: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

There are many contributing factors to global warming. The top contributor is power stations. Power stations emit carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels. 21.3% of annual greenhouses gasses are from power stations. Following power stations is industrial processes, transportation fuels, and agricultural byproducts, which emit methane into the atmosphere, and is 12.5% of the annual greenhouse gasses. Residential, commercial and other sources, land mass and biomass burning and waste disposal and treatment are the last three greatest factors. 



GLOBAL WARMING: LOCAL EFFECTS 
Global warming isn't a subject to ignore, it is affecting everyone. Over the past century, the average warming was 1.3 ° F. If global warming continues, by 2100, temperatures will have risen by 3 ° F- 7° F. This extreme change will not only cause ocean and air temperatures to rise, but will also cause the melting of snow and ice. This includes the melting of glaciers. For many animals, their home will melt away, and they will become extinct. In comparison, it is predicted that ocean water will expand, and costal parts of Greenland and the Antarctic ice sheets will slide into the ocean. Similarly, tropical storms are expected to intensify, as well as producing more powerful peak winds and increased rainfall. Also, there are many unusual things that global warming will affect. Over the next 40 years, the hotter temperatures will cause a 20% drop in California's almond and walnut crops. In addition, the amount of baseball bats will be lesser. The ash tree, which baseball bats are made from, is in danger of disappearing. If we don't take action now and we keep emitting too many greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, there will be serious trouble for the next generations. 










WHAT YOU CAN DO DIFFERENTLY 
Now the question is…what can we do to put a stop to global warming? There are many things you can easily do in your daily life to help stop global warming. Saving energy is a very important factor in stopping global warming. When you leave lights on, energy is being used up. Many times, lights are left on when people aren't in the room. Not only will turning off lights what only save the environment, but it will also save you money. In comparison, look for bulbs that are Energy Star qualified. As the name says, Energy Star appliances use about 75% less energy than regular appliances, therefore reducing the greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere. There are more than 50 different categories in Energy Star products. Similarly, green power, an electricity source that is environmentally friendly, is generated from wind and the sun. The average home's annual energy bill is $1,248/year. The home equipped with Energy Star annual energy bill is $888/year. This drastic cost decrease of $400/year (31%) is not only great for you, but is also imperative for the well-being of the environment. If every business and household installed Energy Star products in their own home, over the next 15 years, the decrease of carbon dioxide would be equivalent to 17 million cars of the road for each of those 15 years! Likewise, if this happened, the entire country would save $100 billion in energy bills. In 1997 alone, Energy Star products saved 15 million tons of carbon dioxide from emitting into the atmosphere. 

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH 

Global Warming will do a vast amount of harm to the Earth if we don't take action now and put a stop to it. By doing this, we will be decreasing the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. Power stations are the greatest amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. They emit greenhouse gasses by burning fossil fuels. Global warming is and will effect precipitation and sea level changes in the future. But, there are many things that everyone can do to stop global warming, such as buying Energy Star certified appliances and turning off lights.