GLOBAL WARMING

Global Warming-How Will It Affect You?Global warming is one of the last things on most people’s minds. However, global warming is being discussed more and more, because scientists are realizing global warming does not benefit humans. Global warming does not benefit humans, because it is causing the amount of people with skin cancer to rise, ruining crops, and causing people to lose their homes.One of the negative effects on humans due to global warming is skin cancer. Global warming is caused by a depletion of the ozone layer. This depletion causes more UVA and UVB rays to reach the earth’s surface. The UVA and UVB rays are what cause skin cancer (“Global”). Therefore, as global warming increases so will the amount of skin cancer. This is already evident today. The most fatal type of skin cancer is melanoma. Since 1981, melanoma has increased three percent per year. You can protect yourself from UVB rays by wearing sunscreen, but nothing will protect you from UVA rays that...

Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. This results in an increased emission of greenhouse gases. Short-wave solar radiation sinks into the Earth's atmosphere and warms its surface; while long wave infrared radiation emitted by earth's surface is absorbed, and then re-emitted by trace gases. Climate changes occur in our earth's atmosphere due to a buildup of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can occur naturally as well as a result of human activities. Problems can occur when higher concentrations of greenhouse gases are present in our atmosphere because they have enhanced our earth's heat trapping capability. There are many misconceptions about global warming. Some believe that pollution causes global warming, but the fact is global warming is the result of burning fossil fuels, coal, and oil that release carbon dioxide. Another misconception is nuclear power causes climate change. Nuclear power actually reduces emissions of carbon dioxide when used in place of coal. Some believe that global warming means that it will become warmer all over. The name is misleading because in some places, it will actually become colder. The majority of scientists believe global warming is a process underway and that it is human-induced. The greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases occur naturally. The Earth uses those gases to warm its surface. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels, wood, and wood products are burned. Each greenhouse gas absorbs heat differently. If natural gases did not occur, the temperatures would be 91.4 degrees cooler than the current temperatures. These gases trap heat and cause the greenhouse effect, rising global temperatures. Human activities add to the levels of these gasses, causing more problems. The burning of solid waste, fossil fuels, and wood products are major causes. Automobiles, heat from homes and businesses, and factories are responsible for about 80% of today's carbon dioxide emissions, 25% of methane, and 20% of the nitrous oxide emissions. The increase in agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining contribute a significant share of emissions too. The gases released into the atmosphere are tracked by emission inventories. An emission inventory counts the amount of air pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. These emission inventories are used by many organizations. The Centers for Disease Control have been involved in studying global warming's effect on human health. Global warming is a danger to a human's health. Its affect on climate can adversely affect humans. Plagues have been attributed to global warming. An increase in temperature can result in a longer life cycle for diseases or the agents spreading them. Living in a warm area makes egg production a quicker process. Global warming will lead to more precipitation, which enables infectious diseases to be more easily contracted and spread. Effects of global warming on human health might not be immediately detected. Global warming can affect our future ability to obtain food. As climates change, plants and animals will change, leading to a change in the eating patterns of humans. An increase in precipitation is one result of global warming that could have devastating effects. First, the quality of crops would be affected by an increase in precipitation. Second, increasing rain could lead to an increase in soil erosion. There are ways that you can help prevent global warming. Car pooling, auditing the energy in your home, buying fuel-efficient cars, and reducing the electricity in your home are ways to help prevent global warming. You can also write to your local congress representative or your local newspaper in response to stories, which say global warming, does not exist. Government authorities can help by passing laws to reduce emissions from factories. They can also form a treaty with other countries to legally bind limits on emissions of heat trapping gases. The future of emissions damage depends on several factors, demographics, economics, technology, policies and institutional developments. Future predictions do not look good for this planet if nothing is done. Without the help of emissions control policies, CO2 levels are projected to be 30 -150% higher in 2100. Our renewable resources will be very limited. With cooperation from citizens and government officials, we can slow the effect of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming is a matter of great concern that is unfortunately quite often overlooked in light of other problems that seem to be more immediately demanding. However, for all the attention that this issue does not draw, that is how dire it is growing to be. There are many problems that are causing global warming, and if they are not rectified, or at least prevented from here on out there are going to be some severe ramifications in the near future. Greenhouse gases, holes in the ozone layer and the decay of the atmosphere are just a few of the problems that need to be at the very least understood by the general populace. Greenhouse gases are chemical compounds that are found in the atmosphere. Because of their chemical make up, they allow energy from the sun to enter the atmosphere freely. “When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere.

Warning of the Future
You have all heard the doomsday stories of global warming and they all may be true. The temperature increases are shifting climate zones of warmer regions farther and farther north. Permafrost is the hard frozen earth that makes up most of the land area in northern Canada and Alaska. This layer freezes and refreezes every year but recently it has remained in its swamp like state longer and longer each year. This affects the availability of northern highways. In 1970, the highways that were supported by the permafrost were open 225 days of the year; these same roads are now only open about 75 days. The melting of the permafrost and the resulting slushy ground is toppling trees and houses that were held up by it. The Alaskan pipes were built on permafrost are breaking down more consistently.
These temperature changes will not just be affecting permafrost and toppling trees, there are much more dramatic effects global warming has on the world. The advance of warm temperatures towards the poles is causing massive chunks of the ice caps to break off into the ocean. This decreases habit and range for a variety of creatures who seek out colder waters interspersed with icebergs or stable breeding grounds for seals. The other great problem is rising ocean levels.
Ocean levels don’t rise from the melting of the ice sheets for the same reason as ice cubes in a cup of water keep the same water level when left out on a sunny day, which is just a property of water. The real danger comes from ice sheets covering land masses namely Greenland. If all the ice on Greenland melts the coast line of the world will plunge as sea levels rise 20 feet. This will cover most of Florida along with the low lying lands that most of the Earth’s densely populated areas lie. Millions of people would have to be relocated should land based ice sheets thaw out.