Global warming Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global warming - Term Paper Example With the implementation of information taken from scholarly texts, this report will address the history of global warming, what causes global warming, what the effects and consequences are, and how global warming can be prevented. Global warming Brief history of global warming Global warming may seem to many people like a modern day concern, an event that our current generation has brought upon itself. However, scientists and researchers have been following the steady progress of global warming since the 1800s. During the first Industrial Revolution, it was recorded that the coal, railroads, and the clearing of forests for various factories were causing greenhouse gas emissions to accelerate (Weart, 2008). As scientists studied the second Industrial Revolution, the same changes were again noted. A connection was then made between what was taking place on earth, such as wars and deforestation, and the moderate change in the earth’s surface temperature. Since these first recordi ngs of the changes in the world in relation to the changes of the surface temperature, the earth’s temperature has increased from 2.5 to 5 degrees Celsius. While this may seem like a minimal increase, scientists today have reason to believe that the increase will become more prominent over time as people find more ways to release dangerous emissions into the air. Causes of global warming Global warming is the result of greenhouse gases being trapped within the earth’s atmosphere. As these gases build up, the temperature becomes warmer and the earth feels the effects. Carbon dioxide is one of the main gases involved in the process of global warming as it has the capability of building up for a span of time that can exceed a few hundred years (Weart). Carbon dioxide is also considered to be the most dangerous of the gases since it only takes a small amount of carbon dioxide emissions to cause a significant increase in temperature. The more emissions that enter our atmosp here, the greater the buildup that remains, which results in a higher surface temperature. Human beings have a slightly less direct involvement with the causing of global warming, but our actions are no less important to take into consideration. The majority of human beings have played a rather detached role in the building up of emissions in our atmosphere. The cars that people drive require gasoline, which produce vapors that rise into the air. Numerous forests and parks have been demolished to make room for stores and factories; the absence of trees and plants means that less carbon dioxide is being absorbed and turned into oxygen (Weart), which is vital to the overall health of the environment. While many of the gases are naturally released into the air, the human race is to blame for the quantity of emissions currently building up in the atmosphere. Up until recent years, finite resources were being used up as if there were no end to their supplies. Electricity and gasoline, fo r example, are used on a regular basis (Weart) with little to no thought about the emissions that they release into the atmosphere. All the same, people still make sure that all of their cars are gassed up and every room in their house is well-lit. People continue to create factories and businesses that constantly release deadly gases, but no thought is ever put into the harm that these apparent necessities bring about. Effects of global warming