The Greenhouse Effect Essay, Research Paper

The greenhouse effect occurs when gases such as methane, carbon dioxide,nitrogen oxide and CFCs trap heat in the atmosphere by acting as a pane ofglass in a car. ?The glass? lets the sun light in to make heat but when theheat tries to get out the gases absorb the heat. Holding this heat in causesheat waves, droughts and climate changes which could alter our way ofliving.The main gases that cause the greenhouse effect are water vapor, carbondioxide (CO2), and methane which comes mainly from animal manure.Other gases like nitrogen oxide and man made gases calledchloroflurocarbons get caught in the atmosphere as well. The decay ofanimals and respiration are two main but natural sources of carbon dioxide.In my opinion we people of the whole world should try and slow down theemmission of greenhouse gases and/or find ways to balance the gases so theclimate doesn’t change so rapidly. If it did we would be forced to adapt tothe new climate that we brought upon our selves. If we had a internationalcooperation to put a damper on the production of chloroflurocarbons andslowed down the use of fossil fuels it would dramatically slow down theprocess of “global warming.”Over the last 100 years the global temperatures have been increasing slowlybut steadily. Since 1980 the temperature has risen 0.2 degrees C (0.4 degrees F) each decade. Scientists predict that if we continue putting the sameamount of gas into the atmosphere by the year 2030 the temperature will berising as much as 0.5 degrees C (0.9 degrees F ) or more per decade. Over allthe global temperature could rise anywhere from 5 to 9 degrees over thenext fifty years.If the temperatures do rise as predicted several things could happen. Theincreases of temperature could alter the growth of crops in areas near theequator due to insufficient rain and heat. This could really hurt countriesthat rely on imported food. With the high temperatures the polar ice capscould melt and cause the sea water level to go up 1 to 3 feet. This increasecould take out small islands, coastal cities and some shallow rivers. TheEverglades in Florida would be almost if not totally wiped right off the map.The Everglades is the home for many animals and plant life. If it did getflooded, they would all have to move northward across very dry landwhich they will not be able to endure for very long. When the hottemperatures do spread southward and northward, tropical disease willspread with it. Disease that were down in Mexico will maybe occur in TheCarolinas or eventually Vermont. These new diseases will be hard to dealwith causing many more deaths and illnesses than before. The financialproblem with this is, that the flooding will cause dams to be built and citiesto be reconstructed. The shortage of food will cause the price of the food togo up and with all the diseases we will need more medical supplies andworkers. All of this combined could and will cost a lot of money if we don’tdo something about it now.The computer models can?t predict exactly what the climate is going to be inthe future, but they can come close to what it will be like down the road.Scientists proved this by predicting with computers what the climate was inthe past. Then by looking back in records, they found that the predictionswere close to being right.The “Topex” (Topographic Experiment) satellite has been collectinginformation on the changes of the sea level, and temperatures across theglobe and the amount of gases emitted into the atmosphere. Each day thesatellite makes 500,000 measurements, each at a different place on the earth.Measurements are all made between 66 degrees north and south latitudes.1The Cretaceous occurred over 100 million years ago. It was the warmestperiod we have knowledge of yet. There was so much carbon dioxide in theair that the oceans rose many meters. North America was flooded and splitapart into two pieces. The temperature then was more than fifteen degreesgreater than the average temperature today.Scientists believe that the tilt of the earth’s axis changes to tilt the oppositeway every 10,000 years like a cycle. While going through this cycle it willchange the climate of areas. Right now it is moving so that North Americais going to be close to the sun in the winter. Seasons become more extremewhen the opposite happens. This controls the cycle of ice ages. Volcanoeswhen they erupt, send clouds of dust into the air blocking sunlight. Thiswould cool the earth off more. Oceans are known to absorb CO2 because ofthe ocean currents and the action of plankton. There is some evidence thatthere is naturally rapid climate change between each Ice Age, whichconfuses the whole global warming and idea.I think every human being should take part in the fight to stop globalwarming. The government is the key to this and they better do somethingsoon or it will be too late. First, the American government should sponsora meeting between the nations of this world. They should establish acommittee for handling the money, politics, and scientific research in orderto help cut back the emission of gases into the atmosphere. Every countrywill contribute by donating money. Each country would be required to give0.01 of their GNP to this committee. If they refuse they will be boycotted andnothing will be sold to them by the participating countries.Global warming is a big threat to our nation and the world. If we do not actnow, it may be too late. Of course, there is no sure way of telling if thereactually is a greenhouse effect, but let?s not take any chances. Look at what ishappening to this world, and you will see that there is a pollution problem.There are steps being taken at this moment to reduce the gases put into theair but it still isn’t enough. We need to cut back more by taking a few easysteps. Plant a tree, or take a bus to work instead of driving your own car.Those things may not seem like a lot, but if more and more people do it, itwill make a difference.