Global Warming and Climate Change

Abstract

Global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. Climate change is an effect of global warming that cause drastic changes in the weather. Volcanic eruptions, solar radiation, and movement of crustal plates are some of the natural causes of climate change. Additionally, modern lifestyle is a substantial contributor to climate change. Global warming influenced by society is caused through an increase in greenhouse gases. Some of these gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, fluorinated gases and nitrous oxide. These gases warm the Earth’s atmosphere by trapping heat. Fluorinated gases have the highest warming potential followed by nitrous oxide, methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor. In the environment, water vapor is released in enormous amounts followed by carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. Water vapor is a special gas because it has a low warming potential but is released in such high amounts, therefore, it has the highest warming effect. The carbon cycle circulates and transforms carbon back and forth between living species and the environment. Animal agriculture, transportation, and water utilities disrupt the carbon cycle by releasing stored carbon. As a result of global warming the following occur: intense heat, droughts, hurricanes, fires, floods, and rising of the sea level. Researchers created two experiments, the first experiment tested the warming potential of greenhouse gases at a constant rate. In contrast, the second experiment tested the warming potential of greenhouse gases at the rate they are released in the environment. In order to conduct these experiments greenhouses, ice sculptures, lights and thermometers were used. The results stated fluorinated gases had the greatest warming potential, while gases were distributed at a constant rate and carbon dioxide had the greatest warming potential when release in correlation to the environment. In conclusion, global warming is caused by greenhouse gases that are released by modern lifestyle. If global warming continues there will be fatal outcomes and congress has the power to prevent this by imposing a law in which methane is taxed.