Global Warming

Global warming is an increase in the temperature and the change in the world’s climate during the last century, resulting from an increase of carbon dioxide, methane, and some other gases in the atmosphere. These gases are known as greenhouse gases. As a result, glaciers are melting, adding fresh water to oceans, which makes some coastal countries endangered by floods.

Scientists are divided into those who say that it is a normal change in the weather, and the planet must face cold periods and hot periods such as this. This makes a lot of the companies and factories that produce pollution feel better, and allow them to escape their responsibilities for the increase of the temperature. However, most scientists disagree strongly with this, and say that it is not a normal case. They say that the ozone layer is damaged because of the carbon dioxide and some other gases which are produced from the cars, factories and power plants which pollute the atmosphere.

Causes of global warming

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the main causes of global warming. CO2 is coming from burned fossils, cars, trucks, airplanes, building structures and factories. These are the main things that produce most of the CO2 in the atmosphere. Methane comes after CO2 by the amount, but methane is more than 20 times as effective as CO2 in holding heat inside the earth. Also nitrous oxide (NO2) known as “laughing gas” is counted as one of the causes of global warming. It is a colorless and nonflammable gas. Nitrous oxide is naturally produced by oceans and rainforests. Nylon, nitric acid production and fertilizers in agriculture are man-made sources of nitrous oxide. Sunlight helps in breaking down the NO2, but CO2 is interrupting this operation. Naturally, plants help in the CO2 cycle, because they take CO2 and convert it to oxygen. But humans are cutting down trees for wood needs and increasing the wood supply. This operation is named deforestation.