Please review my research paper on the greenhouse effect. I need to write 2-3 paragraphs on what you say. Thank you for your help...Renn
It is my intention by writing this research paper to express the importance of slowing the occurrence known as Global Warming. There is a lot of material available to learn more about the harmful effects of Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect, both online, in magazine articles, and in books. Many government agencies have warned us that the Greenhouse Effect will only get worse if we cannot slow the process. If everyone were made more aware of this problem, maybe we can slow down the destruction of our environment.
I am beginning my research results with the process of Global Warming. This is a reaction to the gases in our atmosphere that hurt the Greenhouse Effect. They consist of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbon, tropospheric ozone, as well as, water vapor. Even though these gases are harmful, some are also needed to sustain life as we know it on our great planet, known as Earth. Methane is produced from livestock, rice paddies, and the combustion of wood, natural gas, coal, and oil. Nitrous oxide comes from chemical fertilizers and car exhaust and chlorofluorocarbons come from propellants and refrigerants.
The Greenhouse Effect traps infrared rays from the Sun and involves temperature and humidity, hence, the term "greenhouse" was used to describe this process. All these gases are floating around and when they are combined with the heat and moisture that are also in the atmosphere the "greenhouse" around Earth is inundated with too much. This is causing problems that are becoming clearer every year, both with the health of people, plants, and animals too. We definitely have other issues destroying our environment; such as deforestation and overpopulation among them. Items that I chose to focus on deal more with problems in the atmosphere than on Earth.
Eventually these gases and their effects will drastically raise or lower the temperature on Earth and all of humanity will be changed by it. Scientific studies have not proven which it will be, as of yet. When the Industrial Revolution began, no one knew it would lead to the possibility of raising or lowering the Earth's temperature. While it appeared unlikely that things such as structures, blacktop, concrete, vehicles, and large increases in the population, would have changed the temperature on the ground, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Scientists say the changes are nearing the point of no return, I am hoping they are wrong and that we can do something.
It was also assumed that a warmer atmosphere would contain higher amounts of moisture so that would create more clouds. The clouds would also reflect sunlight and possibly counteract the higher amount of carbon dioxide in the air. It was later discovered that the oceans hold 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere, although it seems the salt water absorbs most of it. Now the problem becomes, the CO2 that is absorbed into the ocean water turns acidic. This acidity causes the ocean water to absorb less carbon dioxide. The result of this process must certainly be that the carbon dioxide goes back into the atmosphere, where it stays and the levels of carbon dioxide continue to increase.
Without the Greenhouse Effect, the temperatures on Earth would be much lower. Instead of averaging around fifty nine degrees, it would be more like five degrees, Fahrenheit that is. Unfortunately, the use of fossil fuels has led to an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the air. This is caused by the combustion when coal and petroleum is burned. Processes such as these are thought to be the cause of increases in temperature on the planet. Without the natural Greenhouse Effect in our atmosphere the temperature on Earth would be much colder, maybe by as much as fifty four degrees Fahrenheit. Many differences are occurring in opinions, some say that the Earth will get warmer and some say colder. I guess time will tell which opinion is accurate in this matter of global warming, (or cooling).
The studies show that we are getting warmer, some say increasing at a faster rate than any other time in the past 800,000 years. While the majority of the highest temperatures recorded have been since the year 2000 (Hess 92). Weather is also affected in other ways by global warming conditions. There have been more hurricanes in the last few years of record than at any other time. It is thought that the reason for this occurrence is the increased surface temperature of the ocean. However, some believe it is just a cyclical pattern in our weather.
Most scientists continue to believe that human activity is the cause in the changes in the global climate, but to predict the future of climate changes is far less possible at this time. The changes in the levels of greenhouse gases in this century and their effect on climate is another area that is unpredictable, since all science can do at this point is introduce an educated guess. They can also continue to monitor the atmospheric changes that are happening and see if there is a pattern the changes are following, or if that pattern is human consumption or natural causes. The agencies that monitor changes in the weather patterns have various scenarios based on population increases and our continued use of fossil fuels.
One of their findings is that if greenhouse gas emissions are at or above the current rate, it is likely that by the end of this century, global temperatures will be much higher than they were in the twentieth century. Another possibility is that because of the fast rate of ice sheets melting, the ocean levels will rise significantly during this century. The reports show that summer ice sheets may disappear in the Arctic region by the end of this century. This will cause a problem in the coastlines of the world by shortening the shoreline and the protective barrier from storms will decline. At this time we will be more susceptible to violent, intense storms such as hurricanes. Also thought to occur will be tropical diseases, in humans, becoming more prevalent in the tropical areas of the world. Another outcome of the climate changes in the world will be shifts in location of some of the animals and plants, as well as an increased risk of fires in areas that have had decreased rain. In the worst affected areas some animals and plant life may become extinct, which in various parts of the world is already beginning to happen. As I stated at the start of this paper: Is it too late to stop the process of global warming? The most troubling findings for me, so far, seem to be that the continued rise in temperatures and sea levels may not stop even if we were to stabilize the greenhouse gases immediately.
It appears the strongest disagreement on this subject is in the areas of politics, economics, and public policy. There is an agreement that was created in 1997 called, The Kyoto Protocol, which quite simply states, that each country that is responsible for the highest emissions would agree to cut the carbon dioxide output by an average of five percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012 (Hess 230). As of now, the United States has not agreed to comply with this agreement. Why? It seems an obvious thing for us to do, to help control the problem before it gets worse. Also there are several developing countries that are now emitting greenhouse gases of their own. Many of these countries do not think it is fair they should cut their emissions since they are only in the beginning stages of their industrialization process. The United States has less than five percent of the world's population but emits nineteen percent of the total carbon dioxide. This percentage is second only to China who now emits approximately twenty one percent of the world's CO2. Since there are many more inhabitants of China it still appears the United States is the worst offender, per capita that is.
In a 2009 study, a senior scientist Susan Solomon, concluded that rising temperatures and sea levels and rainfall changes, are at this time, irreversible for several centuries to come even if or when the carbon dioxide emissions are stabilized (Hess 232). There are many areas of the world where the effects of global warming will be most felt, however, they are also some of the poorest nations and can do little to support the changes that are needed to help their own futures. The question remains: Is it up to the richer nations of the world to prepare the less fortunate ones for the outcome of our over use? The answer should be a simple one: Yes, we all should work together to make the world better for the future generations. This problem is a worldwide one and cannot be shouldered by only a few offenders.
In the early 1970s, the rise of environmentalism raised public doubts about the benefits of human activity for the planet (aip.org/history/climate/index.htm). At that same time scientists began to get quite concerned about the effects of dust and smog in the atmosphere, of the very real possibility that all of the particles could block the sunlight and maybe even cool the Earth. It has been considered that volcanic and solar eruptions, as well as earthquakes and tsunamis, could possibly change the world climate and would outweigh any human activity causations.
Then there is the question of polluting gases and smog contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects us from the sun and its destructive energy. In the 1980's when the problem of global warming became even more apparent, many corporations spent a lot of money trying to advertise there really was no problem. They also disliked the government regulations that had been suggested to clean up the environment. Of course they also did not want consumers to stop buying their products in the pursuit of conserving what may be destructive to the planet.
The agency known as, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC came up with information early on about the effects of human activity on climate. Since their report in 2007 it has been determined that the increase in the temperatures on Earth is far higher than they projected. It has also been shown that the carbon dioxide that comes from the use of fossil fuels is lighter than other carbons in the air. When measured, there is a significantly higher level of the lighter form of carbon dioxide. This all but proves that the warming that is occurring on the planet is caused by human consumption (Union of Concerned Scientists).
California has also implemented the world's most comprehensive plan to cut global warming pollution across the entire state. If their plan works for them it will surely work for other states and countries as well. All of civilization has to curb the use of fossil fuels more to try to improve the air quality and promote a better standard of living. In the event it is too late to correct what has already happened, it will help to at least delay the progression of global warming (Union of Concerned Scientists).
California and other western states have also decided to continue the use of alternative fuel vehicles to further help with the problems of pollution in their states. The electricity that is created by coal burning power plants is a major contributor to the global warming pollution in this country. There are many things in use today that help slow the use of fossil fuels. Included in the list of helpful energy saving devices are things like turbines, which use the wind to generate electricity. If you have ever driven by a turbine field it is quite a sight to see, hundreds of turbines all spinning slowly as they do their part to develop alternative ways to power our cities.
Nuclear power facilities are also a clean way to generate power for the masses that use it. The problem with nuclear facilities is that, they can be and are, dangerous and hazardous. The NRC or Nuclear Regulatory Commission is supposed to enforce the policies that the United States has mandated however, those policies are rarely enforced. Another problem with nuclear power plants is that the United States lacks the security to protect them adequately enough in the event one of our enemies was to attack them. The contamination and loss of life could be substantial if such an attack were to happen. It must be a strict requirement for all new reactors being built to be much safer than the ones we now have. We must minimize the chance of disaster by using better safety features against leakage of contaminants during a terrorist attack. There must also be a safe and effective way to dispose of the waste that is generated by the use of nuclear power. If the public feels secure and safe with a nuclear power plant nearby, it will encourage the growth of new reactors and in turn help with our energy crisis. Our government must also have ways to ensure that no one can steal any of the nuclear material to use in an attack against the communities they serve. If all these things were enacted nuclear power would be the best alternative for our power, both here in the United States and the whole world.
Even though the nuclear disaster in Japan was terrible, it did help to alert officials in other countries such as ours that we had better be prepared for a similar situation at one of our reactor sites. There has been so much information made available to us that if we do not listen to it we would be foolish and we would all play a huge part in our own demise. We have only the planet Earth to live on at this point and, until or if, they find a planet we can survive on this is where we must live.
As a small child I recall the constant threat of a war with the USSR, now Russia. Of course the Korean Conflict and Vietnam, as well, was always on the news and a topic of conversation many times back then. For the most part we are civil with other countries now and with technology changing so rapidly, almost daily, there should be no reason that, together, we could not come up with ways to better use the resources available. With all the research scientists out there calculating ways to cure the problems of global warming and the Greenhouse Effect, it is only a matter of time until we have a working plan in order. Our President Obama, such as many other presidents in the recent past, is trying to get congress and the senate to understand we have to get this worked out soon. I am hoping he is successful in his quest while he is still in office. Either that or maybe if he gets re-elected he can get them roaring into action. Unfortunately, our government agencies do not think important things need to get done quickly, or so it appears.
In my lifetime, so far, I have seen a lot of changes in policy in the United States. I can recall many years ago, while living in California, there was a debate on whether the state should do something about the growing problem of the smoggy skies in Los Angeles. At the time it was getting quite bad so they decided to enact emissions control on vehicles. In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan, signed an act that combined two state agencies that were trying to regulate emissions coming from most vehicles. It was this and other things that led to the eventual use of catalytic converters that are in vehicles today. The catalytic converter helps to diminish the intensity of burned gasoline emissions or exhaust. It is that type of invention that needs to be created to further the successful limiting or eliminating of the harmful gases that hurt the Greenhouse Effect and cause global warming in the world.
In closing on this important topic I would like to say, I have tried to limit my use of fossil fuels and try to recycle anything I can. With the price of gas being so high it might be easy to implement my idea. If each of us stopped driving for a week or even a day, it might lead to less travel and less use of fossil fuels by everyone. Over the course of a year just think of the impact that could have on our environment and the atmosphere we live in. It may be quite substantial and worth every sacrifice we make to cut back.
It is my intention by writing this research paper to express the importance of slowing the occurrence known as Global Warming. There is a lot of material available to learn more about the harmful effects of Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect, both online, in magazine articles, and in books. Many government agencies have warned us that the Greenhouse Effect will only get worse if we cannot slow the process. If everyone were made more aware of this problem, maybe we can slow down the destruction of our environment.
I am beginning my research results with the process of Global Warming. This is a reaction to the gases in our atmosphere that hurt the Greenhouse Effect. They consist of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbon, tropospheric ozone, as well as, water vapor. Even though these gases are harmful, some are also needed to sustain life as we know it on our great planet, known as Earth. Methane is produced from livestock, rice paddies, and the combustion of wood, natural gas, coal, and oil. Nitrous oxide comes from chemical fertilizers and car exhaust and chlorofluorocarbons come from propellants and refrigerants.
The Greenhouse Effect traps infrared rays from the Sun and involves temperature and humidity, hence, the term "greenhouse" was used to describe this process. All these gases are floating around and when they are combined with the heat and moisture that are also in the atmosphere the "greenhouse" around Earth is inundated with too much. This is causing problems that are becoming clearer every year, both with the health of people, plants, and animals too. We definitely have other issues destroying our environment; such as deforestation and overpopulation among them. Items that I chose to focus on deal more with problems in the atmosphere than on Earth.
Eventually these gases and their effects will drastically raise or lower the temperature on Earth and all of humanity will be changed by it. Scientific studies have not proven which it will be, as of yet. When the Industrial Revolution began, no one knew it would lead to the possibility of raising or lowering the Earth's temperature. While it appeared unlikely that things such as structures, blacktop, concrete, vehicles, and large increases in the population, would have changed the temperature on the ground, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Scientists say the changes are nearing the point of no return, I am hoping they are wrong and that we can do something.
It was also assumed that a warmer atmosphere would contain higher amounts of moisture so that would create more clouds. The clouds would also reflect sunlight and possibly counteract the higher amount of carbon dioxide in the air. It was later discovered that the oceans hold 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere, although it seems the salt water absorbs most of it. Now the problem becomes, the CO2 that is absorbed into the ocean water turns acidic. This acidity causes the ocean water to absorb less carbon dioxide. The result of this process must certainly be that the carbon dioxide goes back into the atmosphere, where it stays and the levels of carbon dioxide continue to increase.
Without the Greenhouse Effect, the temperatures on Earth would be much lower. Instead of averaging around fifty nine degrees, it would be more like five degrees, Fahrenheit that is. Unfortunately, the use of fossil fuels has led to an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the air. This is caused by the combustion when coal and petroleum is burned. Processes such as these are thought to be the cause of increases in temperature on the planet. Without the natural Greenhouse Effect in our atmosphere the temperature on Earth would be much colder, maybe by as much as fifty four degrees Fahrenheit. Many differences are occurring in opinions, some say that the Earth will get warmer and some say colder. I guess time will tell which opinion is accurate in this matter of global warming, (or cooling).
The studies show that we are getting warmer, some say increasing at a faster rate than any other time in the past 800,000 years. While the majority of the highest temperatures recorded have been since the year 2000 (Hess 92). Weather is also affected in other ways by global warming conditions. There have been more hurricanes in the last few years of record than at any other time. It is thought that the reason for this occurrence is the increased surface temperature of the ocean. However, some believe it is just a cyclical pattern in our weather.
Most scientists continue to believe that human activity is the cause in the changes in the global climate, but to predict the future of climate changes is far less possible at this time. The changes in the levels of greenhouse gases in this century and their effect on climate is another area that is unpredictable, since all science can do at this point is introduce an educated guess. They can also continue to monitor the atmospheric changes that are happening and see if there is a pattern the changes are following, or if that pattern is human consumption or natural causes. The agencies that monitor changes in the weather patterns have various scenarios based on population increases and our continued use of fossil fuels.
One of their findings is that if greenhouse gas emissions are at or above the current rate, it is likely that by the end of this century, global temperatures will be much higher than they were in the twentieth century. Another possibility is that because of the fast rate of ice sheets melting, the ocean levels will rise significantly during this century. The reports show that summer ice sheets may disappear in the Arctic region by the end of this century. This will cause a problem in the coastlines of the world by shortening the shoreline and the protective barrier from storms will decline. At this time we will be more susceptible to violent, intense storms such as hurricanes. Also thought to occur will be tropical diseases, in humans, becoming more prevalent in the tropical areas of the world. Another outcome of the climate changes in the world will be shifts in location of some of the animals and plants, as well as an increased risk of fires in areas that have had decreased rain. In the worst affected areas some animals and plant life may become extinct, which in various parts of the world is already beginning to happen. As I stated at the start of this paper: Is it too late to stop the process of global warming? The most troubling findings for me, so far, seem to be that the continued rise in temperatures and sea levels may not stop even if we were to stabilize the greenhouse gases immediately.
It appears the strongest disagreement on this subject is in the areas of politics, economics, and public policy. There is an agreement that was created in 1997 called, The Kyoto Protocol, which quite simply states, that each country that is responsible for the highest emissions would agree to cut the carbon dioxide output by an average of five percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012 (Hess 230). As of now, the United States has not agreed to comply with this agreement. Why? It seems an obvious thing for us to do, to help control the problem before it gets worse. Also there are several developing countries that are now emitting greenhouse gases of their own. Many of these countries do not think it is fair they should cut their emissions since they are only in the beginning stages of their industrialization process. The United States has less than five percent of the world's population but emits nineteen percent of the total carbon dioxide. This percentage is second only to China who now emits approximately twenty one percent of the world's CO2. Since there are many more inhabitants of China it still appears the United States is the worst offender, per capita that is.
In a 2009 study, a senior scientist Susan Solomon, concluded that rising temperatures and sea levels and rainfall changes, are at this time, irreversible for several centuries to come even if or when the carbon dioxide emissions are stabilized (Hess 232). There are many areas of the world where the effects of global warming will be most felt, however, they are also some of the poorest nations and can do little to support the changes that are needed to help their own futures. The question remains: Is it up to the richer nations of the world to prepare the less fortunate ones for the outcome of our over use? The answer should be a simple one: Yes, we all should work together to make the world better for the future generations. This problem is a worldwide one and cannot be shouldered by only a few offenders.
In the early 1970s, the rise of environmentalism raised public doubts about the benefits of human activity for the planet (aip.org/history/climate/index.htm). At that same time scientists began to get quite concerned about the effects of dust and smog in the atmosphere, of the very real possibility that all of the particles could block the sunlight and maybe even cool the Earth. It has been considered that volcanic and solar eruptions, as well as earthquakes and tsunamis, could possibly change the world climate and would outweigh any human activity causations.
Then there is the question of polluting gases and smog contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects us from the sun and its destructive energy. In the 1980's when the problem of global warming became even more apparent, many corporations spent a lot of money trying to advertise there really was no problem. They also disliked the government regulations that had been suggested to clean up the environment. Of course they also did not want consumers to stop buying their products in the pursuit of conserving what may be destructive to the planet.
The agency known as, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC came up with information early on about the effects of human activity on climate. Since their report in 2007 it has been determined that the increase in the temperatures on Earth is far higher than they projected. It has also been shown that the carbon dioxide that comes from the use of fossil fuels is lighter than other carbons in the air. When measured, there is a significantly higher level of the lighter form of carbon dioxide. This all but proves that the warming that is occurring on the planet is caused by human consumption (Union of Concerned Scientists).
California has also implemented the world's most comprehensive plan to cut global warming pollution across the entire state. If their plan works for them it will surely work for other states and countries as well. All of civilization has to curb the use of fossil fuels more to try to improve the air quality and promote a better standard of living. In the event it is too late to correct what has already happened, it will help to at least delay the progression of global warming (Union of Concerned Scientists).
California and other western states have also decided to continue the use of alternative fuel vehicles to further help with the problems of pollution in their states. The electricity that is created by coal burning power plants is a major contributor to the global warming pollution in this country. There are many things in use today that help slow the use of fossil fuels. Included in the list of helpful energy saving devices are things like turbines, which use the wind to generate electricity. If you have ever driven by a turbine field it is quite a sight to see, hundreds of turbines all spinning slowly as they do their part to develop alternative ways to power our cities.
Nuclear power facilities are also a clean way to generate power for the masses that use it. The problem with nuclear facilities is that, they can be and are, dangerous and hazardous. The NRC or Nuclear Regulatory Commission is supposed to enforce the policies that the United States has mandated however, those policies are rarely enforced. Another problem with nuclear power plants is that the United States lacks the security to protect them adequately enough in the event one of our enemies was to attack them. The contamination and loss of life could be substantial if such an attack were to happen. It must be a strict requirement for all new reactors being built to be much safer than the ones we now have. We must minimize the chance of disaster by using better safety features against leakage of contaminants during a terrorist attack. There must also be a safe and effective way to dispose of the waste that is generated by the use of nuclear power. If the public feels secure and safe with a nuclear power plant nearby, it will encourage the growth of new reactors and in turn help with our energy crisis. Our government must also have ways to ensure that no one can steal any of the nuclear material to use in an attack against the communities they serve. If all these things were enacted nuclear power would be the best alternative for our power, both here in the United States and the whole world.
Even though the nuclear disaster in Japan was terrible, it did help to alert officials in other countries such as ours that we had better be prepared for a similar situation at one of our reactor sites. There has been so much information made available to us that if we do not listen to it we would be foolish and we would all play a huge part in our own demise. We have only the planet Earth to live on at this point and, until or if, they find a planet we can survive on this is where we must live.
As a small child I recall the constant threat of a war with the USSR, now Russia. Of course the Korean Conflict and Vietnam, as well, was always on the news and a topic of conversation many times back then. For the most part we are civil with other countries now and with technology changing so rapidly, almost daily, there should be no reason that, together, we could not come up with ways to better use the resources available. With all the research scientists out there calculating ways to cure the problems of global warming and the Greenhouse Effect, it is only a matter of time until we have a working plan in order. Our President Obama, such as many other presidents in the recent past, is trying to get congress and the senate to understand we have to get this worked out soon. I am hoping he is successful in his quest while he is still in office. Either that or maybe if he gets re-elected he can get them roaring into action. Unfortunately, our government agencies do not think important things need to get done quickly, or so it appears.
In my lifetime, so far, I have seen a lot of changes in policy in the United States. I can recall many years ago, while living in California, there was a debate on whether the state should do something about the growing problem of the smoggy skies in Los Angeles. At the time it was getting quite bad so they decided to enact emissions control on vehicles. In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan, signed an act that combined two state agencies that were trying to regulate emissions coming from most vehicles. It was this and other things that led to the eventual use of catalytic converters that are in vehicles today. The catalytic converter helps to diminish the intensity of burned gasoline emissions or exhaust. It is that type of invention that needs to be created to further the successful limiting or eliminating of the harmful gases that hurt the Greenhouse Effect and cause global warming in the world.
In closing on this important topic I would like to say, I have tried to limit my use of fossil fuels and try to recycle anything I can. With the price of gas being so high it might be easy to implement my idea. If each of us stopped driving for a week or even a day, it might lead to less travel and less use of fossil fuels by everyone. Over the course of a year just think of the impact that could have on our environment and the atmosphere we live in. It may be quite substantial and worth every sacrifice we make to cut back.
