Over the past 100 years, mankind has been burning increasing quantities of fossil fuels (such as coal and oil) to provide energy. This has released large volumes of a number of gases into the atmosphere, particularly CO2. At the same time, the world's remaining large forests - which help absorb CO2 - are being rapidly destroyed by commercial logging and to make way for farm land. Overall, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased by 30% over the last century.When in the atmosphere, CO2 and other gases are thought to lead to a 'greenhouse effect': they allow sunlight to pass through, but absorb heat emitted by the earth, trapping it and leading to global warming. Weather records seem to support this theory. Average temperatures have increased by up to 0.6°C since the 19th century; the four hottest years since accurate records began have all been in the last decade. Unusual weather patterns such as floods and droughts have also been on the increase, with the uncharacteristically strong El Niño events of recent years causing widespread disruption. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body set up to study possible global warming, has concluded that "... the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate."
Computer models predict that continued global warming could have catastrophic effects. Changes in temperature could devastate wildlife, as local vegetation dies off. Patterns of disease could change - already, isolated cases of malaria have been reported far north of traditional danger zones as warmer weather allows the mosquitoes which carry the disease to spread. Most importantly, a portion of the polar ice caps might melt and lead to a rise in sea level, which has already increased by between 10 and 25cm in the last 100 years. Giant cracks have been found in the Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica, which suggest that it is breaking apart; a section 48 miles wide and 22 miles long drifted free and melted as early as 1994. If, as experts suggest, temperatures rise a further 3°C over the next century, low-lying areas of land and even entire countries - such as Bangladesh - could disappear under the waves.
Technology has now reached the point where we can continue to develop standards of living throughout the world without needing to burn fossil fuels. Renewable sources of energy - such as wind or solar power - are ripe for development, but have yet to see the levels of investment needed to make them truly effective. More efficient use of energy is also vital. Encouraging developments such as electric cars, or promoting better insulation of houses, could make a substantial difference in the long run. Moreover, after the initial costs, greater efficiency would actually be economically beneficial.
Global warming is a world-wide catastrophe waiting to happen: the emission of greenhouse gases affects everyone. It is therefore vital that the entire world responds now. The targets set by the Kyoto protocol (1997) has barely scratched the surface of the problem. Only minimal reductions were agreed to by the developed world, and no real agreement was reached involving the developing world, which is producing a greater percentage of greenhouse gas emissions every year.Gases such as CO2 remain in the atmosphere for centuries. If we wait until we can see greater results of global warming, it may be too late - the damage will have been done, and reducing emissions then will have no effect for generations. We therefore must act now, and we must act globally. Developed countries must do all they can to reduce their use of fossil fuels. They must assist developing nations to do the same, by sharing technology or perhaps through 'emissions trading' - allowing poorer countries to sell their quota of pollution in return for hard cash. International pressure must be exerted against those countries which do not co-operate; even if this slows economic growth, it is the poorest regions in the world which would suffer most from more droughts and floods and rising sea-levels. However difficult it may be in the short term, it may save millions of lives in the future.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
if only people would learn. They just go on living and don't care about anything else
I really wish they could tell us more simple things that the average citizen can do. I am passionate about this topic. But I only know a few things.
-Don't leave water on while brushing your teeth
-Unplug your cell phone charger when its not in use.
what else can an average person do?!
-Kristen
One of the main things we can ALL do to save the planet is recycle. Think about where things are going when you throw them away. If they don't decompose, they can most likely be recycled, especially paper! We need to reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources, especially fossil fuels. We need to go in the direction of alternative power, and the more people that are on board with this, the better, because funding is needed. Another excellent thing everyone can do is car pool when you can, it saves fossil fuels and emits less pollution into the air.
Over the past approximately 100 years, the average temperature has risen less than 2 degrees. How is that a "world-wide catastrophe waiting to happen"? How do you respond to the many scientists who argue that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by extremist environmentalists who have no technical or scientic experience at all?
Testifying on May 13, 2003 before the US House of Representatives' Committee on Resources, Dr. John Christy, a professor of atmospheric Science and director of the Earth System Center at the University of Alabama, said, "CO2 is not a pollutant. In simple terms, CO2 is the lifeblood of the planet. The vegetation we see around us would disappear, if not for atmospheric CO2. This green world largely evolved during a period when the atmospheric CO2 concentration was many times what it is today…in other words, carbon dioxide means life itself."
Dr. Christy was a lead author of the IPCC which you quoted as a resource to support the global warming theory. However, Dr. Christy and most of the other scientists on the panel do not support the global warming theory at all and many of their findings, including the one you quote are often taken out of context. There were also major revisions to the IPCC report made after the scientists had accepted what they thought was the final version. The published version is not the same as the version the scientists approved.
Computer models are designed by computer programmers to produce the results needed. None of the models take into account the fact that it is impossible to know for sure the overall temperature of the Earth's surface. The best meteorologists and climatologists will tell you that many aspects of climatology are a huge mystery. If the models are based on unknowns, then how are we to trust the results?
Yes, some pieces of Antarctica have broken off and melted. While on the other side of the continent, the ice shelf is expanding. That's a natural phenomenon, not man-made. Just as the extinction of the dinosaurs was a natural phenomenon. At one time in our earth's history, there was only one big continent. Things change. It's an ever-changing planet on which we live.
I completely agree that we should be nicer to our planet, but perpetrating mass hysteria is not the way to do it.
It is true that the average temperature of the earth has increased about 2 degrees in the past 100 years. But put this fact into prospective. Considering that the average temperature had not changed in the 100,000s of years since the current century, that change is significant. It is no coincidence that the temperature change came after the Industrial Revolution.
Global Warming isn't real/provable.