The Effect of Humans on The Environment
The Greenhouse Effect/Global Warming
The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that Earth experiences.
Global warming is an increase in the earth¡s temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and other industrial processes leading to a build-up of 'green house gases¡.
Water vapor, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane trap energy from the sun. These gases contribute to the greenhouse effect. The carbon dioxide comes mainly from burning fossil fuels in power stations. The nitrous oxide is released from a fertiliser used in agriculture. The extra methane is produced in coal mining, natural gas production and distribution. All fossil fuels when burned produce carbon dioxide.
The graph shows how much each gas contributes to the greenhouse effect, taking into account how much of it there is and how much and how radiation it can absorb.
If it weren¡t for these gases the heat would escape from the Earth into space. These gases warm our world, without them Earth would be about 60 F cooler, therefore Earth would not be warm enough to live in. However, if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual causing problem for plants, animals and humans.
The actual rise is not very much but the Earth¡s ecosystem is very fragile and small changes can have large effects:
„h Melt icecaps, which leads to pack ice.
„h Sharp fall in grain crop yields.
„h Failure of anchovy fisheries.
„h Short wet winters, long dry summers.
„h Rise in sea level, which leads to flooding.
„h In some places it will become, more humid than before and more drier than before.
The serious worry is that the rising sea levels from the melting polar ice caps could severely flood many countries.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels would considerably reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced. This can be achieved by us...