pfel, if the current rate of increase continues, an excess
             of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could raise the temperature by three to five degrees
             Fahrenheit by the year 2100. Temperatures during the ice age were only four and one half
             degrees Fahrenheit lower than today. (Brown 1994, [n.p.]) Global warming has the potential to
             unreservedly modify the natural environment, altering temperatures almost as drastically as the
             While carbon dioxide does pose a huge threat to the environment, fossil fuels cause harm in
             many other ways as well. Another strong example is acid rain. Sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide
             pumped into the atmosphere both combine with oxygen to produce sulfuric and nitric acids. These
             acids mix with water and fall as rain. Acid rain kills wild animals and plant life. It also
             destroys buildings, often irreparably damaging priceless historical monuments. (Brown 1994,
             [n.p.]) There are countless other ways that fossil fuels - through production and harnessing
             methods, excavation processes, and all other stages of exploitation - harm the environment. Oil
             drilling can result in devastating oil spills. Coal mining has destroyed and continues to
             devastate countless landscapes. (Brown 1994, [n.p.]) Fossil fuels are a tremendous hazard to
             Nuclear fission power, once thought of as an alternative to conventional fuel, has been found
             to be just as harmful to the environment and even more dangerous in additional ways. A common
             misconception to the general public is that producing energy by nuclear fission does not release
             the byproduct carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, therefore not creating air pollution or
             feeding greenhouse effect. This is simply not true. Nuclear power is not greenhouse friendly.
             Up to sixty grams of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere for every kilowatt-hour
             produced. (Griffin 1992, [CQ Researcher]) Along with these, there are many other...