Global Warming and Climate change

Introduction and Thesis Statement

Global warming can be defined as that human activity which brings about an increase in the average temperature of the planet . This increase in the average global temperature results in climate changes . Out of the many factors that bring about global warming , human activities can be considered to be the most important

The average temperature of the earth 's atmosphere has been gradually increasing since the Industrial Revolution , due to the cumulative effect of the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases . These gases form a thermal blanket in

the outer layers of atmosphere . The sun light passes through this blanket and reaches the earth as waves with a short wave length . Subsequently , the earth reflects the excess radiation , as waves with greater wavelength , into space . The thermal blanket of the greenhouse gases consisting of water vapor , carbon dioxide , methane nitrous oxide and other aerosol molecules impedes the retransmission of the incident radiation by the earth and absorbs the temperature . This is known as the greenhouse effect and it warms up the earth 's atmosphere (Global warming , 2004

Expansion of industries , agriculture and transportation subsequent to the Industrial Revolution are the major factors that lead to an increase in the greenhouse gases . In the twentieth century the average atmospheric temperature has been increased by 1 .1 degrees Fahrenheit and the sea level has risen by several inches . Global warming also increases the risk of melting of the polar ice caps . The melting of ice at the Poles would raise the sea - level which in turn would result in the submersion of the coastal regions . Reduction in the extent of ice would result in the depletion of drinking water resources . Climate changes would bring about changes in agriculture , certain species could become extinct , occurrence of tropical storms would become more frequent and there would be an increase in the number of tropical diseases (Global warming , 2004

Human interference with the atmosphere has drastic consequences Combustion of fossil fuels such as burning of coal and oil produces large amounts of carbon dioxide , methane , nitrous oxide and ozone deforestation further increases the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere and animal residue produces methane gas . Further , increased cattle management contributes to deforestation and methane gas production (Global warming , 2004

Concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide , methane nitrous oxide and halo carbons in the atmosphere is on the increase Halo carbons are gases that are used as refrigerants and aerosols . The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases can be attributed to human activities . From the past ten thousand years , the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere was stable . However , with the advent of the industrial revolution two hundred years ago there has been a marked increase in the amount of green house gases present in the atmosphere Further the concentration of carbon dioxide has been increasing in the past ten years . This growth is thirty five percent more than the pre - industrialization period . Similarly the levels of methane in...