The Effects of Global Warming

The atmosphere is made up of several different ingredients: constant gases (nitrogen, oxygen) and variable gases (water vapor and carbon dioxide). Without each of these gases, life on earth would be unbearable.

Energy from the sun that heats the earth's surface moves in a constant circle, always reflecting back to the atmosphere to be "recycled". The variable gases in the atmosphere act like the walls of a greenhouse, radiating the energy back into space after it heats the surface. Without this natural occurrence, temperatures would be quite a bit lower than they are currently, and life would be near impossible.

It is thought by some that temperature increases are caused by the increase of emissions of these natural gases that make up our atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution began, the release amounts of carbon dioxide have risen dramatically. In 1997, the United States emitted about one-fifth of total global greenhouse gases. There are several implications of global warming, some of which include a rise in sea level (4-8 inches over the past century) and increased land precipitation levels by 1%. It could also transform forests, crop yields, water supplies, and threaten human health as well as many ecosystems.

In order to try to solve this problem that faces us today, there have been several actions taken. In 1997, a conference was held in New York. Here it was decided in the Kyoto treaty, that the United States would be required to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases to 7% below the total amount that it emitted in 1990. Depending upon whom you talk to, this treaty has both positive and negative points of view. Business leaders are wary of economic disaster if the U.S. actually endorses this treaty. It could mean higher energy prices, greater unemployment levels and social strife throughout the entire globe. Environmentalists on the other hand, foresee environmental disaster if we don't limit emission amounts. Many species, both plant and animal could disappear, coastal areas could flood heavily and agricultural growing seasons could be tainted as well.

Personally, I tend to agree with the "global warming skeptics" who argue that "scientists do not know for certain whether human activities are to blame for temperature increases..." My argument is that in the past century, we have come so far technologically, so how can we be certain that the data collected 50 years ago was collected incorrectly. It's a proven fact that the earth moves in and out of cool periods naturally, so how can we attribute the entire temperature change to human behaviors.