What's Up With Global Warming

Global warming is exactly what it sounds like. It is the warming of the temperature of earth's surface. Over the past 200 years, the earth's temperature has increased by about 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.4 to 0.8 Celsius). Scientists believe that by the year 2100, the average temperature will have grown by 2.5 degrees F. to 10.5 degrees F. (1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius).

Scientists and other experts are worried that humans and other ecosystems aren't going to survive the rapid temperature changes. The warming of earth's atmosphere could also cause weather patterns to change. This could cause flooding, drought, and an increase in storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Global warming could also cause polar ice to melt. This would cause the sea level to rise.

The main reason we have global warming is humans! Can you believe

it? Humans use fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are common fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, and coal. When these fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which stops heat from escaping into space. These fossil fuels are used in human activities like mowing our lawns, cooking our food, or running our cars and subway systems.

Other ways humans cause global warming are by cutting down trees for paper, clearing land to plant crops, or building houses, malls, etc. The reason that cutting down trees is so bad is that trees (and other plants) turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen during a process called photosynthesis. So if we cut down trees, we not only reduce homes for animals who live in the trees, but also increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Even though global warming is causing problems, it is part of an important

process called the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect allows life on earth to survive. If it weren't for the greenhouse effect, the average temperature on earth would be like the average temperature of the moon, 225 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and –225 degrees Fahrenheit at night. The greenhouse effect is the warming of earth's lower atmosphere and surface through a process that includes sunlight, gases, and particles in the atmosphere. It's called the greenhouse effect because the atmosphere acts like the glass roof and walls of a greenhouse, which trap heat from the sun.

The carbon cycle (shown below) is the process in which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of earth. Carbon in the atmosphere usually appears as the gas, carbon dioxide. Other gases in which carbon is a major ingredient are methane and chlorofluorocarbons. Carbon is taken from the atmosphere in many different ways. For example, when the sun is shining, plants use a process called photosynthesis to convert carbon and hydrogen into carbohydrates (which is the plant's food) and to produce oxygen. Even though too much carbon can be bad, it is important to the nutrition of all living cells.

In 1988, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programs (UNEP) created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Membership is open to anyone in the WMO or the United Nations. The IPCC has three working groups and one task force. The first working group looks at the scientific aspects of the climate system/change. The second working group looks at the impact of climate change on socioeconomic and natural systems. It also looks at the negatives and positives of climate change and the possibilities of adaptation. The third working group assesses ways for limiting the emission of CO2. The IPCC investigates the effects of global warming on our planet.

The Kyoto Protocol was developed to slow the progression of global warming. The Kyoto Protocol is a worldwide agreement to decrease the rate at which carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere from 2008 through 2012. Different countries have different emissions targets. All together, industrialized countries have to limit their emissions to a yearly average of about 95 percent of their 1990 emissions. As part of the Kyoto Protocol, some special programs let industrialized countries get credits or points, like a game, for doing good stuff for our atmosphere. One example of these programs is the increase of carbon sinks, which extract carbon from the atmosphere. Also, the Kyoto Protocol will “penalize” a country for releasing more carbon than their goal for a given period of time. For example, for every one ton of gas produced over a country’s goal, that country would have to take away an additional 1.3 tons of produced gas during the next goal period. Some scientists question the scientific basis of the Kyoto Protocol. These scientists say that there is not a clear connection between increases of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. However, most scientists disagree with this idea and believe there is a clear link.

The Kyoto Protocol has a very interesting history. Let me give you a “history lesson.” Delegates from around the world made the Kyoto Protocol as a preliminary document in 1997. Then they met to finish the agreement. Most of the world’s countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol. In order to be official, the protocol had to be formally accepted as a treaty by at least 55 nations. Unfortunately, the U.S.A. and Australia did not sign the agreement. In the U.S., President Bush thought the agreement might hurt the US economy. The agreement also does not apply to developing countries like China and India. This means the Kyoto Protocol covers only about one third of worldwide emissions.

Unfortunately, there is no quick way to stop global warming. Even if every single country on the planet stopped producing greenhouse gases today, there would still be global warming through 2100 because of the gases already in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that absorbs heat similar to carbon monoxide. Back	Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use sunlight to turn carbon and hydrogen into carbohydrates releasing oxygen in the process. Back	Industrialized countries are countries that have a moderate to high standard of living and a solid industrial base. Back
Carbon sinks are heavily vegetated areas that absorb carbon. Back	Delegates are important people from countries around the globe who make decisions on behalf of their countries. Back	Preliminary is like a rough draft. Back

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