The Sandspur

Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: Life & Times

As stated by Rishmil Patel, a senior, "The issue of global warming is not an issue of whether it is occurring or not. The main issue is how serious is it for us and future generations."

Have you ever seen the documentary film, 'An Inconvenient Truth'? What did you think of it? Did it change your daily actions? Global warming or climate change as it is now being called is an important issue today and for future generations to come.

I am going to write a two part series on global warming and the many aspects of it. Climate change has been in recent news because of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the process of finalizing its fourth assessment report "Climate Change 2007" in Paris, France.

The IPCC is made up of many scientists from all different countries and specialties. Before I get into the details of climate change, I think that the fundamental information should be refreshed in your minds.

There used to be debate about whether climate change was due to man-made causes or nature's natural cyclical fluctuations.

However, there is no longer debate over whether there is climate change. The debate now centers on "Not if it is happening, but the rate at which it is happening," according to Dr. Barry Allen and what ways to minimize the damage caused by the climate change.

Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere due to many man-made causes. Man-made causes include fossil fuels (such as oil, natural gas and coal), cars, factories, power plants, the cutting or burning down of forests, or when we produce cement. These all release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide are consequences of industrial and mechanical processes and products. According to an internet article, "Sixty percent of the methane currently in the atmosphere is produced by humans."

The pollution that humans expel through various fashions is clouding the thin layer of atmosphere surrounding the earth. As the pollution thickens, the air thickens and traps "infrared radiation that would otherwise escape the atmosphere and continue out to the universe" which in turn heats the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.

We are all guilty of leaving such items as televisions, lights, and other widely used appliances on, but next time think what you are doing to the environment.

There are two main causes of global warming or climate change. The first cause is the increasing population. Fortunately or unfortunately - depending on the way you look at it - the population in the world keeps growing and growing. As of February 5, 2007 the current population is 6,574,299,414 and growing by the second according to the United States Census Bureau online.

Continued...

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