An argument paper on global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

An argument paper on global warming - Essay Example ".Skeptics consider global warming a myth, a fantasy or a Western agenda, but they might have no answer for the present Tsunami in Japan and floods in Australia, or the frequent droughts in any other part of the world. The global warming started since Industrial revolution. Industrial growth, automated transportation, mechanized agriculture since industrial revolution has lead to the production of poisonous gases like chloro fluoro carbons, which have formed a thick layer on the upper atmosphere of earth leading to the rise in temperature. Industrial wastes, deforestation, burning of coal and petroleum products, green house gases emission have aggravated the effects. GREEN HOUSE GASES: Greenhouse gases have the ability to absorb and hold the heat of the atmosphere, this phenomenon is called green house effect. Green house Writer 2 gases form a sort of warm air blanket that actually helps in sustaining the present ecosystem. Major Green house gases are Carbon dioxide, (CO2), Methane ( CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2o) and fluorinated gases. Carbon dioxide is produced by burning of fossil fuels, solid waste and wood products whereas methane is emitted during coal, natural gas and oil production, methane emissions are also produced from livestock and other agricultural practices, and nitrous oxide is the product of agricultural and industrial activities whereas fluorinated carbons contribute in depletion of ozone layer. As the earth’s climate is variable it is not exactly possible to determine the cause of damage – Is it the human activities or the rising concentration of green house gases- however. A National Research Council study dated May 2001, stated, â€Å"Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and sub-surface ocean temperatures to rise. Temperatures are, in fact, rising. The changes observed over the last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities, but we cannot rule out that some significant part of these changes is also a reflection of natural variability.† THE CARBONDIOXIDE EMISSON: Carbon dioxide is the main constituent in the carbon cycle known as photosynthesis- Plants, algae, cynobacteria absorb CO2, sunlight, and water to produce carbohydrate energy for their survival in which oxygen is generated as a waste product. Living beings emit CO2 in their respiratory process. It is also produced as by-product of combustion, by volcanoes, hot springs and natural geysers. The content of CO2 in the atmosphere is 388ppm by volume that varies with the changing season; human activities have definitely increased the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Charles D Keeling was a pioneer in the monitoring of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. He explains, â€Å"Atmospheric mixing ratios for carbon dioxide are now higher than at any time in Writer 3 The last 800,000 years, standing at 380 parts per million (ppm) c ompared to a pre-industrial high of 280ppm. The current rate of increase is around 2ppm per year† (Keeling Curve) INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT: Man has tremendous potential for construction and –Destruction as well. He has tried to become a God by trying to bring changes in the natural processes of nature. These