Greenhouse gases naturally trap heat in the atmosphere and cause the greenhouse effect. Over the past century, increased concentrations of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons from human activities have warmed the global average temperature by about 0.5 degrees Celsius. Some scientists argue this is the beginning of global warming that will intensify and cause negative environmental impacts like rising sea levels, worsening floods and droughts unless emissions are reduced. While natural factors also influence climate change, most evidence indicates human emissions are the dominant cause of recent warming.

1. GreenhouseGasesandSociety
GreenhousegasesnaturallyblankettheEarthandkeepitabout33
degreesCelsiuswarmerthanitwouldbewithoutthesegasesinthe
atmosphere. ThisiscalledtheGreenhouseEffect. Overthepastcentury,
theEarthhasincreasedintemperaturebyabout.5degreesCelsiusand
manyscientistsbelievethisisbecauseofanincreaseinconcentration
of themaingreenhousegases: carbondioxide,methane,nitrousoxide,
andfluorocarbons. Peoplearenowcallingthisclimatechangeoverthe
pastcenturythebeginningofGlobalWarming. Fearsarethatifpeople
keepproducingsuchgasesatincreasingrates,theresultswillbenegative
innature,suchasmoreseverefloodsanddroughts,increasingprevalence
ofinsects, sealevelsrising,andEarth'sprecipitationmaybe
redistributed. Thesechangestotheenvironmentwillmostlikely cause
negativeeffectsonsociety,suchaslowerhealthanddecreasing economic
development. However,somescientistsarguethattheglobalwarmingwe
areexperiencingnowisanaturalphenomenon,andispartofEarth's
naturalcycle. Presently,nobodycanproveifeithertheoryiscorrect,but
onethingiscertain;theworldhasbeenemittinggreenhousegasesat
extremelyhighratesandhasshownonlysmallsignsofreducingemissions
untilthelastfewyears. Afterthe1997KyotoProtocol,theworldhas
finallytakenthefirststepinreducingemissions.
TheGreenhouseEffect
The"greenhouseeffect"istheheatingoftheEarthduetothepresence
ofgreenhousegases. Itisnamedthiswaybecauseofasimilareffect
producedbytheglasspanesofagreenhouse. Shorter-wavelengthsolar
radiationfrom thesunpassesthroughEarth'satmosphere,thenis
absorbedbythesurfaceoftheEarth,causingittowarm. Partofthe
absorbedenergyisthenreradiatedbacktotheatmosphereaslongwave
infaredradiation. Littleofthislongwaveradiationescapesbackinto
space; theradiationcannotpassthroughthegreenhousegasesinthe
atmosphere.Thegreenhousegasesselectivelytransmittheinfaredwaves,
trappingsomeandallowingsometopassthroughintospace.The
greenhousegasesabsorbthesewavesandreemitsthewavesdownward,
causingtheloweratmospheretowarm.(www.eb.com:180)

2. Diagram tohelpexplaintheprocessofglobalwarmingandhowgreenhousegases
createthe"greenhouseeffect"
www.eecs.umich.edu/mathscience/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/images/diagra
mpage.html
GreenhouseGases

3. ThisgraphshowsthedistributionofGHGinEarth'satmosphere.CarbonDioxideis
clearlythemajority.
www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html
CarbonDioxide
CarbonDioxide(CO2)isacolorless,odorlessnon-flammablegasandis
themostprominentGreenhousegasinEarth'satmosphere. Itisrecycled
throughtheatmospherebytheprocessphotosynthesis,whichmakes
humanlifepossible.Photosynthesisistheprocessofgreenplantsand
otherorganismstransforminglightenergyintochemicalenergy. Light
Energyistrappedandusedtoconvertcarbondioxide,water,andother
mineralsintooxygenandenergyrichorganiccompounds. (Encyclopaedia
BritannicaVolume25) CarbonDioxideisemittedintotheairas humans
exhale, burn fossilfuelsforenergy,anddeforesttheplanet. Everyyear
humansaddover30billiontonsofcarbondioxideintheatmosphereby
theseprocesses,anditisupthirtypercentsince1750
(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html). AnisolatedtestatMauna
LoainHawaiirevealedmorethana12%(316ppm in1959to360ppm in
1996)increaseinmeanannualconcentrationofcarbondioxide.Mauna
Loa,locatedinHawaii, istheworldslargestvolcanoat40,000cubickm
and4,170metersabovesealevel. (EncyclopediaBritannicaVolume27).
Icecoresampleshavealsoshownadramaticincreaseincarbondioxide
levels. Drillingdeepintoglaciersandpolaricecapsandtakingoutsamples
ofice,thenmeltingtheiceandcapturingthegashasshownanincreasein
carbondioxideconcentrationsoverthepast100years. Icecoresamples
areessentially"drillingthroughtime",becausethedeepertheiceis,the
oldertheiceis.
In1996,carbondioxideworldemissionsincreasedby2.8%. TheU.S.
reporteda3.3%increaseinCO2
concentrations.TheU.S.continuestoemitmorethananyothercountry
intheworld,accountingfor25%ofallemissions.TheEuropeanUnionhad
anincreaseof2.2%,muchlargerthanasmallincreaseof1.1%in1995.
EasternEuropehadadecreasingrateof-2.4%. China'sincreasein1996
was4.7%.(http://infoweb.magi.com/~dwalsh/wfsesr.html)
FossilFuelswerecreatedchieflybythedecayofplantsfrom millionsof
yearsago.Weusecoal,oilandnaturalgastogenerateelectricity,heatour
homes,powerourfactoriesandrunourcars. Thesefossilfuelscontain

4. carbon,andwhentheyareburned,theycombinewithoxygen,forming
carbondioxide. Thetwoatomsofoxygenaddtothetotalweight. The
WorldEnergyCouncilreportedthatglobalcarbondioxideemissionsfrom
buringfossilfuelsrose12%between1990and1995.(www.eb.com:180) The
increasefrom developingcountrieswasthreetimesthatfrom developed
countries.MiddleEastcarbondioxideemissionsfrom burningoffossilfuels
increased35%,Africaincreased12%,andEasternEuropeincreasedrates
by75%from 1990-1995.
Thisgraphshowstheincreaseofcarbondioxideintheairoverthepastfewcenturies
IceCoresamplesandsamplesatMaunaLoa,Hawaii,revealanincreaseCO2
concentrations

5. PiechartshowshowCO2isproduced
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
CarsalsocontributetoCO2intheatmosphere.
www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106/index.html
Deforestationisanothermainproducerofcarbondioxide. Thecauses
ofdeforestationareloggingforlumber,pulpwood,andfuelwood. Also
contributingtodeforestationareclearingnewlandforfarmingand
pasturesusedforanimalssuchascows. Forestsandwoodedareasare
naturalcarbonsinks. Thismeansthatastreesabsorbcarbondioxide,and
releaseoxygen,carbonisbeingputintotrees. Thisprocessoccurs
naturallybyphotosynthesis,whichoccurslessandlessaswecutandburn
downtrees. Astheabundanceoftreesdeclines,lesscarbondioxidecan
berecycled. Asweburnthem down,carbonisreleasedintotheairandthe
carbonbondswithoxygentoform carbondioxide,addingtothe
greenhouseeffect. About860acres,thesizeofCentralParkinNewYork,
isdestroyedevery15minutesinthetropics.

6. DeforestationandForestFirescontributetoanincreaseinCO2levels
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
TheAmazonRainForest,whichisinpartsofBrazil,FrenchGuiana,Suriname,Guyana,
Venezuela,Nicaragua,CostaRica,Panama,Columbia,Ecuador,Peru,andBolivia,is
subjectedtoagreatdealofdeforestation
www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html
Methane
Methaneisacolorless,odorless,flammablegas. Itisformedwhen
plantsdecayandwherethereisverylittleair. Itisoftencalledswampgas
becauseitisabundantaroundwaterandswamps. Bacteriathat
breakdownorganicmatterinwetlandsandbacteriathatarefoundincows,
sheep,goats,buffalo,termites,andcamelsproducemethanenaturally.
Since1750,methanehasdoubled,andcoulddoubleagainby2050. Each
yearweadd350-500milliontonsofmethanetotheairbyraisinglivestock,
coalmining,drillingforoilandnaturalgas,ricecultivation,andgarbage
sittinginlandfills.(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html) Itstaysin
theatmosphereforonly10years,buttraps20timesmoreheatthan
carbondioxide.

7. Methaneisontherisesince1750
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
Ricecultivationhasdevelopedintoalargebusiness;farmlandhas
doubledinthepast45years.(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html)
Itfeeds1/3oftheWorld'spopulation. Itgrowsmostlyinfloodedfields,
wherebacteriainwaterloggedsoilreleasesmethane.
Livestocksuchascows,sheep,goats,camels,buffaloes,andtermites
releasemethaneaswell. Bacteriainthegutoftheanimalbreakdown
foodandconvertsomeofittomethane.Whentheseanimalsbelch,
methaneisreleased. Inoneday,acowcanemit½poundofmethaneinto
theair. Imagine1.3billioncattleeachburpingmethaneseveraltimesper
minute!
Cowssuchasthesecontributealargeamountofmethanetotheair.
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
NitrousOxide
Nitrousoxideisanothercolorlessgreenhousegas,however,ithasa
sweetodor. Itisprimarilyusedasananestheticbecauseitdeadenspain
andforthischaracteristiciscalled?laughinggas.? Thisgasisreleased

8. naturallyfrom oceansandbybacteriainsoils. Nitrousoxidegasrisenby
morethan15%since1750. Eachyearweadd7-13milliontonsintothe
atmospherebyusingnitrogenbasedfertilizers,disposingofhumanand
animalwasteinsewagetreatmentplants,automobileexhaust,andother
sourcesnotyetidentified. Itisimportanttoreduceemissionsbecausethe
nitrousoxidewereleasetodaywillstillbetrappedintheatmosphere100
yearsfrom now.(WorldBookVolume13)
NitrousOxidehasbeenontherisesince1750
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitmap.html
Nitrogenbasedfertilizerusehasdoubledinthepast15years. These
fertilizersprovidenutrientsforcrops;however,whentheybreakdownin
thesoil,nitrousoxideisreleasedintotheatmosphere. Inautomobiles,
nitrousoxideisreleasedatamuchlowerratethancarbondioxide,
becausethereismorecarboningasolinethannitrogen.
Fluorocarbons
Fluorocarbonsisageneralterm foranygroupofsyntheticorganic
compoundsthatcontainfluorineandcarbon. Manyofthesecompounds,
suchaschlorofluorocarbons(CFC?s),canbeeasilyconvertedfrom gasto
liquidorliquidtogas. Becauseoftheseproperties,CFC?scanbeusedin
aerosolcans,refrigerators,andairconditioners. Studiesinthe1970?s
showedthatwhenCFC?sareemittedintotheatmosphere,theybreak
downmoleculesintheEarth'sozonelayer(WorldBook). Sincethen,the
useofCFC?shassignificantlydecreasedandtheyarebannedfrom
productionintheUnitedStates.
ThesubstituteforCFC?sarehydrofluorocarbons(HFC's). HFC?sdonot
harm orbreakdowntheozonemolecule,buttheydotrapheatinthe
atmosphere,makingitagreenhousegas,aidinginglobalwarming. HFC?s
areusedinairconditionersandrefrigerators. Thewaytoreduce
emissionsofthisgasistobesurethatinbothdevicesthecoolantis
recycledandallleaksareproperlyfixed. Also,beforethrowingthe

9. appliancesaway,besuretorecoverthecoolantineach.
Refrigeratorsand AirConditionersusingCFC'swereahugeproblem fortheozonelayer,
butnowHFC'sareaproblem fortheclimate.
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
GlobalWarmingisHere
Naturally,iftherearemoregreenhousegasesintheatmosphere,this
greenhouseeffectwillbemoresignificantandraisethetemperatureof
Earthmorethanifhumansdidn'temitasmuchgreenhousegases. Peter
Tans,aphysicistwithNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrations
(NOAA)ClimateMonitoringandDiagnosticsLabsays,?Thereisnodoubt
thatbothlandandoceansurfacetemperatureshavegoneupsignificantly
inthelast100yearsorso.?
(www.abcnew.com/sections/us/global106.html) Thisstatementsupports
thetrendofglobalwarming,butdoesnotacknowledgethesource. The
directorofNOAA?sGeophysicalFluidDynamicsLabatPrinceton,Jerry
Malhan,says,?TheEarthssurfacetemperaturehaswarmedaboutone
degreeFahrenheitinthelast100years,andthereisnocrediblehypothesis
forthis,otherthantheneteffectofgreenhousegases."
(www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.index.html) JerryMalhan
offersaquotesupportingthetheoryofglobalwarmingandalsostates
thatitisdirectlyrelatedtotheincreaseofgreenhousegases. ?Theplanet
isheatingupandtheevidencesuggeststhathumanactivitiesarehavinga
significantimpact,?JaneLubchencosaid.
(www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106/index.html) Janewasthepast
PresidentoftheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience,
whobriefedPresidentClintononglobalwarminginJuly,1997. Theworld's
leadingauthorityonglobalwarming,theIntergovernmentalPanelon
ClimateChange(IPCC),isaUnitedNationssponsoredorganizationmade
upof2500scientistsfrom aroundtheworld.Theyhaveconcludedby
consensusthat"Thebalanceofevidencesuggestsadiscerniblehuman
influenceonglobalclimate."Theyprojectthatglobalwarmingwillhave
severeimpactsonhumanhealth,naturalecosystems,agriculture,and
coastalcommunities.(www.toowarm.org./factsheets/basfact.html)

10. ThisevidencesupportsthecommonbeliefthatGlobalWarmingis
occurringduetotheincreasedconcentrationofgreenhousegasesinthe
atmosphere,carbondioxide,nitrousoxide,methane,andHFC?s.
Averageyearlytemperaturerise:1860-1998
www.evirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
EffectsofGlobalWarmingonEnvironment
Therearemany environmentalproblemscomingfrom theincrease
concentrationofgreenhousegasesinEarth'satmosphere. AsJeffRubin
ofABCNEWSreported,?Severalsignsindicatethatwe'vebegunchanging
Earth'sclimate: increasedwatervaporintheatmosphere,glaciersand
polaricecapsappeartobemelting,floodsanddroughtsarebecoming
moresevere,andsealevelshaverisen,onaverage,between4and10
inchessince1990.? (www.abc.com/sections/us/global106.html) Experts
concur,?Wearealreadybeginningtoseethis(globalwarming)taking
place-alotmoreflooding,alotmoredroughts,?JaneLubchencosaid.
JerryMalham added,?By2100,wemightgeta2footsealevelrise,butthe
catchis,levelsmightcontinuetorise2or3feetpercentury,for1000
years.?(www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html) Theserisesinsea
levelcanincreasethesalinityoffreshwaterthroughouttheworld,and
causecoastallandstobewashedundertheocean. Warmerwaterand
increasedhumiditymayencouragetropicalcyclones,andchangingwave
patternscouldproducemoretidalwavesandstrongbeacherosiononthe
coasts.

11. Floodingform globalwarmingmaybealreadyhappening.
www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html
Pictureofatyphoonfrom space
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
Theeffectsofdroughtsoncrops

12. www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html
EffectsofGlobalWarmingonSociety
Agriculturally,Dr.SylvanH.Wittwerbelievesthatglobalwarmingis
goodforthehumanrace,becauseithelpsincreasefoodproduction."The
mostdeterminantfactorinagricultureproductionisclimate. History
revealsthatforfoodproduction,warmingisbetterthancooling." Dr.
Wittwersaysthatcarbondioxideisanessentialnutrientforthe
productionoffood,andfoodisoneofthemostimportantthingsinour
lives.Asthetemperaturerises,morefarmlandwillbeopentowardsthe
polesandthelengthofthegrowingseasonwillalsolengthen.Withall the
peoplewhogohungryeachday,Dr.Wittwerbelievesfoodproduction
shouldbeoneofourmainconcerns. Dr.Wittweristhescientificpioneer
whoconductedtheoriginalstudiesonatmosphericCO2enhancementof
theproductionoffoodcrops.(www.comnett.net/~wit/food.html)
Increasingamountsofgreenhousegasesintheatmosphereandglobal
warmingcouldalsoleadtomorehealthconcerns. Astatementreleased
from theIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)said,"Climate
changeislikelytohavewide-rangingandmostlyadverseimpactson
humanhealth,withsignificantlossoflife." Astemperaturesincrease
towardsthepoles,similartofarmland,insectsandotherpestsmigrate
towardsEarth'spoles.Theseinsectsandpestscouldbeallowedtomigrate
upto550Km or550miles. Someinsectscarrydiseasessuchasmalaria
anddenguefever. Thus,anincreaseintheseparticularinsectsandpests
closertothepolesresultsinanincreaseinthesediseases. Thiscouldlead
to50to80millionadditionalcasesofMalariaannually,a10-15%increase.
"Malariaanddenguefeverarealreadybeginningtospreadpolewards",
saidJaneLubchenco,pastpresidentofAmericanAssociationforthe
advancementofscience.
(www.epa.gov/oppeoeel/globalwarming/impacts/health/index.html)
PhysicianPaulEpstein,ofHarvard'sSchoolofPublicHealth,says"Climate
changeisalreadyafactorintermsofthedistributionsofmalaria,dengue
fever,andcholera."(www.aloha.net~jhanson/page70.htm)
Themostobvioushealtheffectisdirectlyfrom theheatitself. Withan
increaseinheatwaves,therewillbemorepeoplewhowillsufferfrom
heatstroke,heartattacksandotherailmentsaggravatedbytheheat.
AccordingtotheEPA,"InJuly1995,aheatwavekilledmorethan700
peopleintheChicagoareaalone."
(www.epa.gov/oppeoeel/globalwarming/impacts/health/index.html) If
thisishappeningalreadyfrom heat,imaginewhatwouldoccurinthe
futurewithglobalwarming. Hotconditionscouldalsocausesmoke
particlesandnoxiousgasestolingerintheairandacceleratechemical
reactionsthatgenerateotherpollutants.

13. (www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html)Thisleadstoanincreasein
riskofrespiratorydiseaseslikebronchitisandasthma.
Globalwarmingcausestheoceanstowarm andexpand,inducingarise
insealevel.Eventually,therisingwaterscouldtakeawaylandinhabitedby
people,forcingthem tomove. Dr.RobertBuddemieir,oftheKansas
GeologicalSurveysaid,"Bangledeshismassivelypopulated,achinglypoor,
andsomethinglikeasixthofthecountryisgoingtogoaway"
(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html) Bangladeshcannotaffordto
buildbarrierstoholdbackthesea,sopeoplewouldhavetomoveinland,
increasingthepopulationsdensityandleadingtoanincreaseinhunger
anddisease.(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html) TheMaldive
IslandsintheIndianOceanhavethesameproblem Theyareanationof
1190islandswithanaverageheightofabout1.5metersabovesealevel. If
thesealevelrises,morethan200,000peoplewillhavetoabandontheir
homes.(www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitmap.html) Warmingofthe
oceanscouldalsopromotetoxicalgaewhichcanleadtocholera.
Graphshowinghistoryofsealevelandextrapolatingpossibleincreasesinsealevelover
thenextcentury
Thebluelinerepresentsthehistoryofsealevel. Theyellowlineisahighestimateofsea
levelextrapolated. Theredlineacentralestimate,andthegreenlineisalowprojection.
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
ThePresentwaysofProducingEnergy

14. Thispiegraphshowsthebreakdownofhowtheworldproducesitsenergy
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
Fossilfuels,chieflycoal,oilandnaturalgas,nowsupplymostofthe
world'senergy.Onlyasmallamountcomesfrom renewablesources,
whichdonotreleasegasesthattrapheatintheatmosphere.Ifwecould
getmoreofourenergyfrom renewablesources,wecouldreducethe
amountoffossilfuelsweburn. Bytheyear2050,renewablesourcescould
providefortypercentoftheenergyneededintheworld.Useofrenewable
energycanhelpbothtoslowglobalwarmingandtoreduceairpollution.
(www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/gcc/cell.html#pos6)
Thesefossilfuels,coal,oil,andnaturalgasalsoemitgreenhousegases
whenburned. Coalemitshighamountsofgreenhousegases,andthe
worldmaybesuppliedwithenoughofittolastover100years. Oil emits
highamountsofgreenhousegasesandalsoothertypesofairpollution
harmfultotheenvironment.Theworld'soilsupplyisalsoestimatedtolast
over100years. NaturalGasisthelowestofallfossilfuelsingreenhouse
gasemissions;suppliesareprojectedtolastover100years.
(www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/gcc/cell.html#pos6)
1996ProcessesCarbonDioxidewasProduced
Country(region) OIL NaturalGas Coal
World 44.7% 18.4% 36.9%
Canada 51.8% 30% 18.2%
UnitedStates 45% 21.3% 33.7%
EuropeanUnion 56.2% 19% 24.8%
China 17.4% 1.1% 81.5%
Japan 64.6% 9.9% 25.5%
ThischartshowswhatpercentageofCO2comesfrom Oil,NaturalGas,andCoal.For
example,in1996,44.7%oftheworld'sCO2emissionscamefrom thecombustionofoil.
http://infoweb.magi.com/~dwalsh/wfsesr.html

15. Thischartshowshowmuchcoaldifferentareasoftheworldhaveproducedand
consumedovertime
Coalaccountsfor24%oftheworldsenergy;Naturalgas18%
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
SolutionsforProducing"Cleaner"Energy
Hydropower,currentlysupplyingonlysixpercentoftheworld'senergy,
isarenewableenergysource.Energyisproducedbyhydraulicturbines
thatrotatewiththeforceofrushingwater(highertolowerelevation). Itis
oneofthemostcleanandcheapestwayofproducingenergy,butitcan
alsochangetheflowofriversandincreasesedimentwhichkillsfish. Itisa
large
investmentfordevelopingcountries.
(www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106)

16. ]
HydroPowerplantonariver
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
Denmarkiscurrentlytheworldleaderinwindpower. By2030,fifty
percentofDenmark'senergycouldbeproducedbywindpower. Randall
Swisher,executivedirectoroftheAmericanWIndEnergyAssociationsays,
"Ifthiscountrymadeanaggressivedevelopmentpush,by2020eighteen
percentofthecountry'senergycouldbesuppliedbywindpower."
(www.abc.com/sections/us/global106.html) Windpoweremitsno
greenhousegases,butittakesuplargeamountsofland. Inorderforitto
beareliablesource,scientistsmustdevelopbetterpowerstorage
techniques. Anotherconcernofpeopleisnoisepollutionthatthelarge
windmillsproducealongwiththereliabilityofwind.
Afieldofwindmills
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
Solarpowerusesphotovoltaiccells(PV's)togatherthermalenergy
directlyfrom thesunanduseittoproduceelectricity. Onecommunity
couldbesuppliedbyonefieldofPV's. Passivesolarcellscouldalsobe
usedtoheatwater,replacingtheneedfortoday'shotwaterheaters. PV's
donotemitanygreenhousegases,buttheyareveryexpensiveandmore
developmentisneededinorderforthistoberealisticenergysourcefor
thefuture.(www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html)

17.
AfieldofPV'sgatheringsunlighttoproducepower
www.abcnews.com/sections/us/global106.html
NuclearpowerisstrongisEuropewithaboutforty-twopercentoftheir
energyproducedbyfission.Nucleargenerationprovidesabout17%of
worldelectricity,avoidingtheemissionofupto2.3billiontonnesofcarbon
dioxideannually.Franceproduces76%andLithuaniaproduces85.6%ofits
energybynuclearfission.(http://infoweb.magi.com/~dwalsh/wfsesr.html)
IntheUnitedStates,peopleareantinuclearbecauseof3MileIslandin
1979andChernobylin1986. However,manyexpertssaythatitisasafe,
clean,andreliablesourceofenergy. NuclearFissionproducesno
greenhousegases,butdoesproducehighlytoxicradioactivewastes.
NuclearpowerplantshavehadsuccessinEurope,butnotintheUnitedStates
www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html
KyotoProtocol
Oneofthemajorconventionsconcerningglobalwarmingresultedinthe
KyotoProtocol,heldinKyoto,Japan,betweenDecember1-11,1997.
Delegatesfrom allovertheworldwerepresentinordertofindauniversal
agreementtoreducegreenhousegasemissions. Theresultshadmost
developednationsdoingmostofthereducing;theUnitedStatesmustcut
emissions7%,Japan6%,andtheEuropeanUnion8%below1990levels.
(www.state.gov/global/oes/fs_kyoto_climate_980115.html)

18. TheUnitedStatesproposedaplantohavetheselevelscutoverafive
yearperiodbetween2008-2013. TheUnitedStatesalsosaiditwillnot
signtheprotocolifotherdeveloping/undevelopedcountriesdonotsignit
aswell,fearingtheeconomywillfalter. TheU.S.wassuccessfulin
emissionstradingwithothercountrieswhohavelessemissions.This
meansthattheU.S.orotherdevelopedcountriescanpurchaseemission
permitsfrom othercountrieswhohaveextrapermits. Thisstressesthe
importanceofflexibilitytheU.S.waslookingforwhenitsaiditcannot
lowertheemissionlevelsuntilatleast2008. Again,theU.S.istryingto
lookoutforit'sowneconomyfirst. Ifacountryshallfailincompletingits
goal,thecountrywillthennotbeabletoreceivejointimplementation
projects. However,thisProtocolisnotyetlaw;itmustberatifiedbyat
least55countries,accountingfor55%oftheworld'stotalgreenhousegas
emissions.. ItcanbesignedbycountriesstartinginMarchof1998. The
nextconventionisinNovember1998,inBuenosAires.
(www.state.gov/global/oes/fs_kyoto_climate_980115.html)
IftheKyotoProtocolbecomesthelawoftheland,therearepotential
economicproblemsthatmayleadtoa changeinqualityoflifeformany
Americans. Byreducinggreenhousegasemissions,peoplewillbemore
healthyduetobetterairqualityandwaterquality. However,theremaybe
areductionintherateofeconomicdevelopmentbecauseindustrieswill
havetoadaptandfinddifferentwaysofproducinggoods. Peoplewillhave
todrivesmaller,lightercars,ridebicyclesmoreoften,andincrease
efficiencyinmanyways.
Opinion
Theworld'sleadingscientistsprojectthatduringourchildren'slifetimes
globalwarmingwillraisetheaveragetemperatureoftheplanetby2to6
degreesFahrenheit,or1-3.5degreeCelsius.IncontrasttheEarthisonly5
to9degreesFahrenheitorabout3-6degreesCelsiuswarmertodaythanit
was10,000yearsagoduringthelasticeage.Man-madeglobalwarmingis
occurringmuchfasterthanatanyothertimeinatleastthelast10,000
years.(www.toowarm.org/factsheets/basfact.html#How) This
informationwouldsuggestthatthewarmingEarthisexperiencingnowis
notanaturalphenomenon,butcausedbytheincreasedconcentrationof
greenhousegases.
Whileevidenceisstrongtosupportthenotionofhumancontributionto
theglobalwarmingproblem,analternativeviewisthatrecentglobal
warmingisanaturaloccurrence. SometheoristsbelievethattheEarth's
climateworksinacycle,cooling,andthenwarmingitself. Scientistspoint
outthefactthat75millionyearsago,theEarth'saveragetemperature
wastendegreeshigherthanitistoday. Conditionswerewarmerand
morehumid,butlifesustained.(www.enviolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html)

19. Anotherphenomenontotakeintoaccountisthe"littleiceage",which
occurredfrom 1550-1850A.D. Conditionsaroundtheworldwerecooler
thanusual;manybodiesofwaterfrozeover. Theaverageglobal
temperaturesincethelittleiceagehasrisenbyonedegreeFahrenheit!
Shouldn'titbeexpectedthatafterthaticeagewasoverthatthe
temperatureonEarthwouldriseatleastonedegree?
Thebottom lineisthatitmayseem thatonlyhumanactionsarecausing
globalwarming,butitisverypossiblethatglobalwarmingisnothingto
worryaboutandisjustpartoftheglobaltemperaturecycle. Boththeories
arecredible,butneitherhasyetbeenproven.
Terms
1. CarbonDioxide-aheavycolorlessgasthatdoesnotsupport
combustion,dissolvesinwatertoform carbonicacid,isformedespecialy
inanimalrepirationandinthedecayorcombustionofanimaland
vegetablematter,isabsorbedfrom theairbyplantsinphotosynthesis,
andisusedinthecarbonationofbeverages.
2. Methane-acolorlessodorlessflammablegaseoushydrocarbonthatisa
productofdecompositionsoforganicmatterandofthecarbonizationof
coal,isusedasafuelandasastartingmaterialinchemicalsynthesis,and
isthesimplestofthealkanes.
3.Photosynthesis-synthesisofchemicalcompoundswiththeaidof
radiantenergyandespeciallylight;especiallyformationofcarbohydrates
from carbondioxideandasourceofhydrogeninthechlorophyll-
containingtissuesofplantsexposedtolight
4.GreenhouseEffect-warmingofthesurfaceandloweratmosphereofa
planetthatiscausedbyconversionofsolarradiationintoheatinaprocess
involvingselectivetransmissionofshortwavesolarradiationbythe
atosphere,itsabsorptionbytheplanet'ssurface,andreradiationas
infaredwhichisabsorbedandpartlyreradiatedbacktothesurfaceby
atmosphericgases.
5.Nitrousoxide-acolorlessgasthatwheninhaledproduceslossof
sensibilitytopainprecededbyexhilarationandsometimeslaughterandis
usedasananestheticindentistryandthatisanatmosphericpollutant
producedbycombustionandasuspectedcontributortogreenhouse
warming-- alsocalledlaughinggas.
6. Malaria-ahumandiseasethatiscausedbysporazoanparasitesinthe
redbloodcells,istransmittedbythebiteofanophelinemosquitoes,andis
characterizedbypeoriodicattacksofchillsandfever
7. Dengue-anacuteinfectiousdiseasecausedbyanarbovirus,

20. transmittedbyaedesmosquitoes,andcharacterizedbyheadache,severe
jointpain,andarash--calledalsodenguefever.