Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trapping heat in the atmosphere. It refers to increases in average air and sea temperatures near Earth's surface. The primary cause is too much CO2 from burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Certain waste and farming practices also release greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. Effects of global warming include glaciers melting back by thousands of miles, oceans rising hundreds of feet and exposing new lands, and decreasing ocean salinity from melting ice adding fresh water.