2. The Greenhouse Effect Climate Change Global Warming The greenhouse effect is the heating of Earth’s atmosphere from solar radiation. ( Absorbed and emitted by mainly water vapor and CO2) Climate change is a long-term shift in statistics of the weather. Global warming is the continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.
3. Relation -To understand global warming, you need to know why our planet is warm in the first place. The Earth’s surface is warm due to the greenhouse effect. - The risk of global warming is increasing because of the climate change. Chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are decreasing.
4. Causes The climate changes or warms up due to solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions, and variations of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Our orbital cycle is slowly making it get colder and predicted in tens of thousands of years is a second Ice age. Some greenhouse gases are caused by human pollution these gases trap heat in our atmosphere.
5. Consequences Changing weather patterns could cause droughts and/or floods in Africa and Asia. The impacts of global warming will hit rivers. Increased waterborne diseases from polluted water. Ice is melting worldwide, especially at Earth’s poles. (mountain glaciers, ice sheets, and Arctic sea ice.) Amount of Adelie penguins is decreasing . Numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 within 30 years. Sea level rise because faster over the last century. Hurricanes and other storms are most likely to get stronger. (human danger) Some animals are flying North for cooler areas.
6. Economy Direct input from global warming will include a serious blow to the timber industry from insects, which will amount to a lower growth rate in trees and more wildfires. Many scientists believe that global warming causes larger and more frequent hurricanes which amounts to us losing billions of dollars for repairs. Oil will soon get more expensive because it will be harder to get, thus become more expensive.
7. How Can We Help? Stop emitting greenhouse gases. Increase the amount of gases we take out of the atmosphere by planting more trees and plants to absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Increasing forestlands and making changes to the way we farm could increase the amount of carbon we are storing.
8. Personal Opinion It doesn’t seen like that big of a deal because nothing is going to happen to humans. Yes, animals need a comfortable habitat, and our world needs to be safe, but humans aren’t impacted much by the effects of global warming, except by the stronger storms. Our economy will get worse also, but I think we can find a way through that.
