H Graham BSc PGCE1 What is Global Warming?

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3 Global Warming Since the beginning of time, the Earth has been warmed by sunlight beaming down through the insulating blanket of the atmosphere. That blanket, made up of carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, methane and nitrous oxide, traps heat on the Earth from the sun's energy, creating what is called the Greenhouse Effect. This process regulates the Earth's climate, keeping it stable enough to sustain life. Without it, the Earth would be too cold to live on.

H Graham BSc PGCE4 But since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels has increased emissions of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide and other gases, including methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons have now formed a blanket around the earth. As each year goes by, these gases trap more and more heat that would otherwise escape into space. The heat rebounds onto the Earth's surface, and the planet's temperature rises. This human-induced increase in greenhouse gases is called the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. Global Warming

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7 Global Warming

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9 Global Warming Carbon dioxide takes about 100 years to decompose, which means that CO2 that was emitted in 1920 from the burning of fossil fuels is still in the atmosphere today. Experts predict that by the year 2100, carbon dioxide's heat-trapping properties will have increased global temperatures by anywhere from two to six degrees, and global sea levels are expected to rise by a further six to 37 inches, because sea water expands when heated and some glacial ice will melt.

H Graham BSc PGCE10 Global Warming the rise of global sea levels, drowning population-dense coastal cities and low-lying nations, including Bangladesh and many Pacific Islands; the spread of infectious tropical diseases to more temperate parts of the world; a reduction in food-producing regions; and an upsurge in violent and severe weather events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme heat waves, floods and drought

H Graham BSc PGCE11 What You Can Do