Let me know about Global warming?

Question

i want it for group discussion

Answer 1

By observation of the temperature records over the years, scientists have found that the temperature of the earth's atmosphere is rising slowly. In the past fifty years or so the rate of rise of this temperature has increased over the rate for the past centuries. This temperature rise is thought to be due to the increase in carbon dioxide and other 'green house' gases in the atmosphere because of the industrial activities and burning of fossil fuels like coal and petrol. Increase in global temperature causes the ice sheets in our polar regions to melt resulting in a rising sea level. This also leads to unpredictable climate changes which affect our food production. For more details, you may see my blog at http://gblogger-globalwarming.blogspot.c...

Answer 2

It's a serious problem for those living today but primarily for the generations to come.  There are still a lot of questions, but the answers so far indicate that solutions must be implemented sooner than later to keep this within the realm of something we can mitigate with any measure of success.  The literal and figurative cost of inaction is incalcuable.  Action means a boost for modern technologies and a cleaner, healthier planet to live on.

A few sites for gobs of background information.  Each are above par and accessible and I hope you find them of some use for your discussion.

Answer 3

Global warming literally means warming of our planet.

This is due to the increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. especially CO2 and water vapour.

greeen house gases can easily trap heat from the sun and take more time to cool.

this phenomenon causes excess heating in the atmosphere due to which the glaciers and polar caps melt. this inturn increases the sealevels. increased sea levels cause ocean water to flood the land masses. this endangers every living being on this planet.

also the weather patters change. all such stuff.

this is global warming...

steps to reduce GW:

- dont waste paper. this saves trees

- dont waste electricity. this reduces green house gas emmissions

- dont speed ur car. reduces gh gas emmisions.

and many more such steps....

Answer 4

watch this video it is very complete in the explanation and the cure as well.

http://multiply.com/gi/ecowellness:video...

and this map

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/glo...

when you have seen this you will be well equipped for a group discussion

Answer 5

As a definition, 'global warming' is the rising of temperature on Earth's surface and atmosphere. This definition has been applied to a controversial issue about why and how that increase in temperature is happening.

There are diverse opinions about the issue of Global Warming, here are some of them:

---Global Warming is the result of not paying attention to the signs. every day we are surrounded by the "Inconvenient Truth" of global warming. Ice plates shatter, temperatures rise, hurricanes are developing in different places. We might not face the side affects and neither will our children but our grand children and great grand children might. We cannot blame George W. Bush, we cannot blame countries, we only have ourselves to blame.

---Global warming is the gradual increase in global temperatures caused by the emission of gases that trap the sun's heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Gases that contribute to global warming include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and halocarbons (the replacements for CFCs). The carbon dioxide emissions are primarily caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy.

---Global warming is an observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Part of this increase may be due to natural processes, and would have occurred independently of human activity.

---Sad but true in a few billion years the world will be melted.The sun is naturally increasing temperatures for example Laura Ingals Wilder author of most little house books discusses the hardships of the cold winters.

---Global warming is part of a completely natural cycle of cooling and warming that has been occurring on this planet for billions of years and will likely continue until the end of time. Mankind has not contributed in any significant way to this warming, just like mankind did not contribute to the previous periods of global warming that occurred approximately 1100 (Medieval Warm Period), 2200 (Roman Warm Period), and 3300 (Minoan Warm Period) years ago. Please note the 1100-year cycle between previous warming periods, and the fact that today's global warming falls right in line with that cycle. It is also noteworthy that there were no internal combustion engines around at those times and no burning of fossil fuels, and therefore mankind could not have caused them (at least not by the same mechanisms claimed for the current warming period). According to ice-core oxygen-isotope temperature-proxy data, all of these previous warming periods were warmer than what we are experiencing today. That means that the natural climate cycles of the planet alone are more than enough to generate the kind of warming that we observe now. In fact, until (unless) the current temperatures exceed the historic temperature peaks of the earlier warming periods, it would be much more appropriate to be concerned about global cooling. After all, many believe, based on climate cycles that are far longer than the 1100-year cycle mentioned earlier, that the next ice age is right around the corner, and some think it's overdue. The fact that the 1998 peak of the current warming trend is cooler than all of the three previous warming period peak temperatures seems to support the notion that we are, indeed, nearing the beginning of another ice age. When that ice age hits, we will be wishing that we had enough influence on the climate to cause global warming. Also, actual accounts written during the Roman and Medieval warm periods mention an unusual level of prosperity during those times, as well as generally better health among human populations, more numerous populations of various animal species, and higher crop yields than the cooler periods that bracketed the warm periods. Though few actual accounts of life during the Minoan Warm Period survive, archaeological evidence supports the notion that humans prospered around the world during this time. Again, temperatures were higher during those times than they are now, which indicates that, even if current temperatures continue to rise before hitting their eventual peak, the effect on humans will be generally favorable.

--In my opinion, Global Warming is greatly disbelieved by some people. Many, particularly those in America and Canada, disbelieve in Global Warming, simply because it comes from the American Government, and they don't trust their government, or because they know the Oil Companies would benefit from Global Warming, so they could just fake it, or because they hate Al Gore - again, going back to the government. Normally, I would say that everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but, Global Warming threatens the life of 6 billion people and rising, within 40 years it will be 7 billion, and within 500 years it will be 0 if nobody is to ever assist those who don't doubt Global Warming in stopping it. So, they can say that it isn't real, and that they hate Al Gore all they want, but, they are the ones who are making a delay in the fight for Global Warming.

---The only real threat to the lives of the 6-7 billion people on earth is global warming alarmism, not global warming itself. As explained previously, global warming is part of a completely natural cycle of warming and cooling. If we try to stop it, the only thing we can do is ban, or at least drastically limit, the burning of fossil fuels. Agricultural production, which depends on fossil fuels, will plummet to about 10% of what it is now. Even if everyone was living on subsistence diets, over half of the world's population would starve to death. And by the way, it's not just about hating Al Gore. It's about not trusting Al Gore. If he really believed all the c**p he is spewing about global warming, then don't you think he would be walking the walk? Because he isn't. His Nashville Mansion burns 20 times as much natural gas and electricity as the average US household. Then there's his private jet, and the luxury limousines. Al Gore is in it strictly for the money! Just like everyone else that is pushing this global warming myth. And they're not about to give up all the luxuries they enjoy just because those luxuries cause global warming. But they expect all of us little people to give them up. Well, I say, "you first, Al! And then all your Hollywood buddies! Then, and only then, will I even believe you are sincere about it. But I still won't believe you know what you're talking about."

Answer 6

The Environmentalist Movement: Not a grassroots phenomenon driven by scruffy idealists but an elite-driven movement that lards the coffers of pressure campaigns with wealth - commonly inherited, often corporate, and far too-frequently looted from the taxpayer

Answer 7

I'd advise you to carefully study all sides of the issue.

There are those who say that the debate is over, that there is a consensus, and that consensus is that mankind is responsible, in whole or in part, for perceived global warming.  I don't remember hearing anything about consensus deciding issues of scientific inquiry when I studied the scientific method in school years ago. If 2000 scientist of the UN's panel believe global warming is man-caused, how about the 31,000 who say it isn't (See the Oregon Institute for Science and Medicine link)?

I have become quite skeptical of those claims though. There has been no warming in at least eight years, and none of the climate modeling tools used to further the anthropogenic (man-caused) warming argument predicted that. The claim that the globe is hotter than ever in history is simply, flat-out wrong. And, several studies of ice cores have conclusively shown that in increase in atmospheric CO2 followed a period of warming, not preceeded it  - how can CO2 be the cause if it rises after the warming took place? It can't.

And lastly, how serious is Al Gore about "going green" and reducing carbon footprints, etc., when his own home uses 20 times the power of the average American home? (See link to Snope's verifying this claim). Al doesn't seem too concerned about his carbon footprint, does he?

Don't take my owrd for it, or anyone else's. Study it for yourself.

Answer 8

GLOBAL WARMING.It is a thing that is going to end this world.There is a protective layer in the atmosphere called ozone layer.Direct sun rays harm our body and also melts the glaceres.The melted glaceres waters join  the oceans  and, if there is extra water in the oceans the like gigantic oceans like pacific ocean.IT may cause natural calamities like floods.And the whole land in the world gets flodded.SO the ozone layer protects us from harmful rays of the sun.ALERADY there extra water in the river GANGA because the Himalayan glaceres are melting.

Answer 9

global warming is the heat increasing in the earth by polution,vehicle etc.

Answer 10

Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century, and its projected continuation.

The average global air temperature near the Earth's surface increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the hundred years ending in 2005.[1] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-twentieth century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gas concentrations"[1] via an enhanced greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward.[2][3]

These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least thirty scientific societies and academies of science,[4] including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries.[5][6][7] While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with some findings of the IPCC,[8] the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change agree with the IPCC's main conclusions.[9][10]

Climate model projections summarized by the IPCC indicate that average global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century.[1] This range of values results from the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as models with differing climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a thousand years even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. The delay in reaching equilibrium is a result of the large heat capacity of the oceans.[1]

Increasing global temperature is expected to cause sea level to rise, an increase in the intensity of extreme weather events, and significant changes to the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other expected effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, modifications of trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.

Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences.

Terminology

The term "global warming" refers to the warming in recent decades and its projected continuation, and implies a human influence.[11][12] The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) uses the term "climate change" for human-caused change, and "climate variability" for other changes.[13]. The term "climate change" recognizes that rising temperatures are not the only effect.[14] The term "anthropogenic global warming" (AGW) is sometimes used when focusing on human-induced changes.

Causes

The Earth's climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing),[15][16][17], changes in solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions,[18] and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus[19][20] is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain most of the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.[21][22][23]

None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth's oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth's current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.[24]

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Main articles: Greenhouse gas and Greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and was first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896. It is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface.

Existence of the greenhouse effect as such is not disputed. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F), without which Earth would be uninhabitable.[25][26] On Earth, the major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%.[27][28] The issue is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the atmospheric concentrations of some greenhouse gases.

Human activity since the industrial revolution has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased radiative forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Molecule for molecule, methane is a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but its concentration is much smaller so that its total radiative forcing is only about a fourth of that from carbon dioxide. Some other naturally occurring gases contribute small fractions of the greenhouse effect; one of these, nitrous oxide (N2O), is increasing in concentration owing to human activity such as agriculture. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased by 31% and 149% respectively since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores.[29] From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO2 values this high were last attained 20 million years ago.[30] Fossil fuel burning has produced approximately three-quarters of the increase in CO2 from human activity over the past 20 years. Most of the rest is due to land-use change, in particular deforestation.[31]

The present atmospheric concentration of CO2 is about 385 parts per million (ppm) by volume.[33] Future CO2 levels are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of fossil fuels and land-use change. The rate of rise will depend on uncertain economic, sociological, technological, and natural developments, but may be ultimately limited by the availability of fossil fuels. The IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios gives a wide range of future CO2 scenarios, ranging from 541 to 970 ppm by the year 2100.[34] Fossil fuel reserves are sufficient to reach this level and continue emissions past 2100, if coal, tar sands or methane clathrates are extensively used.[35]

Feedbacks

Main article: Effects of global warming

The effects of forcing agents on the climate are complicated by various feedback processes.

One of the most pronounced feedback effects relates to the evaporation of water. Warming by the addition of long-lived greenhouse gases such as CO2 will cause more water to evaporate into the atmosphere. Since water vapor itself acts as a greenhouse gas, the atmosphere warms further; this warming causes more water vapor to evaporate (a positive feedback), and so on until other processes stop the feedback loop. The result is a much larger greenhouse effect than that due to CO2 alone. Although this feedback process causes an increase in the absolute moisture content of the air, the relative humidity stays nearly constant or even decreases slightly because the air is warmer.[36] This feedback effect can only be reversed slowly as CO2 has a long average atmospheric lifetime.

Feedback effects due to clouds are an area of ongoing research. Seen from below, clouds emit infrared radiation back to the surface, and so exert a warming effect; seen from above, clouds reflect sunlight and emit infrared radiation to space, and so exert a cooling effect. Whether the net effect is warming or cooling depends on details such as the type and altitude of the cloud. These details are difficult to represent in climate models, in part because clouds are much smaller than the spacing between points on the computational grids of climate models.[36]

A subtler feedback process relates to changes in the lapse rate as the atmosphere warms. The atmosphere's temperature decreases with height in the troposphere. Since emission of infrared radiation varies with the fourth power of temperature, longwave radiation emitted from the upper atmosphere is less than that emitted from the lower atmosphere. Most of the radiation emitted from the upper atmosphere escapes to space, while most of the radiation emitted from the lower atmosphere is re-absorbed by the surface or the atmosphere. Thus, the strength of the greenhouse effect depends on the atmosphere's rate of temperature decrease with height: if the rate of temperature decrease is greater the greenhouse effect will be stronger, and if the rate of temperature decrease is smaller then the greenhouse effect will be weaker. Both theory and climate models indicate that warming will reduce the decrease of temperature with height, producing a negative lapse rate feedback that weakens the

Answer 11

see the gasses like carbon dioxide,water vapor,nitrous oxide and ozone are present in the atmosphere.these gasses act like a glass not allowing the heat recieved from the sum by the earth to b reflected back into space..........they r harmful as they filter dangerous radiations from the sun.due to this the temperature of the earth increases and these gasses act like an insulating blanket keeping the earth warm..when these gasses r present in the right proportion they r beneficial....however a disturbance or increase in any of these gasses due to pollution and other factors cause warming of the atmosphere called as global warming.

my opinion is that if this continues it will b very harmful to life on earth ........the glaciers will melt,sumerging the coastal areas.thus we should try to control pollution

Answer 12

Although the data supports the premise that the globe has warmed over the last 50 years or so, the question is: "Is man the cause because of CO2 releases  from burned fossil fuels?"

Based on warming and cooling world history for the last several millions of years, I'm skeptical that man had much to do with it.  Check out this reference.

http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm#...