What is the Greenhouse Effect?According to Sustainable Travel International, the greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain naturally occurring gases and gases emitted as a result of human activities are released into the atmosphere including water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, which become trapped on the ground. Because these gasses stay below the earth's atmosphere, they warm the Earth causing disastrous effects on the Earth's natural ecosystem. The combination of these effects is referred to as greenhouse gases.
Seems to me that economic benefits are currently outweighing the future of this planet. As the earth's resources are quickly becoming tapped out due to overpopulation and mishandling of current resources, Mother Nature is violently striking back.
In the news we are seeing more and more disasters. Everything from earthquakes, to melting polar icecaps to cyclones are becoming front page news....as they should be. This planet is on loan.
Countries like India and China are promising as far as experiencing an economic boom at what cost? Is the government going to apply the necessary regulations to maintain a safe environment? According to Cnn, China is regarded as a developing nation, it is not
required (???) to curb emissions. Instead, it would be eligible to earn
credits by setting up emission-reducing projects and other so called clean development mechanisms. I know that the USA is not perfect in this regard but gains have been made as far as reducing
gas house emissions.
According to the Evidence of Accelerated Climate Change:...we’
ve already reached greenhouse gas atmospheric levels equivalent to 450 parts per million of carbon dioxide, the point at which the
IPCC says we risk slipping into “dangerous climate change.” While the
IPCC assessment acknowledges carbon dioxide-equivalent levels are around 455 parts per million, it assumes the actual climate impact is still below the danger point thanks to the cooling effects of atmospheric aerosols and pollutants. The Climate Institute report notes those aerosol levels are dropping — thanks to pollution-control efforts — while greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Of course we have to look at the other side and discover why they think that our planet is not suffering from this climatic change:
Climate change computer models that predict warming often rely on assumptions and simplifications that raise questions about their reliability. Example: one model effectively moved the Earth's orbit 2 million miles closer to the sun.
There are shortcomings in the data. Example: temperature records over the last century may incorrectly suggest warming because many weather stations are close to growing cities.
Temperature observations over the last century are inconsistent with the predictions of global warming theories.
A competing theory, based on the hypothesis that solar activity may be the major factor in climate change, is more consistent with temperature observations in the northern hemisphere during the last century.
In summary, I feel that as a society and as an individual, we should take responsibility over our own pollutants. We should strive for a better planet, reduce emissions and population overgrowth for many many reasons besides the global warming theory. I believe there is solid evidence out there regarding the warming of our planet. I believe that with the melting of the polar icecaps we human beings are partly responsible for the disappearance of this treasure. Everyone is, of course entitled to their opinion and I just like voicing mine.
(Still under constructive thought)
Websites:
http://www.planetsave.com/
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/op_carbonoffsets_about.html#q2
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA233.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissions_trading
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/global-change.html
http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/BG896.cfm
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/qthinice.asp
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