Global Warming: A Human Cause?

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Global warming, just the thought of the words bring to mind scenes of melting ice, stranded polar bears and dying plants. In today’s society it seems humanity is always being blamed for the tragedies that seem to go along with this catastrophe. However, research has proven that humans are not the sole cause of global warming. In fact, some scientists say that the natural causes of global warming far outweigh the human causes. What exactly does global warming effect? The effects of global warming are spread across the entire world and can be broken down into three main areas, the first of which is heat waves. Heat waves are defined as periods of time lasting more than three days at which the average temperature exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit. According to manmade global warming “the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported a momentous increase of .35 degrees Celsius in the period from 1975 until 2000”. Because of the rise in temperature “the hottest global temperatures up to this time were recorded in 1987 and 1988”. (Barnosky 3) According to science daily “the highest recorded global ocean surface temperature for the January through July period was observed in 1989 also during this 1987 to 1988 period the average temperature was approximately 92 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months which coincides with the increase in temperature during this time”. Along with heat waves, the next areas in which scientist break down the effects of global warming is the melting of mountain glaciers. According to Bruce Johansen “Many people who live in lower elevations depend on glacier melt for water and electricity generation”. (277) Not only is humanity affected by the melting of these glaciers, the native animals in ... ... middle of paper ... ...ber 2008. Web. 22 April 2011. “The Inconvenient Facts about Global Warming”. global-warming-statistics.org. n.p. 2010. Web. 20 April 2011. Johansen, Bruce. Global Warming In The 21st Century. Westport: Praeger Perspectives, 2006. Print. Kraljic, Matthew A., ed. The Green House Effect. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1992. Print. Labohm, Hans, Simon Rozendal, and Dick Thoenes. Man Made Global Warming: Unraveling a Dogma. Brentwood. Multi-science publishing co, 2004. Print. Mathews, Christopher. “Deforestation Causes Global Warming.” Fao.org. FAO. 2008. Web. 22 April 2011. Przyborski, Paul. “Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment”. Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. NASA. N.d. Web. 21 April 2011. “Warmest Year-to-Date Global Temperatures on Record”. ScienceDaily.com. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 17 August 2010. Web. 21 April 2011.

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