The Effects of Global Warming

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The effects on Earth from its inhabitants is causing the temperature on the Earth to rise, and creating many problems that will begin to occur in the coming decades. The greenhouse effect is the absorption of energy radiated from the Earth's surface by carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to become warmer. The greenhouse effect is what is causing the temperature on the Earth to rise.

Today, major changes are taking place. People are conducting an inadvertent global experiment by changing the face of the entire planet. We are destroying the ozone layer, which allows life to exist on the Earth's surface. All of these activities are unfavorably altering the composition of the biosphere and the Earth's heat balance. Through these actions we come to the pinnacle of an eco-revolution.

"The Larsen B ice shelf… has shattered and separated from the continent as a result of warming." (USA TODAY, 1) As the global temperature steadily rises so do the results of this global heat wave, impacting the environment. Ice which has remained frozen for 100’s of thousands of years has begun to melt, and break off into the ocean. Once separated from the ice shelf it is only a matter of time before the ice is reverted back to water, causing a rise in global sea levels. The end result of this melt is costal flooding as the sea level rises beyond its natural barriers, and spills into areas below our current sea level.

In addition to changes being made to land masses, global warming is also impacting nature, which relies heavily on the delicate temperature balance which currently exists. “At lease 70 species of frogs, mostly mountain-dwellers that had nowhere to go to escape the creeping heat, have gone extinct because of climate change..” (Climateark.org, 1) Animals driven to the point of extinction due to the effects of global warming is a very concerning factor. The environment is being drastically changed due to small changes in global temperatures, 1 degree in climate change is devastating entire eco-systems.

Not only has global warming impacted nature, and wildlife but it has also been shown to be a factor increasing disastrous weather. “…hurricanes and typhoons have become strong and longer lasting over the past 30 years. These upswings correlate with a rise in sea surface temperature.” (Roach, 1) Rising ocean temperatures due to an increase in planetary temperature, creates more powerful and disastrous weather.

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