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Introduction to Global Warming File:Global warming1.jpg Global warming is a controversial issue in today’s world. Everyone has their own take on global warming. But the question arises in everyone’s mind whether global warming is hyped or is it a real threat. Global warming is the average rise in temperature of the Earth due to the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect is the increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon-dioxide which is emitted when fossil fuels are burned for energy production. Factors Causing Global Warming Carbon-Dioxide In 1890s, there was a concern over the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Swedish chemist, Avante Arrhenius made startling prediction that atmospheric carbon dioxide would lead to world wide warming on the order of 9F. In 1980, an article by R.J. Delmas and others entitled Polar Ice Evidence mentioned that the atmospheric carbon dioxide 20,000 years back was 50 percent of the present. This appeared in the article, Nature. Carbon dioxide of air bubble were found buried deep in polar ice. The atmospheric air gets trapped in the snow and the snow gets deposited over time. Later on, a group of scientists studied the different gases present trapped in the snow in Antarctica. They found that atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was significantly lower during a 100,000 cycle. They estimate that it was 25 to 30 percent lower. This shows the increase in the green house gases as time passed. But is the Industrial Revolution and the increase in green house gas the only reason for global warming. Melting of Glaciers Robert Vivian is a glacier specialist. He had been surveying the worlds’ summits for years in quest for answers. He found results from his investigation which was totally different from what the scientists and the media said. Robert looked into the history for answers. The journey into the past revealed a completely different story. The history of a valley named Vale Venice revealed a lot. A village named Saint Gen de Parfait lied at the base of the valley. It got covered by ice and snow on the 16th to 17th century. Engravings showed clearly that climate fluctuations are not new. The assertion made that glaciers are melting due to the Earth’s temperature rise would not be a solid argument. Looking into the temperature rise, the average rise in temperature in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1987 were one of the warmest year for the whole planet. But during these periods the Alpine glaciers grew the most. This shows that the glaciers are independent of the change in temperature. The phases of regression and progression of the glaciers does not depend on the temperature rise or fall. Atmospheric Temperature In a meteorological station in Denmark, John Cappeler studies the atmospheric temperature. According to the scientists, there is a one degree Celsius rise in temperature in the last 100 years. John scanned all the data regarding the polar ice caps melting. He carried out a study in Southern Greenland. He investigated the atmospheric temperatures for the past 45 years using many different parameters. He came to a conclusion that the temperature has gone down approximately by 1.3 degrees Celsius over the past 45 years. It has actually cooled in the Southern Greenland. He comes to a conclusion that global warming is not a uniform linear process. File:Global warming chart.gif Greenhouse Gases Greenhouse gas is the main cause for global warming. Laurent Terpin studies green house greenhouse gases. Temperatures have been rising in the past 40 years. Green house gases also have been increasing simultaneously due to the increasing of industrialization. He carried out an experiment using an aircraft. He flew far away from the cities and collected samples of air from the aircraft to measure the green house gases present in it. His aim was to understand the relation between the green house gas and the change in climate. He came to a conclusion that the rate of carbon dioxide has tripled since the beginning of industrialization. He deduced that it was because of human responsibility. But shockingly, the temperature had remained at a constant rate in that same period of time. There has been only a 0.5 degree Celsius rise in temperature in the past century but not regularly. From year 1919 to 1940 there was a rise in the temperature. From year 1940 to 1970, the temperature dropped, from 1970 to 1985, the temperature rose again. And from 1985 to the present day, the temperature rose. Even though the emission of green house gases increased, the rise in temperature was not regular. Sun Sun is a very important factor to the climate change. Scientist has ignored the fact that sun plays an important role in the climate change. Dutch researcher, Henrick Spencemark was one of the first to investigate this factor. He came up with the real theory of the impact of the Sun on the climate change. Sun has increased its activities over the past century. The way it has increased its activities fits well with how the temperature has changed. Today the Sun is in a very active phase. Cosmic rays are present in the Universe around the Sun. Cosmic rays are responsible to make the lower clouds. It has been analyzed that when solar activities increases, the cosmic rays are less numerous. When the cosmic rays are less numerous, the cloud layers are thinner. This makes the Sun make the planet warmer. Conclusion In an interview article with Julian Simon, he says “things are actually getting better with the environment”. This was something completely opposite of what the scientists say. But the evidence and statistics he provide were very convincing. Seventy to eighty percent of the people in the world trust the green peace. They trust and believe what they say. Due to this there is a tendency to over trust one side of the interest group forgoing the other possible reasons. The planet is getting warmer. Media is a major factor in the influence of what is going on in the world. Media tends to influence the people to a bias understanding of the issue. Media loves bad news. It is not the fault of media. Media is like a puppet in the hands of the people. They do whatever the people like to hear and see. The scientists give bad news which is amplified by the green peace and put into print by the media. This is how global warming is more of a hype than a threat. Reference Fagan, Brian. The Great Warming. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2008 Bernard, Harold.W. Global Warming Unchecked. Bloomington & Indianapolois Indiana University Press, 1993 Lomborg, Bjorn. The Skeptical Environmentalist. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001 Global Warming: Hype or Hazard. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004 Rose, Paul. Meltdown: A Global Warming Journey. Princeton, N.J: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2006
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