Global Warming

One major problem is the need for cheap energy. For the past century humans have met this need primarily through the consumption of finite fossil fuels, which currently liberates about 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

Another problem is cattle ranching. Cattle eructations (belches) emit methane gas, which is 25 times as potent as CO2 in terms of trapping heat. This problem is far smaller in scope than that of energy production.

Concrete also liberates CO2 into the atmosphere as it cures, from the calcium carbonate used in its manufacture.

The rare gases, also known as noble gases, make up about 1% of the Earth's atmosphere. This includes gases like helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. These gases are considered rare because they are present in very small concentrations compared to other gases like nitrogen and oxygen.

Scientists think that human burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) in industry, transport and the generation of electricity (which releases carbon dioxide (CO2)), is causing the atmospheric temperature rise.

Yes, greenhouse gases can be removed from the atmosphere. The ocean absorbs some, but this is part of the carbon cycle so it isn't permanent. Trees and vegetation can also remove carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, trees and plants store the carbon and release oxygen.

No. Global warming is a very complex process that is part natural phenomenon and part human consumption/greed. It would take some really big changes for us to subvert what we have contributed and what we continue to contribute.

The balanced chemical equation for the reaction is: CS2 + 3O2 -> CO2 + 2SO2. This shows that 1 molecule of carbon disulfide reacts with 3 molecules of oxygen gas to produce 1 molecule of carbon dioxide and 2 molecules of sulfur dioxide.

Yes. A carbon tax is paid by polluters, such as owners of fossil fuel power stations. The more carbon they emit, the more tax they pay. They don't like paying tax, so they will make efforts to reduce their emissions. The tax raised can be used to encourage renewable energy projects which will reduce the demand for fossil fueled energy, putting more pressure on the polluters to do better.

The factors that influence wind are pressure gradient, Rossby waves and jet streams, and local weather conditions.

The huge winds needed to cause cyclones requires very warm water, so hurricanes and cyclones mainly occur during the summer (hurricane season).

As global warming grows, it is very possible that water temperatures increase enough to cause more strong winds. More strong winds cause more cyclones which can develop into hurricanes.

Yes, when animals decompose, the carbon stored in their bodies is released back into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide through the process of decomposition. This carbon is either used by decomposers or released into the environment.

El Niño and La Niña events occur every five to seven years and can cause temporary changes in climate around the globe. El Niño brings warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, leading to increased rainfall in some areas and droughts in others. La Niña, on the other hand, brings cooler ocean temperatures and can result in opposite climate effects, such as increased drought in some regions.

One direct concern stemming from rising global temperatures is an increase in extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and intense storms. These events can lead to negative impacts on agriculture, water resources, ecosystems, and human health, increasing the risk of food and water shortages, displacement of communities, and overall instability.

Industry is partly to blame. The Industrial Revolution began this global warming when humans began burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). We humans are also to blame because we use oil to power our vehicles, and we use fossil fuel to generate electricity. And we can't get enough electricity!

There is a greenhouse effect on Earth because three-atomed gases in the atmosphere retain heat and ensure that the earth stays warm. Other examples of a greenhouse effect are the atmospheres of Venus and Mars.

Mercury has an atmosphere but has no greenhouse effect, as the main gases (hydrogen, helium and oxygen) are not greenhouse gases. So Mercury is a non-example of the greenhouse effect.

The moon is also a non-example, as it has no atmosphere at all.

Some of it is absorbed by sea water, where it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, decreasing the ocean pH.

In general, tree leaves and grass pull CO2 out of the air in the spring and summer months, and release it in the fall as they die. We have been able to measure and monitor this seasonal cycle since the 1950s. (See link).

In ages past vast amounts of carbon dioxide was pulled from the atmosphere by various organisms. During the Permian, 300 million years ago, trees and vegetation that died toppled into the watery muck where they did not fully decay. The carbon taken up by these plants remained buried, eventually turning into vast coal and oil deposits.

At other times small marine organisms would take up carbon in their shells, forming huge limestone deposits, eventually sequestering billions of tons of atmospheric carbon. During the cretaceous calcareous coccolithophores gradually settled out of ocean water forming deep chalk deposits. Much of this activity ended with the conclusion of the cretaceous, the name of which comes from the Greek word "creta" for "chalk."

Fifty million years ago an arctic freshwater fern known as "Azolla" proliferated over the polar ocean surface. As the ferns died they sank to the sea floor, where they did not decay. The build up of dead fern mass pulled billions more tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, cooling the earth enough to precipitate a long series of ice ages.

Today we are pumping CO2 into the atmosphere much faster than the earth can adjust. This may not seem reasonable, as the earth is large--its diameter is nearly 8000 miles. But we have been puffing over 30 billion tons of CO2 into the air every year, and this steady increase is beginning to have not just measurable but noticeable impact. In 1900 CO2 was 290 ppm. By 1950 it had risen to 300. Today it is nearly 400, and it will exceed 500 ppm before 2050.

Earth's energy budget has been balanced for thousands of years. The natural greenhouse effect allows enough heat in and out of the atmosphere to keep it warm enough for life. Additional greenhouse gases, which we are now adding to the atmosphere and causing problems with the budget and the earth is warming up. This warming is causing climate change.

This is a somewhat broad question since there are many different ways in which we can either take care of our Earth or fail to do so. In general, if we do not take care of our Earth, environmental conditions will worsen, and we will have a damaged world in which to live. There are a wide range of unfortunate consequences which can result, which include flooding, starvation, epidemics, war, etc.

Yes, global warming is primarily caused by the increase in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. These gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to a rise in global temperatures and resulting in various environmental consequences like melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and more frequent extreme weather events.

Whether logging is legal or illegal is not the point, but rather whether the logging is occurring or not. If it were perfectly legal to slash and burn tropical rain forests the effect would be the same if we denuded the same acreage illegally.

Logging itself liberates CO2 sequestered by trees, eliminating one substantial CO2 sink. In addition, forest area has a lower albedo than crop land and range land. This has an impact on weather patterns, which over extended periods of time impacts the climate.

Scientists have a consensus that global climate change is primarily driven by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to rising global temperatures, changes in weather patterns, and other climate-related impacts. Efforts to mitigate climate change are focused on reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources.