What is global warming?

Question

I've asked so many people, but I don't understand the answers! What is global warming and how did it start? Can we stop it? Will we all die?

Answer 1

OK, global warming is basically the planet heating up. This is because gases are emitted from things such as cars, power plants that burn coal, oil or natural gas etc.. These gases rise into the atmosphere and form a 'veil' which allows heat from the Sun to enter the atmosphere to our planet's surface but allow very little of this heat, which is reflected off the surface off the planet, to leave the planet and go back into space. Therefore, the heat stays in the atmosphere warming up the planet.

Global warming is both natural and human influenced. Natural forms include breathing (we breathe out carbon dioxide, a damaging gas) and volcanoes (which give out a lot of bad gases). Human causes are when fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, are burned in our car engines, power plants and trains etc..

There is no known way of stopping it other than to cut the amount of gas we put into our atmosphere. We cannot stop the natural ones but we can stop human ones. That is why we are told to buy electric cars and put wind turbines on our roofs - these do not give out harmful gases.

A way of reducing carbon dioxide is through trees. Trees need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis which produces the food they need to survive. They take this out of the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen. A problem is that we are cutting down trees and major places such as the Amazon rainforest are also being cut down.

Global warming could get out of hand and it would put a lot of strain on humans and animals. Animals better suited to colder regions will most likely start to die. The older population of humans will find it difficult to cope. Deserts will get bigger and the land which can be used for farming will fall as a result meaning that there will be less food for the people. Africa will suffer a lot. If we all will die or not is not known but we know that it will be a struggle.

I hope that helped!

Answer 2

It would be better to call it a global temperature change. There is plenty of evidence to show that warming and cooling runs in cycles and right now things are warming.

In general it refers to the normal air and water temperatures of the earth. We have warmed about 1-1/2 degrees in the last 100 years and a lot of scientists are pointing at the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. That means the gas surrounding the earth has caused the earth to retain more heat.

While 1-1/2 degrees is not a huge change for the human body, the effect can be to melt ice or to change global climate and air currents. All of that could have effects on our climate and weather. That could have an impact on growing seasons, animal migrations, etc.

It is serious subject, but unfortunately like a most things, it has become politicized for political gain. I can't think of anyone that wants to destroy the earth, but there are valid arguments that need some reconciliation.

You will not die from global warming. It may have a more serious and pronounced impact in the future, but without a crystal ball, we can't really predict anything with more than a fractional amount of certainty.

Answer 3

Some gases in the atmosphere are transparent to visible light, but block heat. They let sunlight in and stop the resulting heat from leaving . That's the greenhouse effect. It's like how the glass in a greenhouse keeps plants warm in winter. It's largely natural, desirable, and caused by water vapor.

Global warming is extra greenhouse effect caused by man, chiefly through burning fossil fuels and making carbon dioxide. It threatens to cause very costly flooding and damage to agriculture.

Rich countries will be able to deal with it, but it will cost them huge sums of money to move people from the coasts and build new stuff to replace what's lost to flooding. And to repair agriculture. Poor countries already struggle to get enough food. There, many people (but not all) will die of starvation.

These threads always attract people who claim that global warming is not real. But that's an argument for another place.

Answer 4

The earth's climate never ever stays the same for very long. New York used to buried under a mile of ice. Global warming melted it. The main cause of climate cycles is the variability of the sun.

Carbon dioxide has a very small effect on climate if any.

Can we stop climate change? Can you stop the sun?

Answer 5

Global warming is caused by carbon dioxide form the green house gases. It is burning a whole i our atmosphere and the atmosphere is protecting us form the intensity of the sun. So if it becomes a really big whole, the sun will burn through and we will all be burned to death, but that will happen in like 10000 years so no worries

Answer 6

first of all, global warming is BAD. we caused it but SOME people say that it doesnt exist. we can stop it by reducing the amount of carbon dioxid we put into the atmosphere. and its posible that we will die... it will probebly be 100 more years is we dont do something

Answer 7

It's a naturally occurring cycle of nature. It has been happening longer than man has been here.
You can't stop, change, or fix nature. Every time man tries, he screws it up and makes things worse.
No, we won't die or be adversely effected by it.

Answer 8

if you asked so many people and didn't understand, how are you going understand any we say here.

you should look it up on kids websites or something.

Answer 9

It is the hype of the rich to take away your transportation, and let u walk. No it is not going to kill us.