What is global warming?

Question

I want to know what causes it and what how it effects us.

Answer 1

Global warming is the earth's response to a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. When extra CO2 is trapped in the atmosphere, it helps any radiation that bounced off the earth's surface remain here, whereas when there wasnt as much, that radiation would have escaped into space. Extra CO2 is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The oil that is pumped from the ground is actually carbon that has been trapped there by the natural processes of sediment burial. It is called the carbon cycle. When you die, you are buried. The carbon that is in your body is then returned to the earth. Should you be cremated rather than buried, your carbon is let back into the air. Cremation adds CO2 into the air. When we burn coal or gas for fuel, we are releasing into the atmosphere tons of CO2 that was originally stored in the ground.
The reason global warming has been increasing is that since the industrial revolution, we have been burning TONS of carbon and releasing it into the air. If you look at graphs of the increase, you will see that it began with the beginning of the industrial revolution. You will also see that global warming happens on cycles.
Throughout earth's history, through natural causes like volcanoes erupting, comet strikes, and fires, CO2 has built up in the atmosphere and caused temperatures to rise. When the dinosaurs ruled the earth was a time of extreme temperature highs. There was no ice in the north or south pole. Sea level was higher. The difference between the normal cycle and now is the time scale on which warming is occuring. If you look at the chart (im not sure where to find one, ive seen them in my geology classes) you will see that at present times, the temperature rising line is a very large spike, whereas before the lines didnt rise at such a steep angle. That is because before there weren't silly humans who think they know everything around to mess things up.
Yes global warming happens on a normal cycle. No, this is not like that. Today's spike just happens to coincide with a normal cyclic high that is being exasperated by our recent activities. We can turn it around now, but even now it will take millions of years to fix.
Its effects are widespread. Global warming causes, naturally, higher temperatures. That means warmer summers and less cold winters. It does not mean that winter will stop. That is a big misconception. It also means that there will be generally more precipitation, although not everywhere equally.
Keep in mind that during the last ice ages, the average temperature of the earth was only 2-3 degrees cooler. Think about what that means if the earth is 2-3 degrees warmer! All the ice will melt (actually most of it already has). You can look at pictures of mountain glaciers on a time lapse basis over several decades (in some cases actually over as little as 3 years!) There is clearly less glacier on many of them now. Google Earth does a good job of this.

Some people think that global warming is a hoax; that the government is trying to scare us. They are wrong. The people who don't believe it are the ones who've never taken a class and have never researched global warming from an unbiased source. While people did used to be worried about cooling, it is a fact that during temperature rises, there are often small variations in temperature from year to year, or even season to season. Remember that climate change has nothing to do with weather. Just because some summer days are slightly cooler than average doesnt mean that the AVERAGE temperature isnt rising.


I found the chart I mentioned several times. It can be found here: http://www.brighton73.freeserve.co.uk/gw/paleo/400000yearssmall.jpg

Notice that 0 years before present is on the far right, and that it is much higher than any previous point.

I hope that helps. Im sorry its so long, but i wanted to make sure the ideas are clear since there are so many people out there who want to make you think that there is no evidence supporting global warming.

Answer 2

Just a little something to think about the chart hulagrl provided. Actually I see 4 other episodes where the temps were as high or higher than present and the spike ups happened just as rapidly. I also find it interesting that we've apparently been running over a degree C warmer than the post-industrial revolution 1960-1990 baseline (0) for maybe 2 or 3 thousand years now. It is a bit difficult to tell on the scale of the chart but it's far longer than we've been polluting for sure. There is one other thing you can't tell at this scale either, you have to look at it close up. If you really look at each spike you note that the temperature rise actually leads the CO2 spike by about 200 years each time. If the CO2 caused the temp rise shouldn't it be the other way around? There is a cycle that correlates perfectly with the temperature rise though and actually precedes it: increased solar activity. And did you know that it takes a couple of hundred years after warming starts to warm the deep oceans enough that they start to exsolve a lot of the CO2 dissolved? Cold water can dissolve more gasses than warm water. Global warming is real but the most important driver appears to be solar activity. Not that I think we need to keep adding to the buildup. We still need to clean up our act, conserve more and use alternatives as much as possible. Who wants to breathe polluted air?

Answer 3

Global Warming is the term applied by people to the very recent trend in the Earth's temperature. Believe it or not, the Earth has been experiencing "Global Warming" for the last 11,000 years, since the end of the Wisconsonian Stage of the Pleistocene Epoch, when there was two miles of ice sitting on top of Wisconsin, which was the southernmost advance of glacial ice sheets. The fact is that we are in a rare period of Global Cooling, since Earth's history shows little evidence of glacial ice, even at the poles. The average temperature of the Earth is several degrees hotter than it is now, and global warming may bring us up to that average. It is (at least in part) caused by mankind's burning of fossil fuels and several species that are specialized to colder temperatures will go extinct due to it. Other than that, it will be warmer, and other weather patterns (such as rainfall) will probably change due to it.

Answer 4

Global warming is to me, in all honestly, is a hole load of bunch of bull ****. It's the only reasonable answer scientist could give the world to why it was hotter in the winter than normal. What the schools dont teach us are the facts proving it to be a hole bunch of bul. Do you think global warming caused the the first 2 major ice ages. NO! Global warming gives people a answer that they need just so they can stop wondering. In all Global warming does really help. it pushs belivers into reclying and using bio fuel. my answer to the change in climate is simple. the earth rotation around the sun changes from time to time and that changes the seasons. snows later in the winter and gits hotter later in the summer. Scince just give answers to questions like global warming and how life begain when in realtly they cant 100% prove just about 50% of there claims.

Answer 5

Global warming said in theory or fact is that pollution is blocking bounce back rays from the sun causing them to stay in the atmosphere making the temperature on Earth to increase.

This also causes migration patterns to change, bugs to live without frost sometimes causing a environmental disaster, and also just plain weird phenomena

Answer 6

Global warming is a fallacy being promoted by politicians who would like to place further regulations and restrictions on us (otherwise known as taxes). In scientific terms, it is the natural warming cycle of the earth. The earth goes through many warming and cooling cycles and will continue to do so. Back in the 1970's, everyone was worried about global cooling, but again, it was just a part of this natural cooling and warming cycle. When the next cooling cycle comes around, everyone will be scrambling to stop that too. But Mother Nature is much smarter and stronger than any human being, and she takes good care of herself.

Answer 7

If you wish to receive grant money for climate research, do you think that you'll get a cheque if you say," I need the grant, as I think that I can prove that the figures that the current paradigm is based upon are wrong" ? The great environmentalist, David Bellamy, has been silenced, and refused airtime. There is still no proven causative link between the amount of Co2 in the atmosphere, and an increase in global temperatures. The WWWF photographs of the polar bears swimming were taken in the Arctic summer; when the ice cap partially melts, as they couldn't get up to photograph in the winter. The ice was too thick! The East-Anglian uni research figures. "Oh! The figures don't match our expectations. Oh well. Keep quiet. Because we know that we are right." When the belief, and the faith is more important than squarely facing the legitimate doubts of a lot of non grant-supported scientists, science has been superceded by religious zealots. As Oliver Cromwell colourfully said." I pray thee, in the bowels of Christ, consider that thou mayest be wrong."

Answer 8

global warming is, well, warming of the globe. it is caused by the increased production of greenhouse gases that prevents heat from escaping back into space. it affects us because it melts the polar ice caps and can raise sea level, causing more frequent floods.

Answer 9

You've several good answers here, so I'll just add a good link:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/GlobalWarmingUpdate/