Global warming is on the rise and unless something is done in the very near future to address global warming causes, hope for the future is dim. Although there are many factors that contribute significantly to the overall increase in temperatures around the world, for the most part, causes of global warming can be broadly categorized under gaseous emissions and deforestation. It is the hope that by understanding the main global warming causes, something can be done to rectify the situation before it is totally out of control.
Global Warming Causes Gaseous Emissions
Although we have been inundated with information about carbon emissions in terms of global warming causes, there is another culprit out there that is far worse for the environment than carbon dioxide. This beast is methane gas which actually has 25 times the impact on global warming than that of CO2. The average citizen is completely aware of the fact that vehicles, industries and power plants operating on fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes greatly to global warming. But a lesser known fact is that methane is infinitely more toxic to the ozone layer that seeks to protect earth from solar radiation. While both carbon dioxide and methane are ultimately broken down into carbon that is the ultimate cause of rupturing the ozone layer, methane has a shorter half life (seven years) as opposed to approximately 38 years for carbon dioxide. Simply put, methane breaks down much more quickly, and as a result, carbon is released in greater saturations in a significantly shorter period of time.
Global Warming Causes Deforestation
Every school age child is taught about photosynthesis and how it takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of the process, breaking it down into carbon and oxygen. It uses the carbon and emits oxygen which helps considerably to reduce available levels of carbon which is a prime factor in global warming causes. For various reasons, deforestation ran rampant around the globe for many decades. Land was needed for development and agriculture, while wood was needed for fuel and products. With such a decline in lush vegetation to provide photosynthesis to naturally reduce levels of carbon dioxide, global warming began to surge upwards. However, that is only half the story. When seasonal rains cause run-offs into streams, rivers and lakes, there is greater potential for living creatures to be killed and left to rot. Methane is a byproduct of rotting organic matter, and this increase in methane gas is a far greater risk to global warming than carbon dioxide. Deforestation, then, significantly increases amounts of both carbon dioxide and methane. Of all the global warming causes, this might be the most fundamentally damaging.
While there are many global warming causes, most of them can be lumped together into much broader categories. It isnt enough to say that we should drive less, or use less electricity. In order to have a real impact on global warming, it is necessary to ultimately understand global warming causes as a whole, and then move on from there to find solutions that deal with the broader picture. Of course every person should do his or her part, but without understanding the bottom line, it is difficult to do enough to truly make a difference. Take a long, hard look at the global warming causes of gaseous emissions and deforestation and then determine what you can do to reduce the risk.
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