Global Warming

Latasha Aznaran
October 29, 2007
English 1302

Global Warming: Mother Natures Revenge

      Natural disasters affect millions of people each year, and the numbers are increasing rapidly. On August 23, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, one of the strongest and deadliest storms ever witnessed in the United States, hit Louisiana. The storm took the lives of more than 1,800 Americans’, and was responsible for more than $81.2 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.   Experts report that the rise in atmospheric temperatures (commonly referred to as global warming) may have been responsible for this catastrophic event. There is no denying that the planets atmospheric temperature is on the rise, but is this elevation going to cause an increase in catastrophic events? Skeptics deny that global warming will increase the severity, or amount of natural disasters; but the effects are already being felt, and the supporting evidence that is surfacing proves that this threat is real.
      For years scientist have argued over the cause of global warming, but many have come to an agreement that humanity is to blame;   the quesiton now is will this elevation be dangerous to humans and the planet? In order to understand why global warming could have such an adverse impact on our climate, we must understand how it is happening.   Matthew Humphrey, Deputy Director of the Center for the Study of Social and Global Justice at the University of Nottingham, defines global warming as a
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temperature rise in the earth’s atmosphere.   He explains that solar radiation, which would normally be released into space, is being trapped in our atmosphere due to the build up of carbon dioxide and other gasses. The effect of this trapped solar radiation is global warming.
      What many skeptics believe is that global warming is just part of a natural cycl. Andrew Haines, researcher of climate change, reports that the earth's temperature has increased by one... [continues]

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