Global Warming

Global Warming

What Causes Global Warming?
· Global warming is caused by several things, which include man-made or anthropogenic causes and natural causes.
o Natural Causes
§ Natural causes are created by nature. One natural cause is a release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a greenhouse gas and a very dangerous gas to our environment. A greenhouse gas is a gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Another natural cause is that the earth goes through a cycle of climate changes
o Man-Made/Anthropogenic
§ Man-made causes probably do the most damage to our planet. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems.
· Pollution comes in many shapes and sizes. Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or oil. When fossil fuels are burned they give off a green house gas called CO2. Also, mining coal and oil allows methane to escape.
o How does it escape? Methane is naturally in the ground. When coal or oil is mined you have to dig up the earth a little bit. When you dig up the fossil fuels you dig up the methane as well letting it escape into the atmosphere.
· Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population.
o More people means that we need more food and more methods of transportation. This means that there will be more methane because we will be burning more fossil fuels.
o When you are near a barn filled with animals you may smell manure, which is another source for methane. Because we need more food to feed our population, we have to raise it. The more animals we raise as in cows, the more manure there is which means there is more methane.
o Another problem with the increasing population is transportation. The more cars we have the more pollution there is. Not to mention that many people have more than one car.
The 5-step plan to repower, rebuild, and refuel America:

1. Set limits on global warming pollution
a. Congress should... [continues]

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