Global Warming Essay

"Up and down, up and down - that is how temperature and climate have always gone in the past and there is no proof they are still doing exactly the same now. In other words, climate change is an entirely natural phenomenon, nothing to do with the burning of fossil fuels" - David Bellamy

Global warming can be defined as the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere and the question over what has been causing this increase in temperature has sparked many debates throughout the world. There is certainly evidence to suggest that global warming is a real issue, not just an urban myth. Since pre-industrial times (i.e. before the industrial revolution in the late 1700s) global average temperatures have risen by about 0.7°C, with roughly half of this occurring in the past 30-40 years. Not only this but carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere have also dramatically increased since this time. But is this relatively recent rise in global temperatures down to human activities or is it just a result of the planet's core temperatures naturally fluctuating up and down, like they always have, or is it a combination of both?
The majority belief, particularly in the past few decades, is that climate change is solely a result of human activities putting a huge strain on the planet and it is these man-made issues that probably cause the most damage. Pollution is perhaps the biggest anthropogenic problem in terms of climate change and can come in many forms. A large

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The case for attributing the recent global warming to human activities rests on the following undisputed scientific facts:
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere.
• Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm. Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice.
• Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels and forests. The isotopic composition of carbon from these sources contains a unique “fingerprint.”
• Since pre-industrial times, global average temperatures have increased by about 0.7ºC, with about half of the warming occurring over the past few decades.
• The only quantitative and internally consistent explanation for the recent global warming includes the intensified greenhouse effect caused by the increase in CO2 and other greenhouse gases.