Global warming is a widely debated topic. Many scientists prove theories right and wrong. However I will explain both sides to global warming and what the real cause may be.

Global warming is the warming of the Earth. G-W has some benefits as it allows crops to be grown lusher green, and less deaths due to the cold. It allows longer harvesting seasons, and a much more joyful life. However it also leads to the melting of the exterior ice sheets such as Greenland’s and the polar ice caps. Although the exterior ice sheets are melting, the interior is gaining more and more mass due to heavy snowfall over the land. G-W also leads to hotter climates in some areas, that induce extreme heat waves and causes heat strokes. It also warms the oceans of Earth and creates many climate problems. Birds and baby seals are some of many more victims of global warming. Extreme climate issues have led bird’s migratory sense to be confused for example, Africa is in winter, birds attempt to fly north, however the north is in a very cold snowstorm which confuses birds, and they attempt to fly back to Africa, and eventually tires out midway and dies. Baby seals, which prey on fish in the ocean near shores, cannot feed, because the fish near the shores, swim further out into the ocean due to the surface being much hotter than usual.

Some scientists believe that G-W is caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, while some believe it is a natural cycle of Earth’s climate, and some believe the Sun is the main factor in G-W. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide and water vapor. Carbon dioxide itself does not trap much heat compared to water vapor, however carbon dioxide traps water vapor in the atmosphere, which in turn traps more heat. Scientists believe this retains the heat from escaping and thus warming the Earth. However this will only lead up to 1-3 degrees Celsius per year. Some scientists believe that it is a natural cycle that Earth is going through. A thousand years ago, there was a period known as the Medieval Warming period. During this period, Earth’s temperatures were much higher than it is today, yet this was still before the beginning of man-made greenhouse gases started booming into the air. This suggests that global warming may not have been caused by greenhouse gases. Lastly, scientists argue that the Sun is the culprit behind G-W. The sun has been closely monitored for many years, recording its energy and radiation outputs. Utilizing many of Earth’s satellites, data has shown the sun’s energy increasing slowly by tenths of a percent of its current energy output. Although a tenth of a percent of the current energy output seems little, considering the size and mass of the sun, that may be enough energy to heat up Earth for years to come. Since the sun is slowly increasing energy outputs, scientists believe that the Sun is responsible for G-W.

In my opinion however, I believe that all three statements by scientists are true. I believe the Sun is slowly increasing energy output, thus warming the Earth quite a bit, the Earth’s natural cycle, which happens every 800 or so years where the Earth warms and cools, and the production of man-made greenhouse gases that trap heat within the atmosphere, all contribute to G-W.