The Greenhouse Effect: Is The World Heating Up?
An increase in global water temperatures of only 2°F could raise the ocean level by two feet; melting ice caps could creating extreme flooding and changing the face of the landscape the world over…Low-lying cities, such as New York and New Orleans, would be the first to be affected. It has been estimated that if sea levels rose no more than 26 feet, senators of the future would travel from the Capitol by boat to visit the White House!
Rising Temperatures, melting ice caps, floods in Florida and the Netherlands, New York City underwater – these are just some of the problems that the world may face by the end of the next century.
A report from the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that the world is heating up and that within the next century temperatures may rise to levels that have not been reached for 100,000 years. The effects may be so far-reaching that some investigators are recommending that we take steps today to guard against them.
The reason for this global warming is a massive buildup of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide constitutes only a small part of the atmosphere, but it plays a crucial role in determining climate.
Insulation by Atmosphere
As the earth is warmed by the sun, heat radiates back into space. Carbon dioxide prevents the heat from escaping completely and acts as an insulating screen, not unlike the glass panes of a greenhouse. It traps some of the heat and reflects it back down to earth – creating the so-called greenhouse effect.
Since the middle of the last century, however, the increased burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has caused more and more carbon dioxide to accumulate in the atmosphere. The result: less heat escapes back into space and temperatures grow warmer. The gradual destruction of the world’s forests has aggravated the situation; if left intact, trees would have recycled the carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis.
In 1900, the first year for which reliable figures exist, the atmosphere contained about 300 parts of carbon dioxide per million (p.p.m.). By 1958 careful monitoring of the clean air at the top of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, revealed that the concentration had reached 316 p.p.m.; in 1985 the figure had risen to 345 p.p.m.
Scientists believe that this ratio could double by the end of the next century. Based on recently developed techniques, experts predict that with 600 p.p.m. of atmosphere carbon dioxide, the green-house effect could make global temperatures rise 3 to 10 degrees, making the world warmer than it has been at any time in the past 100,000 years.
Warming Up
Fluctuations in the weather from year to year make it difficult to assess the impact of the carbon dioxide buildup, but 2007, 2008 and 2009 have been the warmest years on record to date. Climatologists believe that some effects are already being felt in certain parts of the world. Extreme weather patterns, such as the prolonged drought that began in Africa in the late 1960’s, are no longer regarded today as random fluctuations; the odds against a 17-year-long African drought happening by chance are as high as 1 in 125,000.
Most scientists believe, too, that by the middle of the next century the increase in temperature may raise sea levels. Since ocean water itself would expand as it warmed, ice caps in the polar regions would start melt. An increase in global water temperatures of only 2°F could raise the ocean level by 2 feet; melting ice caps could creating extreme flooding and changing the face of the landscape the world over.
Low-lying cities, such as New York and New Orleans, would be the first to be affected. It has been estimated that if sea levels rose no more than 26 feet, senators of the future would travel from the Capitol by boat to visit the White House!
Speculative Effects
Not all predictions are as alarming. Some scientists suggest that the greenhouse effect offers a few compensations. As the world heats up, the oceans may evaporate more quickly, keeping the sea level constant as the ice melts and adding to the cloud cover above the earth; clouds help keep the heat of the sun from reaching the ground.
Warmer temperatures may also mean more pleasant living conditions for some of the world’s population, and longer growing seasons in highland areas and in countries farther from the equator. Even northern Canada and Siberia could become important producers of wheat.
Computer models also suggest that the Sahara in Africa and the desert areas of the southwestern United States would get more rain, and a region like Death Valley in California might become an important farming area. Changing temperatures would not necessarily cause a food shortage in the future.
The consequences of the Greenhouse effects are still subject to speculation. And it is not the only factor likely to effect temperature.
Scientists predict that the next ice age, due in some 3,000 years, will put an end to the present spell 3,000 years, will put an end to the present spell of warm weather. Cooling effects from volcanic dust and changes in the output of energy from the sun are other considerations that make it difficult to predict temperature levels of the future with absolute certainty.
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25 Responses to “The Greenhouse Effect: Is The World Heating Up?”
On November 2, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Mr. Ghaz doesn’t put out junk so this article is another good one, however, humanity is going to fail. A million years from now, 100,000 thousand years from now, tomorrow…I could care less. I don’t even want to know why. It does, however, keep scientists employed.
On November 2, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Interesting facts to ponder on – another terrific article.
On November 2, 2009 at 3:13 pm
great read
On November 2, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Good article Mr. Ghaz, but I still remain skeptical about global warming. When I was in high school we were told the upcoming climate problem would be another ice age beginning around 2015. To hear the exact opposite is something else. Plus, I’ve been around for over 50 decades and there is always something to scare us. I remember some “experts” talking about Y2K, which never amounted to anything.
Anyhow, I believe Christ will soon be physically returning. In any way, He reigns.
On November 2, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Interesting article and so true.
On November 2, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Great article! If only we were educated much earlier and the goverment took serious notes on Global warming…
On November 2, 2009 at 6:10 pm
The Earth has the incredible power to heal itself, whatever happens to it. It may mean that we don’t survive, but the planet will. It has many more tales to tell….we are but a short chapter.
On November 2, 2009 at 7:05 pm
global warming is happening now and if we don’t use our resources to help we will become extinct!! great article
On November 2, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Great article, mrghaz, but I’m not sure our scientists know enough about this earth to predict global warming or an ice age. I believe governments are pushing this theory for their own ulterior motives.
On November 2, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Interesting article and very informative.
On November 2, 2009 at 10:09 pm
You always put out good stuff to read, thanks!
On November 2, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Our earth today is heating up because of climate change. The earth is about to end on Dec 21, 2012 according to the NASA scientists. Thats why many disasters are happening today like earthquake, flood, typhoon, tsunami etc. Visit http://www.2012warning.com. The countdown is on. The government knows about it for a long time but they do not want to cause mass panic to the public.
On November 3, 2009 at 3:51 am
A great article and well-researched..very informative as well. Thanks
On November 3, 2009 at 3:59 am
..very interesting topic and well presented article about global warming issue..thanks for the information.
On November 3, 2009 at 4:10 am
Thanks for sharing
On November 3, 2009 at 8:32 am
Great article. We have been warned for years about how we were damaging the earth, but no one really took it seriously until the last 15 years or so.
On November 3, 2009 at 9:27 am
We are definitely feeling and seeing the effects of global warming on the East Coast of the US. Great article.
On November 4, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Mr. Ghaz, isn’t it astonishing that many people do not believe it’s happening even with all the evidence in front of them?
On November 5, 2009 at 1:12 am
Nicely written. I hope we can really make significant changes to global warming. We can start from home.
On November 6, 2009 at 4:47 pm
The green-house effect is in full-effect. Great article!
On November 6, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I’m one of the sceptics. There are very eminent scientists who have other theories such as Ian Plimer (Australia’s most experienced geologist ) who wrote “Heaven and Earth” (suitable read for layperson). There aren’t many Australian sceptics who are also scientific experts, Garth Paltridge is one of them. He’s an atmospheric physicist who’s just published a book called The Climate Caper.
Both books have many rebuttals put out by the usual scientists funded by government or similiar money. Seems to be the thing for these scientists to try to discredit their colleagues. I want to see OPEN RIGEROUS honest debate between scientists before we go off promoting things that may or may not help, instead of the put downs and computer modelling.
On November 7, 2009 at 3:49 am
Global warming is happening NOW and we need to take action to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thanks for a great read and informing the community about this.
On November 8, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Some of you are sceptics and some clearly not. Let’s be clear – we will not be overtaken by calamity in 2012 or 2015 but every DAY there are 3000 men women and children dying of starvation in poor, unrepresented countries while scientists sit in plush hotels discussing the may be/may be nots of climate change.
That’s the agenda – that’s the denial
On November 9, 2009 at 1:41 am
If I remember correctly from other website and what I have learned: Water absorbs heat so it doesn’t change the atmosphere temperature/making it hot. If we don’t change our ways then we win just be another story for whoever comes after us(when I say “comes” I mean another intelligent/more then us (because if we go extinct we aren’t smart in the 1st place are we) who will find our bones buried). But anyways I like this site very much, just found this today and great article.
On November 10, 2009 at 10:26 am
The polar bear picture is a FAKE…. like the rest of this.
The earth got colder last year…. Explain that with the Chinese Communists burning more coal and putting more CO2 and more Particulates into the atmosphere every year than the cuts by the rest of the world….
It’s time to gag the environbmentalists…
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