Berkowitz         

Benjamin D. Berkowitz

Professor Venne        

PHY 106A

25 November 2002

Global Warming

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) defines global warming as “a rise in the average temperature of the earth’s climate due to a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” (NRDC website).  Arguments are made that the main cause of global warming is this “greenhouse effect”.  The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, trap energy (heat) from the sun.  Without the presence of these gases, heat would escape back into space and the Earth’s average temperature would be about sixty degrees cooler than it is now.  Having a natural level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is beneficial to the planet, as they slow the process of heat loss into space.  However, when the level of pollution increases the amount of gases in our atmosphere, the heat on the planet gets trapped and thus the world becomes hotter.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with other groups and organizations, maintain that the responsibility for global warming and all of its consequences rests mostly on the shoulders of human beings.  The EPA claims that the majority of the warming of the planet that has taken place over the last fifty years is attributable to human activities.  Their argument is that “human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases” (EPA website).  This argument makes it difficult for humans to hide from its apparent   responsibility in crippling this planet’s state of equilibrium.  

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Despite the damage that as already been done, groups like the NDRC believe that solutions for the problem of global warming are in sight.  They believe that since they know the source of the problem, they can fix it.  They claim that most of the heat-trapping gases come from power plants and vehicles.  Further, they believe that with more awareness and stronger laws, they can prevent further damage from occurring to our planet.  If the cause of global warming is proven, at least in part, to be coming from vehicles and power plants, then certainly laws restricting these activities may ...

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