- They don't think the data show a measurable upward trend in global temperatures, either because we don't have enough long-term historical climate data or because the data we do have isn't clear enough.
- Some scientists think that data is being interpreted incorrectly by people who are already worried about global warming. That is, these people are looking for evidence of global warming in the statistics, instead of looking at the evidence objectively and trying to figure out what it means.
- Any increase in global temperatures we are seeing could be a natural climate shift, or it could be due to other factors than greenhouse gases.
Some scientists recognize that global warming does seem to be happening, but they disagree that it is anything to be worried about. These scientists say that the Earth is more resistant to climate changes on this scale than we think. Plants and animals will adapt to subtle shifts in weather patterns, and it is unlikely anything catastrophic will happen as a result of global warming. Slightly longer growing seasons, changes in precipitation levels and stronger weather, in their opinion, are not generally disastrous. They also argue that the economic damage caused by cutting down on the emission of greenhouse gases will be far more damaging to humans than any of the effects of global warming.
The Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect happens because of certain naturally occurring substances in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been pouring huge amounts of those substances into the air.
The greenhouse effect is a natural warming process. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and certain other gases are always present in the atmosphere. These gases create a warming effect that has some similarity to the warming inside a greenhouse, hence the name “greenhouse effect.”
As shown in the diagram above, the greenhouse effect can be visualized as follows: Imagine that Earth has been encircled by a giant glass sphere. The heat of the sun penetrates through the glass. Some of the heat is absorbed by the Earth, and some of it is radiated back towards space. The radiated heat reaches the glass sphere and is prevented from dispersing any further.
Similarly, the earth is surrounded by a blanket of gases. This blanket traps energy in the atmosphere, much the same way as glass traps heat inside a greenhouse. This results in an accumulation of energy, and the overall warming of the atmosphere. The 'greenhouse effect' is the popular expression for the above process.
Global warming and climate change result from the greenhouse effect. The consequences of global warming and climate change could well include:
- the eradication of entire ecosystems
- increased frequency and intensity of storms, hurricanes, floods and droughts
- melting glaciers and polar ice
- rising sea levels resulting in the permanent flooding of vast areas of heavily
- increased frequency of forest fires
- spread of tropical diseases due to insect proliferation
The differences between them…
Global warming is the overall title for all pollution emitted into the air causing a change to our climate and environment. The Greenhouse effect is on process by which our atmosphere is warming up. Both are very closely linked and of ever increasing concern.
