Nicole Alexis S.

Sintin

Final Draft: Extended Definition

Global Warming

Global Warming, also known as global climate change, is a natural phenomenon

where there is an average increase in temperature near the Earth's surface and in the

lowest layer of the atmosphere due to effect of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon

dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, enables the heat to

exit from the atmosphere. According to Dickinson suggested by Broecker (1987)

temperature is a basic measurement for describing the climate, and the temperature in

particular places have wide-ranging effects on human life and ecosystem.

According to Goldstein and Harrison (Global Issues page 6) Global warming can

have many different causes but it is most commonly associated with human

interference, specially the release of excessive amount of greenhouse gasses. Human

activity such as burning fossil fuels causes more greenhouse gases to build up in the

atmosphere. As the atmosphere thickens with more greenhouse gases, more heat is

held in. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas are high in carbon and, when

burned, produce major amounts of carbon dioxide or CO2. A single gallon of gasoline,

when burned, puts 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

 Naturally occurring greenhouse gases are good in naturally occurring amounts

it's when people start contributing excessive amounts of them that greenhouse gasses

become a problem. With excessive greenhouse gas buildup, the Earth's atmosphere

warms to unnatural temperatures which causes, among the things; sea level to rise.

Global warming also causes sea surface temperatures to rise, rainfall patterns to

change. According to Ramanathan and Victor (Global Warming page 74) this doesn't

mean that humanity would not have to deal with CO2 emissions and would not be

storing up future trouble by continuing to emit at our present pace but it would interrupt

and, perhaps even more importantly, significantly reduce the chances of catastrophic

climate change.
 REFERENCE

Ramanathan, V., & Victor, D. (2012). Advancing the science of Climate Change:
America's Climate Choices. California: Publishing Solutions.

Goldstein, N., & Harrison, K. (2010). Global Issues: Global Warming. New York, New
York: Infobase Publishing.

Dickinson, R. (1989). Climatic Change:Uncertainties of Estimates of Climatic Change.

Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.