Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Global Warming Essay

Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Global Warming - Essay Example This research will begin with the definition of global warming is defined as the result of the accumulation of CO2 and other emissions that trap heat in the atmosphere. Moreover, it is considered as â€Å"the worst and most complicated issue† that world leaders have to deal with nowadays. Basically, global warming affects all people on earth, especially those in areas with extreme air pollution. Global warming also further affects the human race through increase in the occurrence of infectious diseases because those microorganisms that thrive only in high temperatures are supported by the increasing heat. According to Trimarchi, this and the other calamities that global warming brings with it will further lead to various other negative effects like famine, war and starvation. Global warming will also affect the environment itself through the occurrence of various storms and hurricanes, extreme drought in some parts of the world while abnormally increased precipitation in other s, heat waves, melting of the polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and the eventual destruction of the tundra and freshwater ecosystems. Such effects will not only destroy ecosystems but will also eventually cause a series of events that ultimately leads to chaos in and destruction of the human society. Based on a report by the U.S. National Research Council in 2006, â€Å"The Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years†. Furthermore, according to the same report, the latest global temperature increase of 0.3 °C to 0.6 °C is in fact the â€Å"largest† increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years.... Furthermore, according to the same report, the latest global temperature increase of 0.3 °C to 0.6 °C is in fact the â€Å"largest† increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years (â€Å"Global Warming,† Stanford 2008). The main culprit behind this, according to most scientists and publications, is greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases that cause global warming include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, but among these, carbon dioxide has the most volume in the atmosphere at 55%, and is therefore regarded as the main cause of anthropogenic or man-made global warming (Ganesh 2011). There is, however, the question of what is the exact cause of global warming and how much of it is brought about by nature and how much is caused by man. Does present research and scientific literature shed light on these issues or do we need further research on them? In order to remedy the situation and prevent its dire effects, there is therefore undoubtedly a g reat need to know the exact causes of global warming as well as how many of them is contributed by man and how much by nature. There is also a need to know the issues surrounding these causes. Literature Reviews The Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Factor One of the causes of global warming is the release of carbon dioxide, or CO2, especially from the industrial processes involved in the burning of fossil fuels (â€Å"Global Warming,† Geowise.com, 2006). Among these fossil fuels, coal, which is increasingly being used in the United States and China, contributes the greatest percentage of CO2 to the atmosphere because of potentially large emissions compared to oil or natural gas (Hansen et al. 2000). CO2 has a long shelf-life that makes it stay in the air for the