It is not a secret that our planet is in danger. Everyone can notice that the nature’s sensitive equilibrium has been ruined. Due to the ozone layer depletion, temperature on the Earth is getting higher. The reason for that might be greenhouse gases which let the sunlight enter the atmosphere freely without blocking infra-red light.
According to Naik (2011), “the term 'greenhouse gases' is used to refer to the gases present in the atmosphere which absorb the radiations and emit them within the thermal infrared range”. With the amount of such gases rising, Earth’s surface is getting hotter. In fact, without greenhouse effect, it would be 33 °C (59°F) colder. The most known greenhouse gas in the world is probably carbon dioxide (CO2), which appears manly from fossil fuel combustion. But there are many more, for instance, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide.
Water vapor (H2O) is by far the most prominent of greenhouse gases. It evaporates from the oceans, seas, rivers and other water bodies. Still, its effect on the planet is not serious, for it is removed from the atmosphere by condensation.
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Methane (CH4) is one of the most harmful gases with its potential to keep heat 20 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. The gas is produced during mining, because it is trapped under our planet’s crust.
One more greenhouse gas is called nitrous oxide (N2O) and is commonly known as laughing gas. It is sometimes used in medicine as an anesthetic. Its harmful impact on the ozone layer is 298 times higher than that of carbon dioxide.
As abovementioned gases originate both from nature and human activity, their contribution to greenhouse effect is often questioned. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the concentration of carbon dioxide has significantly increased since Industrial revolution in the 1700’s. Ecologists claim that during last 150 years our planet’s temperature has soared by nearly 0.7 °?, and if it continues rising, drastic climate changes will take place. The main sources of carbon dioxide emission are automobiles, plants, power stations and factories. The buildup of carbon dioxide is also caused by deforestation, because greenhouse gases are kept at a bay by photosynthesis, and as rainforest are gradually destroyed, the gases are released into the air.
Human activity is generally known to be the main cause of greenhouse gases production. The industries are growing, the number of private cars is getting bigger and the demand for natural resources is getting higher. Consequently, more gas is emitted. It has been estimated that the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year is equal to five billion tones. Apart from causing climate changes, noxious fumes pollute the air and water. But it is not only climate change that stems from greenhouse effect. Telang’s study (2011) found the following:
The gas emissions are capable of affecting our health, leading to famines and drought, prove fatal to our agricultural systems, and air conditioning. What's more, in case of air travel, each mile generates more than half a pound of CO2 per person, which means that, in a usual one-way flight, each person is responsible for producing no less than 600 pounds of CO2 emissions.
However, there exists another point of view. The problem of global worming is new and it has yet to be studied. Thus, no definite conclusions about its causes should be made. Some scientists believe it is a phenomenon related to entire universe. The climate is bound to change from time to time, depending on the orbit’s parameters, volcanic activity, Sun rhythm, etc. and it has nothing to do with human activity.
To conclude, global warming is a significant and complex problem. We do not know for sure who or what is responsible for it, but what we do know is that the results of climate changes will affect everyone. So until no solution is found, we could try to reduce our contribution to greenhouse effect just in case.