GOING GREEN PETITION BY GREENYATRA

Global Warming describes is current trend in average temperatures around the world increasing as a result of human activity. Sea ice is retreating, glaciers are melting, species are migrating or disappearing and spring temperatures are arriving earlier each year.

The glass on a greenhouse allows one type of radiation in, but reduces the amount another type can escape; causing the interior of the greenhouse to remain warm. This is what we are experiencing on our planet - gases such as carbon dioxide and methane act as the glass; allowing solar radiation in, but preventing heat from escaping.

Are human activities are linked to global warming? Yes, just about everything connected with modern society is a contributor. The cars we drive spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as does coal powered electricity generation, production processes for many of our goods. Even the millions of livestock we keep for food play their part by producing methane. It is the carbon dioxide concentration that is increasing, due to the burning of fossil fuels (as well as from some rainforest burning).

This is the man-made portion of the greenhouse effect, and it is believed by many scientists to be responsible for the global warming of the last 150 years. Also, the concentration of methane, although small, has also increased in recent decades. The reasons for this increase, though, are uncertain.