Many people disagree on the issue concerning global warming. Some believe that human activities, various forms of polluting, are the main cause of global warming. Others think that not only have humans not affected the planet by any significant amount, but that not much global warming has even occurred. Many scientists think that pollution is the cause of global warming and the greenhouse effect. There is a lot of evidence to support this theory. In the United States alone, almost 15,000 pounds of greenhouse gases are emitted per person each year. From 1990 to 1997, these emissions have increased by 3.4%. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for 82% of these emissions. Since the industrial revolution first came about, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by almost 30%. The burning of fossil fuels to power vehicles, heat buildings, and to power factories is the cause of the emission of 80% of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. The amount of methane in the atmosphere has increased by more that 100% and the amount of nitrous oxide has risen by 15%. The burning of fossil fuels is also responsible for emitting 25% of the methane and 20% of the global nitrous oxide that is released. Some other emissions are caused by the increase of landfills, agriculture, industry, and mining. There are also other greenhouse gases that do not occur naturally. Some of these gases are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs). These are byproducts of refrigeration, air conditioning, and foam production. The increase of greenhouse gases causes the atmosphere to trap more heat than it would naturally. The result of this is that the temperature of the Earth is rising. The average temperature on land has risen by 0.8-1.0F in the last 100 years. The ten warmest years of this time period were all in the last 15 years. The other theory is that there has n...
