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THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT


The greenhouse effect is the process in which the sun radiates heat through our atmosphere. This heat then bounces off the earth, but some of it is absorbed by the earth, while others are sent off into space. Some of the heat sent off into space is held in by our buildup of greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases consist of Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Fluorinated gases. Carbon Dioxide is produced when we burn fossil fuels, when we burn wood, and when a chemical reaction happens. The only way these are reduced is when plants use them in their process of making food called photosynthesis. Methane goes out into the atmosphere through livestock, i.e. cows, and through the production and transportation of coal, natural gas and oil. Nitrous Oxide enters the atmosphere during farming and industrial activities, and through the combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.

GLOBAL WARMING: THE BIG PICTURE
Global Warming is the process in which the earth is heating up. This is happening because of the increase of Greenhouse Gases in our atmosphere. As you learned above, our blanket of Greenhouse Gases holds in heat radiated from the sun. So basically, what happens in Global Warming is that our blanket of Gases is all of a sudden a thicker blanket, it’s holding in more heat than it did before, and caused the Earth’s temperature to rise 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. This is an issue, because this increase in temperature is causing the polar ice caps to melt. This is then causing the sea level to rise, flooding parts of land that had been above sea level before. 

** GLOBAL WARMING: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ** Many things that we use on a normal basis help cause Global Warming. Driving a car that uses gas is bad for the environment. The burning of gas releases Carbon Dioxide, which is a Greenhouse Gas. Since in 2008, 7.1 million cars were produced, there has to be a lot of cars in the world. With all these cars in the world, there has to be a lot of carbon dioxide emissions each day. Think about how many cars you see on the highway. All of them are releasing Carbon dioxide, some more than others. Cows and farming also cause Global Warming. When cows go to the bathroom, they release methane. Methane is one of the Greenhouse Gases, so an abundance of this creates Global Warming. Even using electricity is helping Global Warming. Electricity is created by burning oil, a fossil fuel. The burning of oil gives off carbon dioxide, which as you already know, thickens the blanket of greenhouse gases around the earth, heating up the Earth.

......................................media type="file" key="Climb_Boston_study.mov" As you can see in this video, one hundred years from now, Boston will have been partially flooded because the sea level will have risen 23.6 inches. Millions of people will have to move in land to escape the extreme coastal flooding that will surely happen if we do nothing about Global Warming. We would be having lots ** of more hurricanes, because when the ocean is warmer, it is more destructive as illustrated in this graph. **** As you can see in these two pictures ** **, taken in the same spot, on the same date, May 30, one from 1868, the other in 2005, the flowering of these two trees has changed due to Global Warming, the present day one started to flower way before it did in 1868. Global Warming is becoming a problem. We need to do something to stop it. **
 * GLOBAL WARMING: LOCAL EFFECTS **

** WHAT OUR AUDIENCE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY: Hydrogen Cars ** What if I told you that you didn’t need to be paying nearly 3 dollars a gallon at the pump? What if I told you that you could get a car that released none of the above Greenhouse Gases? Would you believe me? Well, it’s the truth. Right now, there are Hydrogen Powered Cars being used in California and Japan. In 2005, Honda released its first Hydrogen Powered car. Normal gas powered cars emit 1.5 billion tons of Greenhouse Gases a year. If everyone in the world drove a Hydrogen Powered Car instead of a gas one, 1.5 billion tons of Greenhouse Gases would not be released each year, not contributing to Global Warming. If you feel good about driving an electric car, because it doesn’t consume gas, you are wrong. //Electric power is made from oil.// This means that you aren’t really being energy efficient, you’re just saving yourself some money at the pump. Hydrogen cars are also silent, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the loud roar of gas powered cars. Though it does cost a hefty $600 a month to lease, and the only fueling stations for hydro-cars in the US is in southern California, soon there will be more fueling stations across the country, and if you factor in how much money you spend on gas along with how much you pay for a car a month, this might actually be a cheaper, more fuel efficient, more environmentally friendly car. ** A SUMMARY OF YOUR RESEARCH ** So, my point is that you should get a Hydro-car when they become more popular, and you should start changing how you live your life, so that we don’t destroy our world. Right now, gases are at work keeping heat in the Earth. Without these gases we would not have as much heat as we do at this moment. But the opposite is happening right now. Too many gases are being released into the atmosphere, causing it to contain too much heat. This process is called Global Warming. We have to do something to help stop it. Whether it be driving Hydro-cars, turning off appliances when they’re not in use, or just plain old walking or biking to places instead of taking a car. If you do these things, it could help put a stop to Global Warming. ** BIBLIOGRAPHY ** “Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” ­U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 5.12.09 . 5.29.09 <[]> (no author was given for this article)

“Global Warming.” Kids against Global Warming. 6.1.09 [] ( no author was given for this article)

"An Inconvenient Truth" __Extra.__ 2009 6.2.09 [] ( no author was given for this article) “ Global Warming Animation - Boston, Massachusetts” __The Pew__ 4.1.07 6.2.09 [] ( no author was given for this article) “Hurricanes” Effects of Global Warming 4.22.08 6.2.09 [] ( no author was given for this article) Susan Milligan. “Study Predicts City Flood Threat Due to Warming." __Common Dreams.__ 2.15.2005 6.3.2009 <[]>

Anne Casselman "Global Warming."__Discover__ 11.6.2006. 6.3.2009 < [] > "Hydrogen Cars” __Hydrogen Cars Now__ 2009 6.3.2009 < []> ( no author was given for this article)  Jeremiah Mondello "Hydrogen Power." __Geocites.__ 12.13.2002 6.3.2009 <[]>

Martin Fackler "Latest Honda Runs on Hydrogen, Not Petroleum” __The New York Times__ 6.17.2008 6.4.2009 < [] > Norman Mayersohn "Hydrogen Car Is Here, A Bit Ahead of Its Time.." __New York Times.__ 12.9.2007 6.4.2009 < [] >

6.8.2009  ( no author was given for this article)