Richard Kaloust Greenhouse Effect on Earth

Climate Change – A Global Debate

Richard Kaloust Global Debate By James McAloon.

The above title will inspire a wide variety of emotions and opinions amongst and across diverse communities. Each and every person on this planet cannot escape the debate, so what I would like to achieve through this page, is an open debate about the topic. In the forthcoming paragraphs I shall outline the subject as I see it, which is by no means a testament of how it is, and then I hope that as many people as possible will comment showing their particular views, theories and critics of the issue. So please read on and reply.

To this point I am completely aware of the disagreements that exist among the scientific beliefs of the highly educated scientific elite across our planet. My particular opinion has been formed after reading and analysing a large, but actually significantly small amount, of the immense available information relating to the issue of climate change.

Greenhouse gases come in various forms, the most commonly and publicised of these being Carbon Dioxide CO2 and others less publicly demonised such as, Sulphur Hexafluoride SF6, Methane CH4, Nitrous Oxide N20, Hydro Fluorocarbons HFCs and Per Fluorocarbons PFCs, are all natural contributors to the greenhouse effect.

The simple science that underpins these gases is that without them our planet would be unable to sustain life, as it does currently. So actually we should all be extremely thankful for their existence. The math behind it shows that the above greenhouse gases make up 0.5% of the earth’s atmosphere and at these levels warm our earth by an additional 30°C. Imagine our planet being 30°C cooler.

The undeniable fact is that since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the early to mid 18th century, we as citizens of our planet employed new and increasingly technical means by which to achieve economic and industrial diversification, through which many of the world’s industrialised nations reaped the rewards. Through this natural development it became necessary to make use of natural resources such as coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas. This was and remains a commendable use of the human intelligence and should in no way be vilified.

Throughout the industrial revolution and up to the very recent history, the possible adverse consequences of the industrial revolution were not fully considered or understood. It does however clearly correlate that due to the increased use of fossil fuels and the consequent release of previously absorbed greenhouse gases, such an increase in levels that was not present pre the industrial revolution, could have a detrimental effect upon the fine balance of 0.5% greenhouse gases present in the earth’s atmosphere.

Data shows that the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere currently stands at 387 parts per million, a 31% increase in the period 1750 to 2009. Subsequently the belief exists that such increases have led to a warmer planet.

Now it is clear that we cannot reverse the advancements of the industrial revolution and nor should we wish to. What I believe to be plainly obvious is that, we should not deny the possibility of the existence of global warming as a direct result of the release of excess levels of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. However, I am not about to ignore the factual data showing that our planet has been far hotter, and has had levels of carbon dioxide that are far higher than they are currently; most notably in the time of the dinosaurs, when the CO2level was 2 to 4 times higher. Nevertheless we all know what happened to the dinosaurs, or at least we think we do. Nor should we ignore that the earth’s life cycle clearly shows higher and lower levels of ice due to the heating and cooling of the planet over time. However, we must remember that human history is relatively short in terms of the scientific data that supports a natural warming and cooling of the earth, and although there is a clear natural element to the warming and cooling of the earth, do we risk extinction in the wake of the result regardless?

It seems apparent that we simply have little control, so surely we should concentrate our efforts away from the ifs, buts or maybes, and move toward the positive impact that can be achieved through concerted and collective cooperation. Even the simplest of efforts can go a long way to reducing the excess release of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere and many of them are financially beneficial. Some simple steps include; general recycling, insulation of housing, walking or cycling rather than driving, buying organic produce and planting trees. The list is long and not exhaustive, continue the innovation. Ironically, although very difficult to quantify, the bureaucracy and lobbying that surrounds the climate change debate is most likely adding to the problem. With the carbon footprint of every climate conference impacted by; flights and travel, document printing, energy usage and so on.

Nonetheless, the intentions are positive, and through global state action our great nations can achieve a winning result for the greater good. Even if our efforts prove to have no effect on the natural warming and cooling of our earth cycle, we will have achieved great success due to progressive thought, development and involvement of industrialised and non-industrialised nations alike. What is this greater good? It is the positive impact on the future lives of millions of people with whom we share our planet.

Climate Change – Side Effect of Global Warming

Richard Kaloust Side Effects By Yachika Verma.

What is Climate Change? Climate change refers to change in the climate and atmospheric conditions of a particular region or area. This change in climate can be because of uncontrollable changes in or around earth or can be caused by human activities. With recent rise in the temperature of earth’s surface due to global warming, it is correct to state that one of the byproducts of Warming is Climate Change.

There is no denial to the fact that the climate of earth all across is changing every day. This is the consequence of continuous warming up of earth and atmosphere around it. The main reason is excess of carbon dioxide and gases like methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. These gases are called greenhouse gases and are the reason for rising green house effect on earth. These gases have the capability to trap the heat and not allow heat to go outside the earth’s atmosphere. Hence, they result in more warming.

Global Warming is increasing day by day because of lot of natural and manmade circumstances. With so much of pollution and deforestation all across the globe, It is rapidly increasing. With more and more release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere around earth, the temperature is also rising. Is it alarming? Well, the answer is yes.

Let us face it that climate change can be life threatening if earth is not able to adjust to it. Due to deforestation, a lot of species of plants, birds and animals are becoming extinct. Due to water pollution, a lot of water species are vanishing. With so much of imbalance in natural activities around, it is impossible to avoid climate change. Plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; make the air pure for us to breathe. However, we are only cutting them down. We should also grow trees and plants to ensure that the damage done by cutting down the trees is taken care of.

Glaciers are melting due to It and its effect of climate change. With global warming glaciers, lot of places all across the world can get merged under water. We cannot deny the fact that with melting glaciers, the sea levels will also rise. Natural calamities are hints which are given to mankind to beware them of the worst. Are we ready to face this? Well, we are still wondering how to control Global Warming. Global climate change is a threat to all. Countries are trying to invent ways to control it so that we can be healthy and alive in future.

A Bad Bunch Really or Just getting a Bad Rap?

Richard Kaloust getting a Bad Rap by Omar Khan.

There seems to be a huge public outcry about the greenhouse gases and varied perceptions among general public and the environment groups. However, before we attempt to evaluate the merits of “greenhouse gases”, let’s first clarify as to why these gases are called greenhouse gases.  The term “greenhouse” as we know it, is associated with an enclosure where the atmosphere is maintained under favorable conditions. Greenhouses are generally used for growing certain varieties of farm plants; vegetables & flower plants when outer environmental conditions are not favorable.  The system of a greenhouse depends on blocking the free exchange of air between the atmosphere inside the greenhouse and the outside environment. This structure generally made of glass panels or clear plastic material blocks or delays the normal transference of heat and energy between inside and outside environments. This allows the temperature to be maintained at a lukewarm level to avoid stress or death to the vegetables from excessive outside cooling. Scientists have named the theory “greenhouse effect” after the functional property of the greenhouse structure.

To further expand on this theory, greenhouse effect is an atmospheric heating phenomenon, caused on one hand, by short-wave solar radiation being transmitted inward through the earth’s atmosphere.  On the other hand, longer-wavelength heat radiation slowly transmitted outward, owing to its absorption by atmospheric gases. These gases; carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, nitrous oxide, methane, and others have been labeled by scientists as the greenhouse gases. Some of these are naturally present in the atmosphere and some are produced by human activity. Greenhouse gases that occur naturally are; Water vapors, Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Ozone. Other categories of greenhouse gases like Hydroflorocarbons (HFCs), Perflorocarbons (PFCs) and Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) result exclusively from human industrial processes and released in the atmosphere in varied volumes on daily basis.

Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet. Without this “warm air blanket”, planet earth would have become a frozen planet, essentially not suitable for any kind of life form or vegetation. However, just as the excess of any thing even the good one is some time bad; it is the excess of greenhouse gases that has become major concern for the environmental scientists. Essentially, life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into the space. The rest reaches the planet earth’s surface and then slowly reflected upward again as a type of energy that scientists call “infrared radiation”. As it rises, infrared radiation is absorbed by “greenhouse gases”, which slows down its escape from the atmosphere. This is the very process that on one hand makes the Earth a livable planet, but contributes to the problem of “global warming”, on the other hand.

Greenhouse gases vary in their ability to absorb and hold heat in the atmosphere, By the way, HFCs and PFCs; the two categories that are exclusively generated as a result of human activity are the most heat-absorbent greenhouse gases. However, there are also wide differences between naturally occurring gases as for as their heat absorbency. For example, nitrous oxide absorbs 270 times more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide, and methane absorbs 21 times more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide. Interestingly then, why scores of scientists and environmentalists are blaming carbon dioxide (CO2) for contributing to the problem of global warming? The answer lies not in its capacity to absorb the heat but in its ever increasing volume in the atmosphere.  Today more than ever before, human activity is adding significantly to the level of naturally occurring carbon dioxide. This gas is released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity on the individual level as well as through the industrial usage. Burning of solid waste, wood, oil, natural gas, coal and of course the automobile gasoline are some of the major contributing factors in this respect.  It is also important to understand that the two most heat absorbent gas families; HFCs and PFCs are getting a lot of attention by environmental groups. While these two categories have many good uses in the electronic, industrial and medical fields, they are also contributing significantly to the environmental damage when used as aerosol spray propellants and Styrofoam packaging.  Both these industrial uses are major contributors to the depletion of Ozone layer.  That in turn, causes human exposure to ultraviolet sun rays and the basis for skin cancer and other medical problems.

In summary, while greenhouse gases are the life giving bunch to planet earth and all living beings on it, the very same gases can threaten the fabric of life on this planet if we allow their volume to grow out of proportion.