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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.

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.

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.

Richard Kaloust Lead Pollution By R. P. Fernandez.

Higher levels of water pollution in the air during the years 1970 and 1980 is likely to lead to inhibition of global temperature increases to a certain extent today, almost a full effect greenhouse is kicking in, as there was a continued decrease in the rate of anthropogenic emissions of lead in the last 20 years. As shown in a study published in Nature Geosciences, the lead pollution was to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming. The particles of lead nurtures the formation of clouds which become effective “umbrella”.

Investigators from Switzerland, Germany and the United States “captured” a few clouds on the mountains, and compare it with artificially created in the laboratory.

It showed that emissions of greenhouse gases could have had much greater effects on global warming if the particles of lead, rejected in large part by human activity, had not promoted the formation of clouds.

Indeed, the presence of lead allows the formation of clouds where the air is not normally quite wet and cold. Sunlight would be more thoughtful on the surface of these clouds, which would mitigate the greenhouse effect in the years 1970-1980, before the mass consumption of unleaded petrol.

“To some extent this has probably led to a slowdown of rising global temperatures, whereas today, almost all of the greenhouse gases are starting to act,” says Joachim Curtius, a professor at the University Frankfurt, Germany.

This study did not aim to enhance the lead pollution which is extremely harmful, but it helps to explain the acceleration of climate change in recent years.

Talking About the Richard Kaloust Greenhouse Effect by Ken Charnly.

Lately, we have all been talking about the greenhouse effect. This effect relates to the expected warming of our planet resulting from changes to the composition of our atmosphere. There is mounting evidence that our own activities, most significantly the burning of fossil fuels, are a major contributor to this effect.

The predicted consequences are quite sever, including major changes in climate which will have impact on food production, and rising sea levels which will submerge coastal and other low lying communities. Lurking in the background hauntingly are the facts we have discovered about our near neighbor, the planet Venus. Because of its dense atmospheric gases, Venus has what has been described as having a runaway greenhouse effect, giving surface temperatures of about 8000F. Now I love the warm summer weather, but that is a little too hot for me.

The usual villains in the greenhouse scenario are gases such as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide, which, incidentally, we all exhale, has the unusual habit of absorbing infra-red radiation. Infra-red radiation for those of you less scientifically minded is actually heat radiating away from a warm object. During the day, sunlight warms the earth and during the night the Earth cools by radiating heat into space in the form of infra-red radiation. Carbon dioxide, and to a lesser extent other gases, absorb this radiation, limiting its exit out into space, and thus limiting the natural cooling effect.

Would it be safer if we had no greenhouse effect at all? Well, no, we do not want that either. There is another member of the heat absorbing clan. This is water vapor. There is a large amount of water vapor in the atmosphere at any time, which is why we have rain. The presence of water vapor as a heart absorbing gas keeps the Earth comfortably warm. Without this warmth, the planet would freeze, and life as we know it would not be possible. We therefore do need some greenhouse effect, just not too much. Mother Nature is again telling us what we should already know; in any situation, both of the extremes are harmful.

Richard Kaloust Effect Of Green House Gases By Eleanor B. Jhonsons.

Earth, the only planet in our solar system or as far as evidence indicates the only planet in the whole Universe that supports life, was not like as we see it now since its beginning. Earth has been able to give a safe home to life because of its unique place in the solar system; it’s neither too close to the Sun nor too far away. As Earth is situated away from the Sun preventing it from being a hell of a warm place, there was the possibility that it may have been freezing cold for life to form and flourish here. But thanks to the greenhouse gases present in Earth’s atmosphere that play their role in keeping it warm enough.

Greenhouse gases are those gases residing in Earth’s atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation and thus, keep Earth warmer. The ‘Greenhouse Effect’ is the natural process through which these atmospheric constituents absorb sunlight. Sun, the only star in our Solar System, emits light that reaches Earth’s atmosphere. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb the long wave radiation emitted by Sun which warms the atmosphere and these long wave radiations are emitted both upward and downward; the downward emission of radiation by atmosphere is called the ‘Greenhouse Effect’.

The greenhouse gases present in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone. Water vapor is the most abundant gas and plays the lead role in warming earth causing 36-70% of ‘greenhouse effect’. Carbon dioxide contributes 9-26%, methane 4-9% while ozone’s share is about 3-7%. Some of the other greenhouse gases present in much smaller quantities are sulfur hexafluoride, hydro fluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons and nitrous oxide. Two of the major components of Earth’s atmosphere, oxygen and nitrogen are thankfully not greenhouse gases otherwise earth’s atmosphere would have been far warmer than it is now.

Although, these greenhouse gases have been playing a major role in providing life on Earth the perfect temperature to survive, since the Industrial Revolution human activities have caused increase in quantity of green house gases in the atmosphere. More greenhouse gases will trap more and more heat from Sun giving rise to the Global Warming phenomenon. Rising temperatures can be potentially hazardous to all kinds of life forms on Earth and a major cause for rapid melting of glaciers which in turn will cause sea level to rise submerging many coastlines worldwide. Although, environmentalists are forcing the issue and many Governments are taking steps in the right direction, it is not the greenhouse gases but human intervention in nature that is to be blamed.

Richard Kaloust Coming Crisis of Climate Change by Jonathon Hardcastle.

While many contend that there are different reasons behind the changing of our climate, few can deny that our planet is going through a period of immense changes. While some may discredit the science, global warming is one of the main hypothesis for why our planet is heating up. In this article, we’ll try to explain some of the science behind global warming so that you can understand the problem more clearly.

According to numerous scientific studies, our planet’s surface temperature has increased by about 1 degree Fahrenheit within the last century. Most of this change has occurred in the past two decades, prompting the question: are our lifestyles accelerating this global change? The evidence definitely seems to point in that direction.

Many scientists point to the emission of greenhouse gases as one of the leading reasons that we are undergoing this global change. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are some of the main compounds that we are releasing more and more, causing something known as the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. This occurs due to the fact that these gases tend to trap heat, and when they are released into our upper atmosphere, they trap some of the heat energy that would normally be reflected by our earth’s natural processes.

It’s an undisputed fact that there is more greenhouse gas in our atmosphere due to humanity. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, it is estimated that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by as much as thirty percent. While a little greenhouse gas helps to keep our planet warm, the more and more that we release, the hotter the planet is going to get. That is an important fact to consider, being that our biosphere is finely tuned to live at the temperatures at which our planet currently operates. Many forms of both plant and animal life run the risk of extinction should the temperature change be accelerated. Fossil fuels are primarily responsible for the amount of greenhouse gases that we are releasing, and to help fix the problem, we are going to need to find an alternate source of energy, and quick. Research into alternative fuels has yielded several possible options, including the use of corn in the production of ethanol, which has already had proven usage in places such as Venezuela. The most accelerated period of temperature change has occurred in the past twenty years, and it’s clearly evident that we need to address this problem while we still can.

Richard Kaloust Global Warming Causes By George Christodoulou.

The green-house effect is the most important cause behind global warming. In fact global warming is known as the greenhouse effect. This phenomenon leads to an increase in the Earth temperature due to certain gases like CO2, nitrous oxide, and methane. These gases trap the energy from the sun and without them the heat would go back into space and Earth would be one massive iceberg. Since these gases warm the Earth, they are known as greenhouse gases.

In the last couple of decades, people have started using glass houses to grow plants in winter and these are called greenhouses. Typically, these houses will trap the heat from the sun. The glasses in the greenhouse let the light through and at the same time prevent the heat from escaping.

As a result, the greenhouse heats up to keep the plants alive in the winter. Similarly, the greenhouse gases in the Earths atmosphere work like the glass and prevent the heat from escaping. The sunlight enters piercing through the cloud of greenhouse gases and when it reaches the Earths surface, it is absorbed by land, water, and air.

After absorption the same energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of it remains trapped in the atmosphere due to the greenhouse gases and this energy makes the Earth warmer. Since there has been an increase in CO2 emissions in the last couple of decades, more and more heat is being absorbed in the atmosphere. This is increasing the temperature of the Earth gradually and causing global warming.

Richard Kaloust Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change By Kevin Long.

We all know that energy from the sun is required for sustaining life on earth. The outer atmosphere deflects approximately 30% of the sunlight that comes to the earth and this light is then scattered back in space. Remaining sunlight reaches the surface of the earth and gets reflected upwards in the form of slow moving energy known as infrared radiation.

Greenhouse gases absorb the heat caused by the infrared radiation like CO2, water vapor, methane and ozone, due to which it becomes difficult for the gases to escape the atmosphere.

According to experts, only 1% of the earth’s atmosphere is made up of greenhouse gases and these gases regulate the climate through heat trapping. This is known as the ‘greenhouse gas effect’. According to climate change experts, without the greenhouse gas effect, the average earth temperature will be colder by 30 degrees Celsius. This temperature will be too cold for the sustenance of our ecosystem. Therefore, the greenhouse effect is very much required for the earth; however it must be in a controlled manner.

How are we contributing to the greenhouse effect?

There is no doubt that the greenhouse effects is required for the ecosystem but it becomes a problem when the natural process gets distorted and accelerated by human activities and more greenhouse gases are created in the atmosphere which increase the temperature of the earth more than required. When we burn oil, coal, natural gas and gasoline the level of CO2 increases in the atmosphere. The level of harmful gases like nitrous oxide and methane also increases due to farming methods and changes in the use of land. Dangerous and long lasting industrial gases are produced from factories.