The term global warming refers to an overall increase in world temperatures, which may be caused by additional heat being

trapped by greenhouse gases

Global warming is a serious condition that affects our planet. It is important to be aware of the human causes of global warming in order to prevent additional global warming from occurring. While humans contribute a lot to global warming there are also natural ways in which global warming occurs. For these types of situations there is little that can be done to stop the global warming which may occur. Humans on the other hand have the opportunity to curb a number of the activities which can contribute to an increase in global warming. By simply limiting these activities, or reinventing how they are done, the planet can remain a healthier place for everyone to live. Different Ways Humans Can Cause Global Warming Think about all of the products in the world that are made out of nylon. The process to make nylon involves nitrous oxide which is extremely harmful to the environment. When this substance is released into the atmosphere the rays from the sun kick start a reaction. This reaction contributes to a problem called the green house effect which ultimately results in the global warming of the planet and is a great example of a human cause of global warming. Humans cause global warming to occur just by simply being alive. Every breath we exhale contains carbon dioxide. This gas is one of the most harmful to our atmosphere and as the amount of carbon dioxide collects our planet begins to warm. This is not something that happens overnight but slowly over a large amount of time. There is little we can do prevent this from occurring either. Consider all of the different ways in which we use coal. We burn coal to power factories and to provide heat. It is generally a cheap alternative compared with other fossil fuels that are used in similar ways. The unfortunate downfall of using coal is that it releases a great deal of toxins into our environment. In fact it is a leading cause of global warming by CO2. Today many industries are trying to overcome this pollution issue by creating cleaner ways to burn the coal. Until the process is further refined, coal will continue to contribute to global warming. As more and more people populate the earth each year the number of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that is released into the environment grows. As this happens the process of global warming is amplified. Simply being aware of the numerous things that can cause global warming is a great way to help people modify behaviors which harm the atmosphere.

There are a number of ways in which global warming occurs. In some forms global warming is completely natural and out of our hands to control. In other forms humans can control and even stop global warming to some degree. It should not be of much surprise to learn that CO2 is a major cause of global warming. It has long been known that CO2 pollution enters into the Earths atmosphere and causes damage to occur. The result is that our planet increases in temperature through a process known as global warming. CO2 is not the only gas that wrecks havoc on the planet though. Other gases like nitrous oxide and methane all play a role too. For the most part CO2 is a main cause of global warming. Different Causes Of CO2 Global Warming The cars that we drive to and from work each day and take with us on vacations every year emit CO2. In fact the pollution from cars is one of the greatest CO2 causes of global warming on the planet. Millions of cars are driven each day and people all over the world are reliant upon them. In an attempt to ease the pollution that cars produce, man y manufactures are turning to hybrid cars that do not rely so heavily on gasoline. Another huge cause of CO2 global warming comes from power plants. A great deal of the overall CO2 that is emitted into the atmosphere comes from power plants that burn fossil fuels. One of the greatest contributors in terms of the various fossil fuels that can be burned for power is coal. How frequently do you fly in an airplane? Think about the total number of flights that take off each day. Every time an aircraft flies it emits a large amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. Many airlines are trying to improve the fuel efficiency of their fleets which will curb the problem a bit. There are also carbon offset programs that are available to passengers that allow them to reverse the damage that their flight has caused by contributing money to an environmentally friendly program or cause. Every year millions and millions of trees are cut down. The reasons are numerous as to why we cut down trees but as it happens a great deal of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere. The process of cutting down trees is arguable one of the greatest causes of global warming by CO2.

There has been a debate over the last ten years over the effects of global warming. There is no doubt that according to data there have been increases to the gasses in the natural greenhouse effect of our world due to increase in carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

The question in the debate is whether these increases are indeed causing global warming, and if so, what can be done to stop global warming from getting any worse. Effects on the Earth Temperature charts do show that the earth has warmed over the last hundred years almost one degree on average. This does not sound like much, but it doubles the trend one hundred years previous to that time. Scientists are watching the polar ice caps and the trends do not show much of a difference from previous years in melting of these ice caps. Large storms also are supposedly not caused by the increased temperatures, although there is a debate on this issue. Large storms like the El Ninos or Katrinas are caused by warmer temperatures over the global sea surface, so global warming can contribute to those issues. Since global warming is caused mostly by the increase i n carbon dioxide emitted into the air, the most practical thing that people as a whole can do to find ways to stop global warming is to decrease these emissions. Due to the recent gas crisis, more work is being done in order to help decrease these emissions from cars and trucks by creating vehicles that run on alternative sources of fuel. Since car pooling does not seem to have taken popular hold of more progressive nations, changing the fuel for cars and trucks seems like the best way to help stop global warming. Unfortunately, unless carpooling becomes a government mandate, it does not seem likely that people will give up their independent car use in the near future. There are also things being done by different industries to help lessen the carbon dioxide output in order to help stop global warming. Some plants are using recycled materials to burn rather than using new fuel sources. Other industrial plants are using more efficient filters on their output vents so that the carbon dioxide output is reduced to help stop global warming. There are some people that point to the amount of carbon dioxide that is released due to huge cattle ranches and the amount of meat that is eaten in the USA, and point people to eating a more vegetarian diet in order to help stop these emissions.

The global warming debate has come to the forefront in recent years due to increased publicity over the issue. Those who deny that global warming is a problem claim that the issue was raised by the government and big industry that stands to make a profit from the changes that are brought about by solving the issue. Although the evidence is not conclusive as to the issues that are brought about due to global warming, there is no debate as to whether the earth has increased in carbon dioxide emissions and that the earth's temperature has increased almost one degree Celsius over the last one hundred years, double the amount of the previous one hundred years. Argument

The global warming debate is not over the empirical facts but over the supposed effects of the warming and CO2 emissions increase. Proponents for stopping global warming say that this has caused the increase in tropical storms in the last thirty years as well as increasing the water levels of the oceans which can cause major issues if the trend continues. Those who deny global warming is an issue in the global warming debate say that the earth has been constantly warming over time as a natural course of action and has been document ed as such. In addition, the water level increases and other changes are not new developments either, as tropical storms have been documented for years, with some years being worse than others, as well as the ocean water level steadily rising over the years. Thus said, they claim that the global warming is a swindle, helping free enterprise and government to grow. Despite the global warming debate, there is no argument that the general population and big industry has been steadily polluting the planet. There is no argument either that action must be taken in order to change habits so that the health of the environment which includes plants, animals and humans is made better. There are many simple things that can be done by individuals that do not increase anyone's pocket book except for the individual making the changes, since they will be saving money in energy costs. One way is to take a cloth sack to the grocery store so that plastic or paper sacks that create waste and take energy to produce are not used. Also, when using the dish washer, it should be fully loaded before washing so that less energy is expended. Clothes should be dried outside when possible to also save on energy costs. These simple measures do not help big industry, but do save on energy expenditures and helps to protect the environment.