Introduction

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. According to the 200 !ourth Assessment "eport by the #ntergovernmental $anel on %limate %hange &#$%%'( global surface temperature increased by 0. ) * 0.+, -% &+... * 0..2 -!' during the 20th century./20/A0 1ost of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century has been caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases( which result fromhuman activities such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation./.0/)0 Global dimming( a reduction of sunlight reaching the surface as a result of increasing atmospheric concentrations of human-made particulates( has partially countered the effects of warming induced by greenhouse gases. Global warming is a very important issue and is a huge problem that needs to be addressed right away. 2he roots of global warming are in increased amounts of Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere( which in turn are causing more energy from the sun to be trapped on earth( heating it up. 2hese gasses are mainly carbon dio3ide( methane( and nitrous o3ide( and are mainly given off from industrial processes( transportation and residential use. Global warming causes problems( li4e flooding( costal erosion( more hurricanes( s4in cancer and causes some animal and plant species to die out. 5ifferent things to reduce these effects are to decrease your carbon footprint( use less water and recycle.

Causes of Global Warming

1. External Forces 2. Internal Forces

External forcings External forcing refers to processes e3ternal to the climate system &though not necessarily e3ternal to Earth' that influence climate. %limate responds to several types of e3ternal forcing( such as radiative forcing due to changes in atmospheric composition &mainly greenhouse gas concentrations'( changes in solar luminosity( volcanic eruptions( and variations in Earth's orbit around the 6un. /.+0 Attribution of recent climate change focuses on the first three types of forcing. 7rbital cycles vary slowly over tens of thousands of years and thus are too gradual to have caused the temperature changes observed in the past century.

Green House Effect 8aturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about .. -% &9: -!'./..0/%0 2he major greenhouse gases are water vapor( which causes about .;< 0 percent of the greenhouse effect= carbon dio3ide &%72'( which causes :<2; percent= methane &%>)'( which causes )<: percent= and o?one &7.'( which causes .< percent./.)0/.90/.;0 %louds also affect the radiation balance( but they are composed of li@uid water or ice and so have different effects on radiation from water vapor. Industrial Revolution

>uman activity since the #ndustrial "evolution has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere( leading to increasedradiative forcing from %72( methane( tropospheric o?one( %!%s and nitrous o3ide. 2he concentrations of %72 and methane have increased by .;A and +),A respectively since + 90. /. 0 2hese levels are much higher than at any time during the last ,00(000 years( the period for which reliable data has been e3tracted from ice cores./.,0/.:0/)00/)+0 Bess

direct geological evidence indicates that %7 2 values higher than this were last seen about 20 million years ago./)20 !ossil fuel burning has produced about three-@uarters of the increase in %72 from human activity over the past 20 years. 2he rest of this increase is caused mostly by changes in land-use( particularly deforestation./).0

$oplulation
7ver the last three decades of the 20th century( G5$ per capita and population growth were the main drivers of increases in greenhouse gas emissions. /))0 %72 emissions are continuing to rise due to the burning of fossil fuels and landuse change./)90/);0C + Emissions scenarios( estimates of changes in future emission levels of greenhouse gases( have been projected that depend upon uncertain economic( sociological(technological( and natural developments./) 0 #n most scenarios( emissions continue to rise over the century( while in a few( emissions are reduced./),0/):0 2hese emission scenarios( combined with carbon cycle modelling( have been used to produce estimates of how atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will change in the future. Dsing the si3 #$%% 6"E6 Emar4erE scenarios( models suggest that by the year 2+00( the atmospheric concentration of %72 could range between 9)+ and : 0 ppm. /900 2his is an increase of :0-290A above the concentration in the year + 90. !ossil fuel reserves are sufficient to reach these levels and continue emissions past 2+00 if coal( oil sands ormethane clathrates are e3tensively e3ploited./9+0 2he popular media and the public often confuse global warming with the o?one hole( i.e.( the destruction of stratospheric o?one bychlorofluorocarbons./920/9.0 Although there are a few areas of lin4age( the relationship between the two is not strong. "educed stratospheric o?one has had a slight cooling influence on surface temperatures( while increased tropospheric o?one has had a somewhat larger warming effect./9)0

$articulates and soot

6hip trac4s over the Atlantic 7cean on the east coast of the Dnited 6tates. 2he climatic impacts from particulate forcing could have a large effect on climate through the indirect effect. Global dimming( a gradual reduction in the amount of global direct irradiance at the Earth's surface( has partially counteracted global warming from +:;0 to the present. /990 #n addition to their direct effect by scattering and absorbing solar radiation( particulates have indirect effects on the radiation budget. /9,06ulfates act as cloud condensation nuclei and thus lead to clouds that have more and smaller cloud droplets. 2hese clouds reflect solar radiation more efficiently than clouds with fewer and larger droplets( 4nown as the 2womey effect./9:0 2his effect also causes droplets to be of more uniform si?e( which reduces growth of raindrops and ma4es the cloud more reflective to incoming sunlight( 4nown as the Albrecht effect./;00 #ndirect effects are most noticeable in marine stratiform clouds( and have very little radiative effect on convective clouds. #ndirect effects of particulates represent the largest uncertainty in radiative forcing./;+0

6oot may cool or warm the surface( depending on whether it is airborne or deposited. Atmospheric soot directly absorb solar radiation( which heats the atmosphere and cools the surface. #n isolated areas with high soot production( such as rural #ndia( as much as 90A of surface warming due to greenhouse gases may be mas4ed by atmospheric brown clouds./;20 Fhen deposited( especially on glaciers or on ice in arctic regions( the lower surface albedo can also directly heat the surface. /;.0 2he influences of particulates( including blac4 carbon( are most pronounced in the tropics and sub-tropics( particularly in Asia( while the effects of greenhouse gases are dominant in the e3tratropics and southern hemisphere./;)0

Solar variation

2otal 6olar #rradiance measured by satellite from +: :-200;. Gariations in solar output have been the cause of past climate changes./;90 2he effect of changes in solar forcing in recent decades is uncertain( but small( with some studies showing a slight cooling effect( /;;0 while others studies suggest a slight warming effect./.+0/; 0/;,0/;:0 Greenhouse gases and solar forcing affect temperatures in different ways. Fhile both increased solar activity and increased greenhouse gases are e3pected to warm the troposphere( an increase in solar activity should warm the stratosphere while an increase in greenhouse gases should cool the stratosphere. /.+0 "adiosonde &weather balloon' data show the stratosphere has cooled over the period since observations began &+:9,'( though there is greater uncertainty in the early radiosonde record. 6atellite observations( which have been available since +: :( also show cooling. / 00

Effects
Natural systems

6parse records indicate that glaciers have been retreating since the early +,00s. #n the +:90s measurements began that allow the monitoring of glacial mass balance( reported to the FG16and the 86#5%. Global warming has been detected in a number of systems. 6ome of these changes( e.g.( based on the instrumental temperature record( have been described in the section on temperature changes. "ising sea levels and observed decreases in snow and ice e3tent are consistent with warming. /+;0 1ost of the increase in global average

temperature since the mid-20th century is( with high probability( /50attributable to human-induced changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. /,,0 Even with current policies to reduce emissions( global emissions are still e3pected to continue to grow over the coming decades. /,:0 7ver the course of the 2+st century( increases in emissions at or above their current rate would very li4ely induce changes in the climate system larger than those observed in the 20th century.

Ecological systems
#n terrestrial ecosystems( the earlier timing of spring events( and poleward and upward shifts in plant and animal ranges( have been lin4ed with high confidence to recent warming./+;0!uture climate change is e3pected to particularly affect certain ecosystems( including tundra( mangroves( and coral reefs./,:0 #t is e3pected that most ecosystems will be affected by higher atmospheric %7 2 levels( combined with higher global temperatures./:20 7verall( it is e3pected that climate change will result in the e3tinction of many species and reduced diversity of ecosystems. /:.

Social systems
Gulnerability of human societies to climate change mainly lies in the effects of e3treme weather events rather than gradual climate change. /:)0 #mpacts of climate change so far include adverse effects on small islands( /:90 adverse effects on indigenous populations in high-latitude areas( /:;0 and small but discernable effects on human health./: 0 7ver the 2+st century( climate change is li4ely to adversely affect hundreds of millions of people through increased coastal flooding( reductions in water supplies( increased malnutrition and increased health impacts./:,0 Responses to global arming

!itigation
"educing the amount of future climate change is called mitigation of climate change. 2he #$%% defines mitigation as activities that reduce greenhouse gas &G>G' emissions( or enhance the capacity of carbon sin4s to absorb G>Gs from the atmosphere./+020 1any countries( both developing and developed( are aiming to use cleaner( less polluting( technologies. /);0C+:2 Dse of these technologies aids mitigation and could result in substantial reductions in %7 2 emissions. $olicies include targets for emissions reductions( increased use of renewable energy( and increased energy efficiency. 6tudies indicate substantial potential for future reductions in emissions. /+0.0 6ince even in the most optimistic scenario( fossil fuels are going to be used for years to come( mitigation may also involve carbon capture and storage( a process that traps %72 produced by factories and gas or coal power stationsand then stores it( usually underground. /+0)0 Geoengineering Another policy response is engineering of the climate &geoengineering'. 2his policy response is sometimes grouped together with mitigation. /+0;0 Geoengineering is largely unproven( and reliable cost estimates for it have not yet been published. /+0 0 Geoengineering encompasses a range of techni@ues to remove %72 from the atmosphere or to bloc4 incoming sunlight. As most geoengineering techni@ues would affect the entire globe( the use of effective techni@ues( if they can be developed( would re@uire global public acceptance and an ade@uate global legal and regulatory framewor4./+0,0

$er capita greenhouse gas emissions in 2009( including land-use change.

2otal greenhouse gas emissions in 2009( including land-use change. 2here are different views over what the appropriate policy response to climate change should be./++,0/++:0 2hese competing views weigh the benefits of limiting emissions of greenhouse gases against the costs. #n general( it seems li4ely that climate change will impose greater damages and ris4s in poorer regions. /+200

"ie s on global

arming

Main articles: Global warming controversy and Politics of global warming See also: Scientific opinion on climate change and Public opinion on climate change 2here are different views over what the appropriate policy response to climate change should be./+)+0 2hese competing views weigh the benefits of limiting emissions of greenhouse gases against the costs. #n general( it seems li4ely that climate change will impose greater damages and ris4s in poorer regions. /+)20

Responses to global
!itigation

arming

"educing the amount of future climate change is called mitigation of climate change. 2he #$%% defines mitigation as activities that reduce greenhouse gas &G>G' emissions( or enhance the capacity of carbon sin4s to absorb G>Gs from the atmosphere./+.00 1any countries( both developing and developed( are aiming to use cleaner( less polluting( technologies./9,0C+:2 Dse of these technologies aids mitigation and could result in substantial reductions in %72 emissions. $olicies include targets for emissions reductions( increased use of renewable energy( and increased energy efficiency. 6tudies indicate substantial potential for future reductions in emissions.
/+.+0

2o limit warming to the lower range in the overall #$%%'s E6ummary "eport for $olicyma4ersE/+.20 means adopting policies that will limit emissions to one of the significantly different scenarios described in the full report. /+..0 2his will become more and more difficult( since each year of high emissions will re@uire even more drastic measures in later years to stabili?e at a desired atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases( and energy-related carbon-dio3ide &%72' emissions in 20+0 were the highest in history( brea4ing the prior record set in 200,. /+.)0

6ince even in the most optimistic scenario( fossil fuels are going to be used for years to come( mitigation may also involve carbon capture and storage( a process that traps %72 produced by factories and gas or coal power stations and then stores it( usually underground./+.90

#daptation
7ther policy responses include adaptation to climate change. Adaptation to climate change may be planned( e.g.( by local or national government( or spontaneous( i.e.( done privately without government intervention. /+.;0 2he ability to adapt is closely lin4ed to social andeconomic development./+. 0 Even societies with high capacities to adapt are still vulnerable to climate change. $lanned adaptation is already occurring on a limited basis. 2he barriers( limits( and costs of future adaptation are not fully understood.

Global

arming controversy

2he global arming controversy refers to a variety of disputes( significantly more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature(/+).0/+))0 regarding the nature( causes( and conse@uences of global warming. 2he disputed issues include the causes of increased global average air temperature( especially since the mid20th century( whether this warming trend is unprecedented or within normal climatic variations( whether human4ind has contributed significantly to it( and whether the increase is wholly or partially an artifact of poor measurements. Additional disputes concern estimates of climate sensitivity( predictions of additional warming( and what the conse@uences of global warming will be. #n the scientific literature( there is a strong consensus that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend is caused mainly by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases. 8o scientific body of national or international standingdisagrees with this view(/+)90/+);0 though a few organisations hold non-committal positions. !rom +::0-+:: in the Dnited 6tates( conservative thin4 tan4s mobili?ed to undermine the legitimacy of global warming as a social problem. 2hey challenged the scientific evidence= argued that global warming will have benefits= and asserted that proposed solutions would do more harm than good. /+) 0 $olitics 5eveloped and developing countries have made different arguments over who should bear the burden of economic costs for cutting emissions. 5eveloping countries often concentrate on per capita emissions( that is( the total emissions of a country divided by its population. /+2+0 $er capita emissions in the industriali?ed countries are typically as much as ten times the average in developing countries. /+220 2his is used to ma4e the argument that the real problem of climate change is due to the profligate and unsustainable lifestyles of those living in rich countries. /+2+0

7n the other hand( Hanuri et al. point out that total carbon emissions( /+2+0 carrying capacity( efficient energy use and civil and political rights are very important issues. Band is not the same everywhere. 8ot only the @uantity of fossil fuel use but also the @uality of energy use is a 4ey debate point. /citation needed0 Efficient energy use supporting technological change might/vague0 help reduce e3cess carbon dio3ide in Earth's atmosphere./citation needed0 2he use of fossil fuels for conspicuous consumption and e3cessive entertainment are issues that can conflict with civil and political rights. $eople/who?0 in developed countries argue that history has proven the difficulty of implementing fairrationing programs in different countries because there is no global system of chec4s and balances or civil liberties. 2he Iyoto $rotocol( which came into force in 2009( sets legally binding emission limitations for most developed countries. /++20 5ebate continued at the%openhagen climate summit and the %ancJn climate summit.

$ublic opinion
#n 200 <200, Gallup $olls surveyed +2 countries. 7ver a third of the world's population was unaware of global warming( with people in developing countries less aware than those indeveloped( and those in Africa the least aware. 7f those aware( Batin America leads in belief that temperature changes are a result of human activities while Africa( parts of Asia and the 1iddle East( and a few countries from the !ormer 6oviet Dnion lead in the opposite belief. /+2 0 #n the Festern world( opinions over the concept and the appropriate responses are divided. 8ic4 $idgeon of %ardiff Dniversity said that Eresults show the different stages of engagement about global warming on each side of the AtlanticE( adding( E2he debate in Europe is about what action needs to be ta4en( while many in the D.6. still debate whether climate change is happening.E /+2,0/+2:0 A 20+0 poll by the 7ffice of 8ational 6tatistics found that 9A of DI respondents were at least Efairly convincedE that the world's climate is changing( compared to , A in a similar survey in 200;. /+.00 A Kanuary 20++ #%1 poll in the DI found ,.A of respondents viewed climate change as a current or imminent threat( while +)A said it was no threat. 7pinion was unchanged from an August 200: poll as4ing the same @uestion( though there had been a slight polarisation of opposing views. A survey in 7ctober( 200: by the $ew "esearch %enter for the $eople L the $ress showed decreasing public perception in the Dnited 6tates that global warming was a serious problem. All political persuasions showed reduced concern with lowest concern among "epublicans( only .9A of whom considered there to be solid evidence of global warming./+.202he cause of this mar4ed difference in public opinion between the Dnited 6tates and the global public is uncertain but the hypothesis has been advanced that clearer communication by scientists both directly and through the media would be helpful in ade@uately informing the American public of the

scientific consensus and the basis for it. 2he D.6. public appears to be unaware of the e3tent of scientific consensus regarding the issue( with 9:A believing that scientists disagree EsignificantlyE on global warming.

Conclusion-# found that we are demanding on power plants that burn fossil fuels a lot. Fe also burn fossil fuels when we drive to wor4 everyday. #f we use solar energy we will emit less green house gasses into the earthMs atmosphere. Hy doing that global warming will go down and the threat of climate change and all the others problems will go down. 6olar energy can help you reduce your energy bills and can help save the earth. 2hin4 6olar.