Global warming is
defined as the rise in temperature of the earth's atmosphere. It's said
that by the time a baby born today is 80 years old, the world will be 6
and a half degrees warmer than it is now. Warming of the climate system
is explicit, and scientists are more than 90% certain that most of it is
caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by
human activities such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels.
Carbon
dioxide and other air pollution that collects in the atmosphere like a
thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat, cause the planet to warm
up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon
dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year.
Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons
of CO2 annually.
Global warming doesn't
create hurricanes, but it does make them stronger and more dangerous.
Because the ocean is getting warmer, tropical storms can pick up more
energy and become more powerful. So global warming could turn, say, a
category 3 storm into a much more dangerous category 4 storm. In fact,
scientists have found that the destructive potential of hurricanes has
greatly increased along with ocean temperature over the past 35 years.
We
can cut global warming pollution by reducing pollution from vehicles
and power plants. Right away, we should put existing technologies for
building cleaner cars and more modern electricity generators into common
use. We can increase our reliance on renewable energy sources such as
wind, sun and geothermal. And we can manufacture more efficient
appliances and conserve energy.
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