Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Human Concern
Global Warming: A Problem of Chemistry
Whether it's in a speech from the White House or Capital Hill or in a news ticker at the bottom of CNN's screen, the topic of global warming is being discussed nearly everywhere. It is a political problem, with pundits on both sides arguing in favor or against policy. But before global warming was a political problem, it was a problem of chemistry.
Ozone (O3) is a compound formed of oxygen atoms that is located, primarily, in the stratosphere above the earth ("The Ozone Layer" para.1, "Chemical of the Week" par. 1), which plays an important role in both regulating the temperature of the earth and the ultra violent light that the earth is exposed to. Constantly created and destroyed through chemical reactions in the stratosphere, the ozone layer often changes sizes; it can also be greatly affected by seasons, solar energy, etc.
But although the Ozone layer is constantly building and rebuilding due to these natural chemical reactions, Ozone's interaction with other elements and compounds can be dangerous. When a "thinning of the ozone layer" was discovered in Antarctica, scientists believed chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were to blame, as the ultraviolet light in the stratosphere was capable of breaking them down into chlorine, which had a negative reaction with the ozone ("The Ozone Layer" para. 3).
Because of this discovery, scientists and politicians across the world have banded together in order to fight emissions and the use of products that contain CFCs. Most are aware of the grim forecast that awaits humankind if action is not taken -- a world consumed by ocean. Still, some do not believe that human behavior plays a role in global warming. Whatever one's opinion, one can be sure that the worldwide attempts to implement responsible human interaction with the environment has a favorable political outcome -- globalization and the banding together of the world. In the future, history may write that chemistry was at the heart of a global political peace.
Works Cited
"Chemical of the Week: Ozone." University of Wisconsin -- Madison. n.d. Chemistry
Department.
"The Ozone Layer." Environmental Literacy Council. 7 April 2008. 16 May 2009.
Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation There is a growing consensus among the scientific community that global warming is a reality that threatens the earth's climate in ways that will be devastating to mankind. Many analysts believe that action must be taken to mitigate the effects of global warming before it is too late to stop the process. This paper provides a discussion concerning natural and manmade sources of climate change, a
, 1998. They work to regulate the temperatures in the globe by reabsorbing heat reflected from the surface of the earth and trapping it. The natural process of trapping heat creates a balance on the global atmosphere only when the amount of heat trapped does not exceed the volumes required. Over the years, human activities have led to the introduction of artificially created gases comprising of Methane and carbon dioxide. The release
Those that do not understand why Bush would relax these rules and harm the environment cite once again the tremendous amount of money that the utility industry has given to the Bush campaign as a potential reason for the rule changes. This does not mean that the writer is anti-Bush, however, as there is no guarantee that a different President in office would not have done exactly the same
While we know that global warming would no doubt, at the levels Epstein cites, be conditions for increased disease and even death; there is no sufficient data to suggest that global warming is going to reach the levels that Epstein is suggesting in his article. His article is alarmist in nature. Schneider's (2002) article, in contrast to Epstein's, relies heavily on scientific data, pointing out that existing data is inconclusive
Global warming has been an issue of debate for decades, however, today there seems to be more evidence pointing to its reality. Type in "global warming" on Google search engine and access to more than fifteen million web sites will appear. One such web site is "Natural Resource Defense Council" at http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/default.asp, which contains a wealth of information concerning global warming (Global pp). Those who believe in global warming assert
Changing the climate of the earth will also impact living conditions for humanity. People will be forced to deal with the effects of living in a warmer environment, which may mean hotter temperatures and growth of mold and mildew, as well as deal with the issues surrounding home modification to adjust to the new climate variable. There may be a need for increased air conditioning; air conditioners require energy to