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Effects of Global Warming

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Global warming, by definition is the increase in the earth's ocean and near surface temperatures. In the last several decades, there have been numerous debates regarding global warming. The vast majority of the scientific community now agrees that global warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
What is more important, cheap energy or sustaining human life for the next 100+ years? Global warming is no longer fiction; scientific studies have proved that the earth's climate is under going a period of rapid change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that the average global temperature has increased by 0.74°C since the mid-20th century and predicts that it will continue to rise by another 1.1°C to 6.4°C by the end of the 21st century (Lynas, 1). Our high dependence on fossil fuels as a source of energy has raised the atmospheric content of greenhouses gases to levels which are higher than almost any point in history. These gasses serve as a powerful insulator, and contain excess heat within our atmosphere. An overall warmer climate disrupts the ecosystem and causes disastrous impacts to take place. One of the most prominent dangers associated with global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps (Hansen 2). These enormous blocks of ice that serve as a habitat for many species of wildlife creatures are quickly melting into the ocean. The devastating impact this has on human life is that it sea levels are rising, and if not controlled, it will submerge large costal portions of the earths landmass which are currently occupied by humans. Rainfall patterns are also rapidly changing, causing droughts in some areas and flooding in others. Agriculture production will be greatly effected if these weather patterns intensify. Relatively speaking, global warming is still in its early stages, and changes can be made to

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