Global Warming Global warming has been one of the most fervently debated and scientifically challenging topics of the 21st century. According to NASA, as early as 1904, Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, was among the “first persons acknowledged to investigate the effects of doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide and how this would affect the global climate”. (1) As technology and scientific studies progressed throughout the 1900’s and into the 21st century, the effect of human civilizations on climate change was thrust into public spotlight. While fluctuations in the earth’s climate is a natural phenomenon, the vast amount of greenhouse gases expelled into the environment due to anthropogenic influence likely enhances, or acts as a catalyst, for overall climate change. Numerous studies exist that show increases in carbon dioxide levels throughout history via direct sampling as well as ice core analysis. In 1957, “Charles Keeling began measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide from an observatory on the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. He soon identified what became known as the ‘Keeling Curve’ – a graph that showed atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide increasing year by year.” (2) A quick view of the Keeling Curve, even by the untrained eye, shows a strong correlation between human industrialization and the sudden increase in greenhouse gases, See Figure 1. While the increases in CO2 alone does not point to human intervention, the clearly recognizable rise in human industrialization gives legitimacy to the claim of anthropogenic induced global climate change.

Figure 1. Keeling Curve, Courtesy: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/files/earth501/image/lesson4/maunaloa_co2.jpg

Ice core analysis is another area of climate study that supports the notion of anthropogenic influence on global warming. Ice core analysis is past atmospheric composition