Sumber : http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-global-warming.

htmlKamis, 09 September 2010Global warming Global warmingcan be defined as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth,including the surface air and oceans. As per studies conducted, it has been stated that the Earth'stemperature has increased by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. This rise intemper ature was profound during theindustrial revolution, when emission of carbon dioxide andother greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increased. If this statistics continue in the coming future,then the weather pattern of the Earth will not be the same as it is today. Causes of Global Warming The causes of global warming can be discussed under two categories, namely, the naturalcauses and the man-made causes. Natural causesencompasses exploding of sunspots, solar outputvariations, volcanic eruptions and changes in the Earth's orbit. Considering these natural causes,many scientists are of the opinion that the Earth will have to experience global warming, evenwithout the influence of industrial and human activities.There is no doubt thatgreenhouse gasesoccur naturally and are responsible for warming theEarth to sustain life (greenhouse effect). However, excess amount of GHG has adverse effects;human activities like burning of fossil fuelscontribute a lot to global warming. While burning fossilfuels, carbon dioxide, ozone and other gases are released, which in turn, traps thesolar energy,leading to an increase in temperature. Power plants generate the highest GHG, while automobilesrank second. Another man-made cause of global warming isdeforestation; with a decline in thenumber of trees, the amount of carbon dioxide getting absorbed will be less. Effects of Global Warming As more heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases, the overall effect of global warming isclimatic change, which is evident from themelting of glaciers,rising of sea level, changing patternof precipitation and drying of cloud forests. Eventually, the potential risks of global warmingincludes speciesextinction,disturbed food webs, coastal flooding, shrinkage of rainforests,increa sed drought, extreme weather conditions, increased disease vectors and change in crop yields.With these potential threats, there have been many issues regarding the responsibilities that should be taken up against global warming.A major impact on global warming is the signing of Kyoto Protocol, an environmental treaty,on December 11, 1997 by many nations. The main objective of Kyoto protocol is to reduce theemission of greenhouse gases (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide andsulfur hexafluoride. Under this protocol, the developed industrialized nations agreed to reduce theGHG by 5.2 percent in comparison to the emission of 1990.An effective way of reducing GHG is to

make the public aware about the pros and cons of global warming. Public should be encouraged to userenewable energy sources and conserve energyas much as possible. More sophisticated technologies should be developed so as to make cleaner cars and a better way to generate electricity. Only then, we will be able to minimize global warmingand at the same time,save energy for future generations