FREE ESSAY ON CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE

CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Carbon dioxide has been rising in the atmosphere throughout time. Recently though, the
levels of carbon dioxide have been increasing at a more alarming rate. The cause of this
is a direct result of man's burning of fossil fuels. We know that every action we make,
as humans, will have some effect on the environment around us and those effects can be
either good or bad. The rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may potentially
inflict some negative effects on our environment.
The termed used to describe the rise in CO2 in the atmosphere is the greenhouse effect.
Major greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. Greenhouse
gasses collect in the atmosphere and trap solar radiation within the atmosphere.
Therefore as the level of CO2 raises the amount of collected solar radiation will
increase as well. There is a direct correlation with the rise in CO2 in the atmosphere
and the rise of the global temperature. When man burns fossil fuels such as coal or
petroleum, CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
Another problem is " large-scale deforestation, especially in the tropics, is reducing
the most effective natural CO2 removal process." (Craig 1996, p.9). The increase in CO2
has the potential to set off a chain of events that could have a severe impact on our
environment. First the increased CO2 causes an increase in the collection of solar
radiation. The rise in temperature could cause the polar ice to melt causing sea levels
to rise. The increase in temperature could also cause the cold water in the oceans to
expand, which could have a great effect on shorelines. Other problems caused by the
increase in temperature could be changes in the growing seasons of plants, or it could
even change the patterns of rainfall. "The major fear of global warming is massive
flooding which will devastate low lying areas of the earth." (Global Warming)