Human Global Warming: What are the Main Causes?
To understand how humans cause global warming, it is important that you are aware of the link between your daily activities and the greenhouse effect. Furthermore, once you understand this, it is easy to see that you have the power to help stop global warming from getting worse.
The primary way humans cause global warming is by burning fossil fuels. This increases the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, which leads to an increase in the Greenhouse Effect.
How Your Daily Activities
Contribute to the Problem
Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been using fossil fuels to power machines. Now, nearly everything you consume, nearly every product you buy, and many of your daily activities involve the use of fossil fuels. You contribute to global warming:
When You Drive or Fly
Every time you drive a car, carbon-rich auto exhaust enters the atmosphere. The use of jet fuel in plane travel adds even more to your carbon footprint than does car travel.
When You Eat Meat and Exotic Foods
The food industry, especially the meat industry, is one of the primary sources of greenhouse gases, according to some recent studies.
Eating food that is shipped long distances adds to greenhouse gas emissions. Consider the fact that the average food item you eat travels over 1000 miles from farm to fork. In addition, conventional agriculture uses massive amounts of petroleum-based fertilizers.
Eating beef and drinking milk also adds to greenhouse gases, since cows emit significant amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon.
When You Use Electricity
Although some power generation is now being done with solar and wind energy, the chances are high that the electricity you use is generated from coal-burning power plants.
When You Move Into
A New Development
If you decide to move into a new suburban development near the edge of town, you’re increasing the profits developers get from cutting down trees and paving over farm land. When farms and forests disappear, the land loses the ability to absorb carbon, and emissions from other activities have an even greater effect.
What You Can Do
The effects of global warming have the potential to be devastating to humanity and the planet, which is why you must act now.
Related Articles:
How Do Humans Cause Global Warming
How to Prevent Global Warming on Your Way to Work
Ways to Prevent Global Warming Through Natural Building
Why Going Vegetarian for One Day Will Help Stop Global Warming
(Image credit: flickr via db™)
Let’s let our kids enjoy this beautiful planet. Burning fossil fuels should be illegal. Solar, wind, and etc. is the energy of today and the future. New Technology will help THE cause to breathe clean air again.
Thanks for putting this together. I found the post on twitter and just ReTweeted it. I greatly appreciate having a source for this kind of information. Keep planting those seeds across the internet!
I am a high school student and I find that people are so selfish and ignorant… They don’t care about anyone but themselves… it is impossible to change if people don’t ADMIT they are wrong.
[...] It is true that there are some natural causes of global warming. However, there is no doubt amongst the world’s leading experts that the current dangerous warming trend is primarily caused by humans. [...]
“…there is no doubt amongst the world’s leading experts that the current dangerous warming trend is primarily caused by humans.”
OH??? [You need to read 1984] MANY scientists in the field, including ones that served on the IPCC, disagree with you, e.g. Richard Lindzen of MIT, Willie Soon of Harvard, etc. etc. etc.
http://climateresearchnews.com/2008/12/u-s-senate-minority-report-more-than-650-scientists-dissent-over-warming-claims/
Thanks for this post! This is the most direct and effective way of linking our current lifestyle and how it directly hurts the planet. I wish there was more information out there available to the public that is this simple and forward, awareness is key to change. Does anyone know of any major educational projects or research on global warming going on currently?
another main thing that we as individuals can do is reduce our plastic consumption. start by using tote bags and by reusing your food and drink utensils, which better be made by glass and stainless stil.
After this post I started to do some research on what is out there on the web in terms of major educational projects and ran across this website:
http://www.transantarcticexpedition.com/education/
Its an expedition that is set to begin this November, led my a man named Andrew Regan. I think what they are doing in terms of research, and pioneering more environmentally friendly ways to traverse the arctic, is pretty cool. I also think there need to be more things out there like this for public awareness. The first step towards any change is through public action to the problem.
nice
I think this a great website to look at and see what many mistakes has people past the many years of pollution.