| The majority of the scientific community believes that | | | | methane is 20 times more effective than CO2 in |
| global warming is a real threat to the world as we | | | | trapping heat in the atmosphere. US Emissions |
| know it today. They believe that global warming mostly | | | | Inventory 2004 levels of atmospheric methane have |
| results from the emissions of carbon dioxide and other | | | | risen 145% in the last 100 years. Sources of this rise in |
| greenhouse gases from human activities such as | | | | methane include rice paddies, bovine flatulence, |
| industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and | | | | bacteria in bogs, and fossil fuel production. |
| deforestation. | | | | Another cause of global warming is nitrous oxide, a |
| There are many causes of global warming. One | | | | colourless, non-flammable gas with a sweetish odour. It |
| cause is carbon dioxide that is made from the burning | | | | is naturally produced by oceans and rainforests, while it |
| of fossil fuels from power plants for the purpose of | | | | is also artificially produced in nylon, nitric acid production, |
| electricity generation. Coal makes up 93% of these | | | | agricultural fertilizers, cars with catalytic converters, and |
| emissions. Coal emits 1.7 times more carbon per unit of | | | | burning organic matter. |
| energy when burned than natural gas and 1.25 times | | | | Deforestation is also one of the causes of global |
| more carbon than oil. Consequently, natural gas gives | | | | warming, the second-leading cause only to carbon |
| off 50% less carbon dioxide for the same amount of | | | | emissions. Deforestation is responsible for 25% of all |
| energy produced. Another cause is carbon dioxide that | | | | carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, as 34 |
| is made from the burning of gasoline in | | | | million acres of trees are burn and cut each year. The |
| internal-combustion engines of cars, minivans, sport | | | | destroying of tropical forests alone emit hundreds of |
| utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and jeeps. Poor gas | | | | millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere |
| mileage is considered the main culprit here. According | | | | each year. |
| to the Environmental Protection Agency's 2000 Fuel | | | | City gridlock is another global warming cause. |
| Economy Guide, a new Dodge Durango sports utility | | | | According to an annual study by traffic engineers from |
| vehicle (with a 5.9 liter engine) that gets 12 miles per | | | | Texas A&M University, drivers in Los Angeles |
| gallon in the city will emit around 800 pounds of carbon | | | | and New York alone waste 600 million gallons of gas |
| dioxide over a distance of 500 city miles; this translates | | | | annually while just sitting in traffic. That translates into |
| to 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the air for | | | | around 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide that is emitted |
| every gallon of gas a vehicle consumes. | | | | into the atmosphere. And remember, just two major |
| Another cause of global warming is carbon dioxide | | | | U.S. cities are named, not to mention the rest of the |
| that is made from commercial trucks, contributing | | | | U.S. and the world. |
| another 13% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. | | | | Another global warming cause is just the amount of |
| Carbon dioxide that is made from airplanes is another | | | | carbon already in the Earth's atmosphere naturally, as |
| cause of global warming - the United Nation's | | | | 750 billion tons of carbon are present. Add in another |
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates | | | | 800 billion tons of carbon that is dissolved in the |
| that aviation causes 3.5% of global warming, with a | | | | surface layers of the world's oceans. |
| projection that it will rise to 15% by 2050. | | | | As you can see, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous |
| Another cause of climate warming is carbon dioxide | | | | oxide are the major causes of global warming. You |
| that is emitted by the structure of buildings, accounting | | | | can also see there are many sources of these gases, |
| for another 12% of carbon dioxide emissions. | | | | especially carbon dioxide. Much work needs to be |
| Methane is another cause of climate warming, as | | | | done in order to address all the causes of global |
| methane is the second most important greenhouse | | | | warming. |
| gas after carbon dioxide. According to the IPCC, | | | | |