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CARBON DIOXIDE AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT Scient

CARBON DIOXIDE AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Scientists all over the world are growing increasingly concerned about the steady buildup of trace gases in the atmosphere. Presently, the most abundant trace gas in the atmosphere is carbon dioxide (CO2). This has been due primarily to the use of fossil fuels. Several studies have concluded that CO2 emissions may alter the radioactive balance of the earth, increasing the global temperature and dramatically changing global climate (Jager, "Floating" 6).

The "greenhouse theory," which states that increases in CO2 will warm the earth, was first developed by scientists before the turn of the century. This theory holds that CO2 and other "greenhouse" gases in the atmosphere allow the sun's ultraviolet and visible radiation to penetrate and warm the earth, with the infrared energy the earth radiates absorbed back into the atmosphere. These effects are known collectively as the "greenhouse effect."

Although the greenhouse effect is threatening to make living conditions on earth miserable, it is also why life is livable in the first place. For at least the last 100,000 years atmospheric CO2 naturally generated and consumed by animals and plants was in rough equilibrium. Without this characteristic of holding in heat the globe's mean temperature would be in the 40s rather than a comfortable 59 degress Fahrenheit (Revkin 53).

The current understanding of the greenhouse effect, however, assumes that if all other factors in the greenhouse theory are held constant, changing the composition of the atmosphere by adding large quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases will warm the earth. The physical laws underlying this theory are well established and straightforward. However, the assumption that all other factors affecting the climate will remain constant is not reasonable. Unless precautions are taken immediately, the atmospheric content of CO2 will definitely increase. This paper wil...

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CARBON DIOXIDE AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT Scient. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:58, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1680825.html