Author Question: Given our economys current dependence on fossil fuels, what should we be doing as a society to ... (Read 114 times)

rlane42 · **on:** Jul 21, 2018

Given our economys current dependence on fossil fuels, what should we be doing as a society to minimize the effects of
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Define global warming. In what ways is it a natural process? Do you believe that humans are contributing to global
warming?

What will be an ideal response?

ilianabrrr · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 21, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Burning coal and oil, and to a lesser extent wood, have increased the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gasses in the atmosphere. We need to find ways to decrease our use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil to
generate energy. Increasing mileage in our vehicles and conserving energy will help in the short run. In the long
run, we must find other ways to generate the energy we use that will not continue to increase the amounts of
greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere

Answer to Question 2

Just as the greenhouse effect is a natural process, so is global warming. Global warming is the process that takes
place when the greenhouse effect warms the atmosphere. Global warming has been a natural process for at least
the last 5,000 years and probably for the past 15,000 years. Unfortunately, some gasses such as carbon dioxide
and methane are much more effective at trapping infrared energy and converting it to heat than are nitrogen and
oxygen. Most scientists are convinced that excess global warming results from the increases of those gasses that
have resulted from human activity. As the term is used today, global warming is generally used to refer to the excess
warming of the atmosphere over what would have occurred without human activity.