The Human Effect

• Humans each affect global warming every time they travel by car, bus, boat, train or airplane. It may seem that mowing the lawn or firing up the charcoal grill makes an insignificant impact on climate change until you remember that millions of others are doing the same things. You burn fossil fuels when you heat water for laundry and showers, cook in your kitchen, turn on the lights and sit in front of your computer. The products people depend on every day come from factories and are delivered by truck, rail and ocean freight, all of which burn fossil fuels.
  
  

Natural Effects

• Because the earth is warming, glaciers are melting and methane, usually trapped, is escaping and the sea ice is releasing carbon. This has always occurred in the planet's natural cycles, but it is happening at a more rapid pace. Trees store and absorb carbon from the air. When they are cut down to make way for farming, building or paving, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Volcanoes spew ash that can circle the globe, blocking the sun's rays and causing a drop in temperature. In addition, they add CO2 to the atmosphere. The sun emits various amounts of radiation at different times, which can cause changes in climate and temperature.
  
  

Long-Term Effects

• Changes in climate may bring more severe storms.George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images
  
  If humans continue to expel greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, sea levels will rise as glaciers melt, storms will become more severe and winters more harsh. Serious damage may occur along coastal lands. Potentially, there could be a proliferation of disease because germs favor warm and moist conditions. Animal species could be lost and ecosystems disrupted if there are intractable changes in climate. Scientists and environmentalists do not agree on the course or longevity of global warming, but most believe, to some degree, that it's happening.
  
  

Reducing Global Warming

• Plant a tree.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  There is no way to stop global warming, but it is possible to limit the effects upon it. Reducing deforestation and planting more trees will increase absorption of carbon dioxide. Discovering and implementing new energy sources such as wind and solar power will lessen the amount of greenhouse gasses disbursed. Industry can find new sources of power that lessen or omit noxious smoke. Even you can do your part by using your car less, flying less, reducing waste and buying locally. Think about planting a tree. It will absorb 1 ton of CO2 in its lifetime.