| The past 100 years has seen the Earths | | | | reduction in area of this valuable |
| surface warm up approximately 0.6°C. Over | | | | environmental, social and economic resource |
| these 100 years there has been a massive | | | | through deforestation has the potential to |
| increase in man made greenhouse gasses, | | | | cause problems on a global scale. Trees |
| mainly down to the effects of burning fossil | | | | absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for |
| fuels and the depletion of forest and | | | | photosynthesis, and help to regulate the |
| woodland. These are not the only two topics | | | | natural greenhouse effect. Deforestation |
| in the Global Warming debate, as there are | | | | takes away a potential consumer for the |
| many other topics that affect Global Warming | | | | carbon dioxide mankind is pumping into the |
| and contribute to climate change. · Carbon | | | | atmosphere. In addition, if forests are |
| Dioxide · CFCs · Deforestation · Emissions | | | | removed by burning, a lot of extra carbon |
| · Fossil Fuels All of these and many more | | | | dioxide locked up in tree wood is returned to |
| have an impact to our environment and in turn | | | | the atmosphere. Emissions Greenhouse gases |
| attribute to Global Warming. Carbon Dioxide | | | | are emissions in the atmosphere that occur |
| Carbon dioxide, aka CO2 is a colourless and | | | | naturally, released by natural sources. These |
| odourless gas made up of two oxygen atoms and | | | | gasses are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous |
| one carbon atom. CO2 is produced when carbon | | | | oxide and ozone. The last 200 years has seen |
| is burned in an excess of oxygen. E.G. it is | | | | a dramatic rise of these greenhouse gasses |
| released into the atmosphere during natural | | | | into the atmosphere by man-made substances. |
| forest fires and the man-made combustion of | | | | These additional emissions are increasing |
| fossil fuels. CO2 can be found in other | | | | greenhouse gas concentrations in the |
| natural sources like volcanic eruptions, | | | | atmosphere above their natural limits, |
| decay of dead organic matter (Plants and | | | | enhancing the natural greenhouse effect that |
| Animals ETC), evaporation from the oceans and | | | | is believed to be causing global warming. |
| breathing. Carbon dioxide is removed from the | | | | Fossil Fuels Power that everybody uses is |
| atmosphere by carbon dioxide absorbers, known | | | | created by the burning of fossil fuels, |
| as "sinks". The main removal of Carbon | | | | weather it be conventional power stations |
| dioxide from our atmosphere is absorption by | | | | that burn coal, oil or gas to produce |
| seawater, photosynthesis by ocean-dwelling | | | | electricity. Road vehicles burn fossil fuel |
| plankton and land-dwelling plantation, | | | | in the form of petrol or diesel, these are |
| including forests and grasslands. CFCs | | | | fuels refined from oil. The above called |
| Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs as they are more | | | | fossil fuels because of the way they are |
| commonly known are all man-made and do occur | | | | formed. It takes millions of years of decay |
| naturally. CFCs started to be utilised in the | | | | to produce these fuels. Fossil fuels are made |
| 1930s where they were used in aerosols, foam | | | | by the burial and compaction of rotting |
| manufacture, air conditioning and | | | | vegetation on land (coal), and marine |
| refrigeration. CFCs are a far stronger | | | | organisms on the sea floor (oil and gas). |
| greenhouse gas than CO2, and they damage the | | | | Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, |
| stratospheric ozone. The Montreal Protocol in | | | | a greenhouse gas, that enhances the |
| 1987 helped in the phasing out CFCs emissions | | | | greenhouse effect. As you can see these are |
| in an attempt to protect the ozone layer, but | | | | just some of the major contributors to Global |
| because of the long atmospheric lifetimes | | | | Warming. There are many other topics as |
| CFCs have they will continue to influence the | | | | subheadings under each of these that play an |
| greenhouse effect for many years. | | | | equal part in contribution to our Climate |
| Deforestation The world's forests cover | | | | Change. It is in these sub headings that we |
| approximately a quarter to a third of the | | | | as individuals can make a difference in. |
| total land surface of the Earth. The | | | | |