Greenhouse Gases are Heating the World.  Why?

      Concentrations of carbon dioxide are 50% higher than pre-Industrial times. In recent years, human activities have released 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere EVERY year. Since the industrial Revolution, key greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased significantly. The concentrations of these gases are higher than at any point in the past 800,00 years. What did the Industrial Revolution have to do with this? What do humans have to do with this? 
     The era that changed everything, also known as the Industrial Revolution, was a time of great change that began in Great Britain around 1760, and spread through continental Europe and the US by 1840.  The First Industrial Revolution was around 1760-1830. The second Industrial Revolution the world was transitioning from hand production methods to machines, leading the rise of factories and mass production. To simplify, the industrial revolution transformed the way that people worked. People began machines instead of horses and plows. 
     More than just machines inventions changed during the 18th century; energy sources changed as well. Wood had been the primary source of energy, but the discovery that coal could produce 3 times more energy led to a shift from wood to coal. In addition, transportation changed, with steam engines replacing horses and buggies as a faster method of travel. Things became more convenient with the production of cloth using a spinning machine, and a cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, greatly reduced the time it takes to clean the cotton off its seeds.
      The next discovery changed how people traveled. Historical records show petroleum use in ancient China and Mesopotamia. The streets in Baghdad were paved in tar from petroleum found in fields. In 1859 Edwin Drake drilled a well near Titusville, PA, that is known as the first modern well. After that occurrence many countries started experimenting with drilling for oil and using the produced oil for lamps, kerosene, and eventually internal combustion engines. Resulting in a more efficient world for humans. 
       So, what is the connection? What does the Industrial Revolution have to do with climate change and the greenhouse effect?  How does all of this have anything to do with climate change?  Look at the images at the bottom of this article. Human-produced greenhouse gases have driven climate change by changing the balance of energy. Human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land. Climate change refers to a long-term shift of temperatures and weather patterns, primarily caused by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, and the products that are made with fossil fuels. 

       Now the background is explained. What is the greenhouse effect? Flower shops use greenhouses to help flowers grow under the right temperature, and lighting, so the plants thrive. When we are considering the temperature of our Earth, things are a little different than the flower shop. The Earth's temperature depends on the balance of energy entering, and leaving the planets system. Sunlight reaches that reaches the Earth's surface is either reflected or absorbed into space. The greenhouse effect helps trap heat from the sun, which keeps the temperature of the Earth comfortable. However, human activities are increasing the AMOUNT of heat getting trapped in the atmosphere (see pic below) to more than the desired level, causing the temperature around our planet to rise, and affecting all aspects of our environment. 









     I suggest you do some research on your own and explore these concepts. Every year the temperature increases affects something in our world. What can we do? Is it too late? Can the increasing temperatures be reversed? 
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