NationStates Jolt Archive


The Facts About Global Warming

Whittier--
02-09-2005, 07:06
First off, global warming is not new. There has been global warming going on since the first humans walked the earth.
Global Warming first started when humans began to grow rice and other produce. The effect of this is as follows:

The earth has natural heating and cooling cycles (called ice ages). According to all the data, the world's scientists are in agreement that we should be in an ice age at this moment. This ice age should have started about 2,000 years ago. But instead, the gas trends reversed owing to human activity.
Global Warming is what makes the earth habitable for modern human life.
The problem has been that in the industrial age, the normal greenhouse effect has sped up substantially to where we've tilted the balance beyond just keeping the earth warm to the point where we are now beginning to overheat the planet.

Global Warming is natural. The only problem is keeping the balance.

If it weren't for normal global warming, we'd be in an ice age. Most of Europe and all of Canada, a huge section of the US, Korea, a large chunk of Japan, all of Mongolia, and a huge chunk of China would uninhabitable because those areas would be under huge ice glaciers right now.
There would be no civilization and possibly no human race. Except that humans discovered that little thing called agriculture and animal domestication (domestic animals and humans put out greenhouse gases when they fart). To understand how agriculture causes it, I refer you to an article in Scientific American. Stuff that is tossed out or the remains of the crops that we don't eat, for example: the apples cores, corn cobs, rice and wheat stalks, etc. that we throw, breaks down and release carbon into the air. This carbon mixes with other stuff to create greenhouse gases.

Now some might argue that means that global warming is good for us and the planet. Not necessarily.
Since, the last 100 years, the global warming effect of humans has spiraled out of control as the gases emitted by cars, planes, factories, and the huge increase in human population (all those farts add up folks) has caused the hand to swing toward the extreme. Though we are overdue for an ice age, we are now in danger of overheating the planet. ANd this will lead to superstorms and cities being deluged, such as New Orleans was. Even the experts are saying that NO could be submerged for at least 7 months. Depending on how long it takes to fix the levies. After that, they have to wait for the water to leave the area.
Whittier--
02-09-2005, 07:09
In case anyone wants to know what farts have to do with global warming, two gases that cause it, methane and carbon dioxide.
When a cow farts it releases methane. When humans fart they release carbon dioxide. Now add that to the normal human breathing process in which we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Multiply that by about 6 billion. And you get the effect we have on the earth's climate just by existing.
Gymoor II The Return
02-09-2005, 07:16
When a cow farts it releases methane. When humans fart they release carbon dioxide.

Wow. How did you become so wise in the ways of science? Seriously. Stunning work there. Are you, like, a Doctor of Alchemy or something? 'Cause that would be cool. What with the turning lead into gold and everything.
The Black Forrest
02-09-2005, 07:18
In case anyone wants to know what farts have to do with global warming, two gases that cause it, methane and carbon dioxide.
When a cow farts it releases methane. When humans fart they release carbon dioxide. Now add that to the normal human breathing process in which we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Multiply that by about 6 billion. And you get the effect we have on the earth's climate just by existing.

PRESIDENT REAGAN???!?!??!?!?!?!

They said you were dead!
Phylum Chordata
02-09-2005, 07:37
When humans fart they release carbon dioxide.

So how come you can light farts if they're carbon dioxide?
Rammsteinburg
02-09-2005, 07:39
So how come you can light farts if they're carbon dioxide?

They are not entirely carbon dioxide. Some people also have methane in the flatulence. Hydrogen is also in them and nitrogen is the primary gas.
Anser
02-09-2005, 09:25
They are not entirely carbon dioxide. Some people also have methane in the flatulence. Hydrogen is also in them and nitrogen is the primary gas.

What sort of Global Warming thread IS this? :D
New Burmesia
02-09-2005, 09:29
What sort of Global Warming thread IS this? :D

A rather smelly one...
Gymoor II The Return
02-09-2005, 12:27
Kinda apropos, considering from where Whittier pulls his information from.
Tekania
02-09-2005, 12:52
In case anyone wants to know what farts have to do with global warming, two gases that cause it, methane and carbon dioxide.
When a cow farts it releases methane. When humans fart they release carbon dioxide. Now add that to the normal human breathing process in which we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Multiply that by about 6 billion. And you get the effect we have on the earth's climate just by existing.

Actually there are more than two....

Methane is one, released via living, and dead (decaying) organic matter... (This makes up 9% of the overall greenhouse emitions)

Carbon Dioxide, released by burning organic materials, and by the normal chemical process of animal life. (This makes up about 84% of all emitions

Nitrous Oxide, released from some fossil fuel combustion, and heavily from bio-diesel (This makes up about 5% of overall emitions)

HFC's PFC's and SF... used in many refrigeration and cooling systems.. (This makes up about 2% of overall emitions)
QuentinTarantino
02-09-2005, 13:04
When humans fart they release carbon dioxide.

Save the atmosphere, hold it in
Crabcake Baba Ganoush
02-09-2005, 13:50
Another fact is that the earth is still cooler than it was during the hypsothermal. Also there are other heating and cooling trends that are much shorter in duration than ice ages that may only last a couple hundred years. The global warming that people are so afraid of is that current warming trend that we are currently on. Even with human involvement I doubt that this will last long enough to reach the highs seen during the hypsothermal. The cooling trend though will probably be longer in duration and reach temperatures lower than what was experienced during the little ice age we recently pulled out of. But we still have another hundred years, give or take, before we start cooling off again. In the meantime the tropical habitat in Australia and all of the reef systems probably will suffer the greatest impact due to global warming.
Whittier--
02-09-2005, 19:41
Another fact is that the earth is still cooler than it was during the hypsothermal. Also there are other heating and cooling trends that are much shorter in duration than ice ages that may only last a couple hundred years. The global warming that people are so afraid of is that current warming trend that we are currently on. Even with human involvement I doubt that this will last long enough to reach the highs seen during the hypsothermal. The cooling trend though will probably be longer in duration and reach temperatures lower than what was experienced during the little ice age we recently pulled out of. But we still have another hundred years, give or take, before we start cooling off again. In the meantime the tropical habitat in Australia and all of the reef systems probably will suffer the greatest impact due to global warming.
Actually, due to the amount of stuff that our factories and cars and planes are pouring into the atmosphere and the fact the mexicans and and indians are having children left and right without any concern for the harm they are causing the environment, the next ice age might be stalled for at least 500 to 1,000 years. As I've stated the earth is going to get very very hot before it starts cooling down again. Because in order for it to cool, it has to first remove all that junk from the upper atmosphere.