OUMH 2103

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FALKULTI PENDIDIKAN DAN BAHASA

SEMESTER MEI 2013(SMP AMBILAN MAC 2011)

OUMH 2103
ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL PURPOSES

NO. MATRIKULASI

770516036401001

NO. KAD PENGENALAN

770516036401

NO. TELEFON

013-2717195

E-MEL

norddin_77@oum.com.my

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN

KELANTAN LEARNING CENTRE

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Recent research shows that the consumption of junk food is a major factor in poor
diet and this is detrimental to health. Some people believe that better health
education is the answer to this problem but others disagree. What is your opinion?
Introduction
Educating people regarding healthy life style would make them aware of hazards
caused by fast food and beneficiaries of good healthy food. Therefore they will certainly
try to avoid those junky items. As the proverb says Prevention is better than cure health
education should be initiated from childhood, This would really create a positive
influence on their daily lifestyle. So when they are grown up into adults there is less
probability for them to get diverted into the wrong path.There are lot of other social
factors, which forces the man to turn towards fast food. Few among them are busy work
schedule, advertisement that mainly attracts younger age group, availability of these
foods at a cheaper rate and so on. Steps should be taken to prevent these such as ensuring
appropriate time and food is provided to the employees. Few more steps that should be
considered taken are putting a ban to all the advertisements related to fast food and by
prohibiting children from going to these shops. In this 21 st century majority of the people
are leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Eating food rich in calories has also become a
widespread practice. It should be regarded as an issue of serious concern. One sensible
approach, to reduce the intake of fast food is through educating people regarding healthy
habits. In this essay, I would like to outline a few more approaches which could also
contribute for a better health.
Junk food is a major factor in poor diet and this is detrimental to health
Food makes us who we are. If we talk about physical strength, presence of mind, our
height, weight etc all these things depend on the type of food we eat. Food provides us
nutrients, vitamins and minerals which are required for our growth and wellbeing. Sadly,
not all food is good for us and for our health. The foods that are not good for our health
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are fast foods or junk foods (generally fried food). Most fried foods are processed food;
thus are not in their natural state. Fried food is generally high in calories. An unhealthy
fried patty burger, alone, contains over 1,200 calories. Eating food high in calories will
increase your risk of being obese as your body will use the desired number of calories
(energy) for work and then it will store the excessive calories as fat making you obese.
Here is a list of top reasons why fast (read: Junk fried, salty, greasy) food is bad for
health.When you raise the subject of over-eating and obesity, you often see people at their
worst. The comment threads discussing these issues reveal a legion of bullies who appear
to delight in other people's problems.When alcoholism and drug addiction are discussed,
the tone tends to be sympathetic. When obesity is discussed, the conversation is
dominated by mockery and blame, though the evidence suggests that it may be driven by
similar forms of addiction.But this problem belongs to all of us. Even if you can detach
yourself from the suffering caused by diseases arising from bad diets, you will carry the
cost, as a growing proportion of the health budget will be used to address them. The cost
measured in both human suffering and money could be far greater than we imagined.

The consumption of fast foods has been increased around the world over last 50
years. Foods such as French fries, hamburgers and chips, which constitutes huge amount
of fat and salt, are harmful for health. Some people believe that increasing the level of
awareness of society about deterioration of this group of foods can decrease the
consumption of them. I personally believe that affordable, convenient and attractive
characteristics of junk food are dominated and education itself cannot change peoples
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mind to reduce utilizing of fast foods. Two main reasons will be argued accordingly.
First of all, increasing peoples knowledge about the harms of low nutrition foods along
with the probable ailments caused by them cannot prevent reducing of the consumption
of such food. As the short term effects of using junk foods such as low price, easy access
and time saving nature of junk foods pursue people to continue their nutrition habits. The
long term impacts of this food especially in todays modern life style will be ignored
commonly. A good illustration of that is climbing the demand for fast foods which result
in

increasing

fast

food

restaurants

and

junk

food

production

factories.

Furthermore, the variety of fast foods and attractive appearance of junk foods, absorb
peoples attention. Although, several TV programme and conferences have been held to
discuss about substituting of rich nutrition food with junk foods in family daily food
usage; on the contrary same channels broadcast attractive advertisement for junk foods.
While many know that junk food and fast food are associated with an increase in obesity,
heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, tooth decay, and other maladies, and that
vegetables and fruit are what they should eat, the popularity of fast food more aptly
labeled junk food continues to grow. These salty snack foods, candy, gum, sugary
desserts, fried fast food, and carbonated beverages are some of the major food groups
within this category. Junk foods are BAD for your health. They taste so good but
constant eating of them can get you into a lot of trouble. Obesity is not caused by eating
too much food but rather too much of the wrong food.
1. Junk food contains a lot of empty calories.
2. Junk food contains saturated fat that will make you fat.
3. Junk food is very low in nutrients.
4. Junk food contains too much sugar (More sugar=obesity+tooth decay).
Generally, these contain minimal amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and
lots of calories from sugar or fat.As any busy person knows, eating healthy may not
always seem realistic. Children need to be ferried to soccer and ballet practice. There are
work projects, laundry, family crises, changing the cars oil all of which have to be done.
Quality options are often substituted with highly processed boxed meals.Not to mention
that depending on where you live, eating right may appear virtually impossible. A drive
down a main street of any sized town or city engulfs the senses in an onslaught of bright
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colors, flashing signs, and enticing slogans all designed to make you crave a quick-fix
meal.
a.Fast food contain more unhealthy fat.
Most of the convenient foods contain high levels of saturated fat. This type of fat is
mostly derived from animal products such as meat, eggs and butter. Palm oil and coconut
oil also contain significant amounts of saturated fat.Eating too much saturated fat can
increase bad cholesterol level in the blood. Elevated levels of cholesterol is the main
cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases.Another type of fat presents
in these food is called trans fat, which is the worst type of fat. We do not need to eat trans
fat, even in tiny amounts.Consumption of trans fat is linked to elevated levels of bad
cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. In addition, it can lower the amount of
good cholesterol (HDL) in you body.
b.Fast foods are high in sodium.
Sodium plays several important roles in our body. We need to consume certain amount of
sodium everyday.However, taking too much salt is bad for the body. It can cause high
blood pressure, obesity, and osteoporosis. In addition, experts believed that overconsumption of salt is linked to increased risk of developing bowl cancer.An average
adult need to consume about 1200mg sodium per day. Many of the convenient foods
contain far more than that amount.For example; KFC double down sandwich contain
1880 mg of sodium. Similarly, McDonald's Angus bacon and cheese contain 2070 mg of
sodium.Imagine you eat one of these items for your one meal time. then what are you
going to eat for the rest of the day?Eating too much fast food is bad for your health
because they contain more calories, more unhealthy fay, and more salt. They can lead to
obesity, high blood pressure, and coronary heart diseases.

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Junk food is food that is calorie-dense and nutrient poor. In recent decades, junk
food, fast food and convenience food consumption in the United States have increased
dramatically, with 25 percent of people now consuming predominantly junk food diets.
This trend has occurred concurrently with rising epidemics of numerous chronic diseases
and accounts for a long list of reasons why eating junk food is bad.
Obesity
Junk food plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. By the year 2050, the rate of
obesity in the U.S. is expected to reach 42 percent, according to researchers at Harvard
University. Children who eat fast food as a regular part of their diets consume more fat,
carbohydrates and processed sugar and less fiber than those who do not eat fast food
regularly. Junk food in these children's diets accounts for 187 extra calories per day,
leading to 6 additional pounds of weight gain per year. Obesity increases your risk for
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many other chronic health conditions.
Diabetes
Your insulin levels become elevated when you eat processed sugars, such as those
in soft drinks, white flour and other foods devoid of fiber and nutrients necessary to
properly metabolize carbohydrates. Eating junk foods throughout the day causes
chronically high insulin levels, which eventually prompts your cells to begin to ignore
this important hormone, resulting in a condition known as insulin resistance. Ultimately,
obesity and Type 2 diabetes may set in. Since the 1980s, Type 2 diabetes, which was
minimal in teenagers, has risen to 15 percent.
Depression
Junk food may lead to depression in teenagers, according to Andrew F. Smith,
author of the book "Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to
Eat." Hormonal changes at puberty make teens more susceptible to mood and behavioral
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swings. A healthy diet plays a part in keeping hormone levels on an even keel, while a
diet high in junk food falls short of these requirements. Consuming trans fats, saturated
fats and processed food is associated with up to 58 percent increase in risk of depression.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Processing that removes vitamins, minerals and fiber makes junk foods into the
sources of empty calories that nutritionists disparage. Children who eat a lot of junk
foods may develop nutritional deficiencies that lead to low energy, mood swings, sleep
disturbance and poor academic achievement, among other health conditions, according to
the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
Sodium
High sodium levels are a defining characteristic of many junk foods and one of
the contributing factors to the overconsumption of salt that typifies the Western diet and
contributes to high blood pressure and heart, liver and kidney diseases, according to
Harvard Health Publications. The average American eats five to 10 times more salt than
the 2,300 milligrams per day recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. Considering the high rates of high blood pressure among Americans, that
level should be even lower -- about 1,500 milligrams per day -- for 70 percent of adults.
However, the trend since 1988 shows that fewer people with hypertension adhere to a
low-sodium diet now than did then.
Top reason not to eat junk food
Disgusting animal conditions
You've seen those horrible movies about how poorly animals are kept when they're being
led to slaughter, and they aren't just showing you those heart-wrenching photos for the
ratings. Many of these factory-farmed animals are kept in such a small space they are
forced to stand in their own feces, have osteoporosis and joint pain because of their
confinement and some chickens get their beaks cut off so they don't go nuts and attack
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each other because of the small corridors. To keep the animals from getting sick in these
conditions,they are pumped full of antibiotics, which often end up in our food. That's not
only making us want to stop eating fast food, it's making us want to be vegan.
Weird ingredients
I'm sorry, what is in my food?According to the Matador Network, some fast food's
chicken nuggets contain a chemical preservative called tertiary butylhydroquinone, which
is derived from a petroleum. Yep, the stuff you put into your car. That's not all, either.
Some chicken products are mechanically separated, which means those scraps that would
normally go to waste are ending up in your nuggets. Plus, if you were even to study the
ingredients in your favorite meals, you'd be shocked to see how many of them are
chemical preservatives, artificial coloring, monosodium glutamate and more.
Low food quality
It doesn't take an expert to see that most fast food chains don't use the highest quality of
ingredients. You can tell by the rubbery patty, the wilted lettuce leaves and the extrachewy chicken. They use the cheapest parts to make the products so when you're eating
your hamburger you have no darn clue what part of the cow it came from, and, heck, if
it's even cow you're eating! Here's an idea, spend the extra few bucks and make your own
burger from meat you bought yourself.
Food preparation
[or lack of]
It's called fast food for a reason, friends. Most of the meals you get aren't cooked with
thought or love; they actually aren't even cooked on a stove. Many are unwrapped from
their frozen containers and thrown into a dirty microwave. This saves the managers the
time and money it would take to teach the cooks how to prepare the food properly and
not worry about cross contamination. It saves their butts but doesn't make yours look any
prettier.

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Trans fats
You haven't heard that word in a while, probably because it was banned from a few
restaurants. Why? It can raise your LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, leading to a heart
attack or cardiac arrest. However, not all fast food restaurants are required to list trans fat
content on menus, so it's possible the food you're eating may still have it, and lots of it.
Fast food items particularly high in trans fats include French fries, fried fish filet
sandwiches and fried chicken, for example.
Slime
Now, you've heard all about the pink slime, and, thankfully, it's not something many of
the restaurants use anymore to preserve their meats. But, that's not the only slime you
may find at these fast food joints. In fact, a few fast food restaurants in Wrigley Field
were shut down because they had black slime on their ice machines! Before you take a
slurp of that diet Coke, make sure you aren't drinking bacteria-infested slime instead

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Conclusion
The fast food culture has reached global proportions and many restaurant chains are
found worldwide. The Mayo Clinic warns that fast food consumption is generally
unhealthy and is leading to an alarming increase in obesity in both children and adults. It
is also a culprit in cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and arteries. Fast food
can increase the risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries, heart
disease and stroke due to the types of ingredients it contains and the amounts people
typically consume.Fast food meals often include beverages such as fruit juice,
milkshakes, smoothies and sodas that are high in sugar and calories. A 12-ounce soda
contains 9 teaspoons of sugar and 140 calories. An article published in the medical
journal "Pediatrics" warns that high sugar consumption can lead to obesity and an
increase in Type 2 diabetes in both adults and children. All types of diabetes can have
consequences for the body including diseased arteries, according to the American
Diabetes Association. Although diet sodas have fewer calories, they may encourage poor
food choices by increasing sugar cravings.

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References
1. Jago R, Baranowski T, Baranowski JC. Fruit and vegetable availability: a micro
environmental mediating variable? Public Health Nutr. 2007; 10:6819.
2. Larson NI, Neumark-Sztainer D, Jannan PJ, Story M. Family meals during
adolescence are associated with higher diet quality and healthful meal patterns during
young adulthood. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107:150210.
3. Sen B. Frequency of family dinner and adolescent body weight status: evidence from
the national longitudinal survey of youth, 1997. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006; 14:2266
76.
4. Taveras EM, Rifas-Shiman SL, Berkey CS, Rockett HR, Field AE, Frazier AL, et al.
Family dinner and adolescent overweight. Obes Res. 2005; 13:9006.
5. Gable S, Chang Y, Krull JL. Television watching and frequency of family meals are
predictive of overweight onset and persistence in a national sample of school-aged
children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107:5361.
6. Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D, Hannan PJ, Story M. Family meal frequency and
weight status among adolescents: cross-sectional and 5-year longitudinal associations.
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008; 16:252934.
7. Singh GK, Siahpush M, Hiatt RA, Timsina LR. Dramatic Increases in Obesity and
Overweight Prevalence and Body Mass Index Among Ethnic-Immigrant and Social Class
Groups in the United States, 1976-2008. J Community Health. 2010.
8. Darmon N, Drewnowski A. Does social class predict diet quality? Am J Clin Nutr.
2008; 87:110717.
9. Dubowitz T, Acevedo-Garcia D, Salkeld J, Lindsay AC, Subramanian SV, Peterson
KE. Lifecourse, immigrant status and acculturation in food purchasing and preparation
among low-income mothers. Public Health Nutr. 2007; 10:396404.
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PART B (20 marks)

The following diagram shows how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun.

Energy from the Sun

Introduction
In the 1850s British physicist John Tyndall investigated the transmission of
radiant heat through gases and vapors.Greenhouse Effect, the capacity of certain gases in
the atmosphere to trap heat emitted from the Earths surface, thereby insulating and
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warming the Earth. Without the thermal blanketing of the natural greenhouse effect, the
Earths climate would be about 33 Celsius degrees (about 59 Fahrenheit degrees) cooler
too cold for most living organisms to survive. Scientists call this unnatural heating effect
global warming and blame it for an increase in the Earths surface temperature of about
0.6 Celsius degrees (about 1 Fahrenheit degree) over the last nearly 100 years. Without
remedial measures, many scientists fear that global temperatures will rise 1.4 to 5.8
Celsius degrees (2.5 to 10.4 Fahrenheit degrees) by 2100. These warmer temperatures
could melt parts of polar ice caps and most mountain glaciers, causing a rise in sea level
of up to 1 m (40 in) within a century or two, which would flood coastal regions. Global
warming could also affect weather patterns causing, among other problems, prolonged
drought or increased flooding in some of the worlds leading agricultural regions.
Describing how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun.
In 1896 he calculated that doubling the natural concentrations of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere would increase global temperatures by 4 to 6 Celsius degrees (7 to 11
Fahrenheit degrees), a calculation that is not too far from todays estimates using more
sophisticated methods. Arrhenius correctly predicted that when Earths temperature
warms, water vapor evaporation from the oceans increases. The greenhouse effect has
warmed the Earth for over 4 billion years. Now scientists are growing increasingly
concerned that human activities may be modifying this natural process, with potentially
dangerous consequences. Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s,
humans have devised many inventions that burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural
gas. Burning these fossil fuels, as well as other activities such as clearing land for
agriculture or urban settlements, releases some of the same gases that trap heat in the
atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These atmospheric
gases have risen to levels higher than at any time in the last 420,000 years. As these gases
build up in the atmosphere, they trap more heat near the Earths surface, causing Earths
climate to become warmer than it would naturally.The greenhouse effect increases the
temperature of the Earth by trapping heat in our atmosphere. The greenhouse effect keeps
the temperature of the Earth higher than it would be if direct heating by the Sun was the
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only source of warming. When sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth, some of it is
absorbed which warms the ground and some bounces back to space as heat. Greenhouse
gases that are in the atmosphere absorb and then redirect some of this heat back towards
the Earth. Tyndall found that nitrogen and oxygen, the two most common gases in the
atmosphere, had no heat-absorbing properties. He then went on to measure the absorption
of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide and water vapor, publishing his findings in 1863
in

paper

titled

On

Radiation

Through

the

Earths

Atmosphere.

Swedish chemist Svante August Arrhenius, best known for his Nobel Prize-winning work
in electrochemistry, also advanced understanding of the greenhouse effect. The main
feedback gas of the greenhouse effect is:

Water vapor

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and the fluorinated gases are all well-mixed gases
in the atmosphere that do not react to changes in temperature and air pressure and thus do
not condense and become rain or snow. Water vapor on the other hand, is a highly active
component of the climate system that responds rapidly to changes in conditions by either
condensing into rain or snow, or evaporating to return to the atmosphere. Thus the impact
of the greenhouse effect is primarily circulated through water vapor, and it acts as a fast
feedback.
Carbon dioxide and the other non-condensing greenhouse gases are the key gases within
the Earth's atmosphere that sustain the greenhouse effect and control its strength. Water
vapor is a fast-acting feedback but it is controlled by the radiative forcings supplied by
the non-condensing greenhouse gases.In fact, the greenhouse effect would collapse were
it not for the presence of carbon dioxide and the other non-condensing greenhouse gases.
Together the feedback by the condensing and the forcing by the non-condensing gases
within the atmosphere both play an important role in the greenhouse effect. So as long as
the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the amount of energy from the sun
remain the same, the average temperature on Earth should also be constant.

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The greenhouse effect is a major factor in keeping our Earth warm because it
keeps some of the planet's heat that would otherwise escape from the atmosphere out to
space. In fact, without the greenhouse effect the Earth's average global temperature would
be much colder and life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. The difference
between the Earth's actual average temperature 14.4 C (57.9 F) and the expected
effective temperature just with the Sun's radiation -18.1 C (-0.6 F) gives us the strength
of the greenhouse effect, which is 32.5 C. The greenhouse effect results from the
interaction between sunlight and the layer of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere
that extends up to 100 km (60 mi) above Earth's surface. Sunlight is composed of a range
of radiant energies known as the solar spectrum, which includes visible light, infrared
light, gamma rays, X rays, and ultraviolet light. When the Suns radiation reaches the
Earths atmosphere, some 25 percent of the energy is reflected back into space by clouds
and other atmospheric particles. About 20 percent is absorbed in the atmosphere. For
instance, gas molecules in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere absorb the Suns
gamma rays and X rays. The Suns ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer,
located 19 to 48 km (12 to 30 mi) above the Earths surface.In addition, some of the
Suns radiation that is absorbed by the Earths surface becomes heat energy in the form of
long-wave infrared radiation, and this energy is released back into the atmosphere.
Certain gases in the atmosphere, including water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and
nitrous oxide, absorb this infrared radiant heat, temporarily preventing it from dispersing
into space. As these atmospheric gases warm, they in turn emit infrared radiation in all
directions. Some of this heat returns back to Earth to further warm the surface in what is
known as the greenhouse effect, and some of this heat is eventually released to space.
This heat transfer creates equilibrium between the total amount of heat that reaches the
Earth from the Sun and the amount of heat that the Earth radiates out into space. This
equilibrium or energy balance the exchange of energy between the Earths surface,
atmosphere, and space is important to maintain a climate that can support a wide variety
of life.
The heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere behave like the glass of a greenhouse. They let
much of the Suns rays in, but keep most of that heat from directly escaping. Because of
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this, they are called greenhouse gases. Without these gases, heat energy absorbed and
reflected from the Earths surface would easily radiate back out to space, leaving the
planet with an inhospitable temperature close to 19C (2F), instead of the present
average surface temperature of 15C (59F).To appreciate the importance of the
greenhouse gases in creating a climate that helps sustain most forms of life, compare
Earth to Mars and Venus. Mars has a thin atmosphere that contains low concentrations of
heat-trapping gases. As a result, Mars has a weak greenhouse effect resulting in a largely
frozen surface that shows no evidence of life. In contrast, Venus has an atmosphere
containing high concentrations of carbon dioxide. This heat-trapping gas prevents heat
radiated from the planets surface from escaping into space, resulting in surface
temperatures that average 462C (864F) too hot to support life. Earths atmosphere is
primarily composed of nitrogen (78 percent) and oxygen (21 percent). These two most
common atmospheric gases have chemical structures that restrict absorption of infrared
energy. Only the few greenhouse gases, which make up less than 1 percent of the
atmosphere, offer the Earth any insulation. Greenhouse gases occur naturally or are
manufactured. The most abundant naturally occurring greenhouse gas is water vapor,
followed by carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Human-made chemicals that act
as greenhouse gases include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
a.Water Vapor
About 50 percent of the Suns energy, largely in the form of visible light, passes through
the atmosphere to reach the Earths surface. Soils, plants, and oceans on the Earths
surface absorb about 85 percent of this heat energy, while the rest is reflected back into
the atmosphere most effectively by reflective surfaces such as snow, ice, and sandy
deserts. Water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, accounting
for about 60 to 70 percent of the natural greenhouse effect. Humans do not have a
significant direct impact on water vapor levels in the atmosphere. However, as human
activities increase the concentration of other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
(producing warmer temperatures on Earth), the evaporation of oceans, lakes, and rivers,
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as well as water evaporation from plants, increase and raise the amount of water vapor in
the atmosphere.
b.Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide constantly circulates in the environment through a variety of natural
processes known as the carbon cycle. Volcanic eruptions and the decay of plant and
animal matter both release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In respiration, animals
break down food to release the energy required to build and maintain cellular activity. A
byproduct of respiration is the formation of carbon dioxide, which is exhaled from
animals into the environment. Oceans, lakes, and rivers absorb carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Through photosynthesis, plants collect carbon dioxide and use it to make
their own food, in the process incorporating carbon into new plant tissue and releasing
oxygen to the environment as a byproduct. In order to provide energy to heat buildings,
power automobiles, and fuel electricity-producing power plants, humans burn objects that
contain carbon, such as the fossil fuels oil, coal, and natural gas; wood or wood products;
and some solid wastes. When these products are burned, they release carbon dioxide into
the air. In addition, humans cut down huge tracts of trees for lumber or to clear land for
farming or building. This process, known as deforestation, can both release the carbon
stored in trees and significantly reduce the number of trees available to absorb carbon
dioxide.As a result of these human activities, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is
accumulating faster than the Earths natural processes can absorb the gas. By analyzing
air bubbles trapped in glacier ice that is many centuries old, scientists have determined
that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen by 31 percent since 1750. And
since carbon dioxide increases can remain in the atmosphere for centuries, scientists
expect these concentrations to double or triple in the next century if current trends
continue.

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What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?

Life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that
beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into space.
The rest reaches the planet's surface and is reflected upward again as a type of slowmoving energy called infrared radiation.
The heat caused by infrared radiation is absorbed by "greenhouse gases" such as water
vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane, which slows its escape from the atmosphere.
Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, they
regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that
surrounds the planet.
This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists
estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30
degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.
How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?
While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth,
there really can be too much of a good thing.
The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by
creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet
to an ideal temperature.

Burning natural gas, coal and oil -including gasoline for automobile enginesraises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane
and nitrous oxide.

Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur

naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and
"global warming" that is currently under way.

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Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and
give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in
the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way
for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.

Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people

use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse
gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new
people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.

Ultimately, more greenhouse gases means more infrared radiation trapped and held,
which gradually increases the temperature of the Earth's surface and the air in the lower
atmosphere.
The Average Global Temperature is Increasing Quickly
Today, the increase in the Earth's temperature is increasing with unprecedented speed. To
understand just how quickly global warming is accelerating, consider this:
During the entire 20th century, the average global temperature increased by about 0.6
degrees Celsius (slightly more than 1 degree Fahrenheit).
Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average
global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5
degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Not All Scientists Agree
While the majority of mainstream scientists agree that global warming is a serious
problem that is growing steadily worse, there are some who disagree. John Christy, a
professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama
in Huntsville is a respected climatologist who argues that global warming isn't worth
worrying about.Christy reached that opinion after analyzing millions of measurements
from weather satellites in an effort to find a global temperature trend. He found no sign of

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global warming in the satellite data, and now believes that predictions of global warming
by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century are incorrect.
Scientists agree that even a small increase in the global temperature would lead to
significant climate and weather changes, affecting cloud cover, precipitation, wind
patterns, the frequency and severity of storms, and the duration of seasons.

Rising temperatures would raise sea levels as well, reducing supplies of fresh
water as flooding occurs along coastlines worldwide and salt water reaches
inland.

Many of the worlds endangered species would become extinct as rising

temperatures changed their habitat.

Millions of people also would be affected, especially poor people who live in
precarious locations or depend on the land for a subsistence living.

Certain vector-borne diseases carried by animals or insects, such as malaria,

would become more widespread as warmer conditions expanded their range.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions are the Biggest Problem

Currently, carbon dioxide accounts for more than 60 percent of the enhanced greenhouse
effect caused by the increase of greenhouse gases, and the level of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere is increasing by more than 10 percent every 20 years.If emissions of carbon
dioxide continue to grow at current rates, then the level of the gas in the atmosphere will
likely double, or possibly even triple, from pre-industrial levels during the 21st century.
Climate Changes are Inevitable
According to the United Nations, some climate change is already inevitable because of
emissions that have occurred since the dawn of the Industrial Age. While the Earths
climate does not respond quickly to external changes, many scientists believe that global
warming already has significant momentum due to 150 years of industrialization in many
countries around the world. As a result, global warming will continue to affect life on
Earth for hundreds of years, even if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and the
increase in atmospheric levels halted.
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What is Being Done to Reduce Global Warming?

To lessen those long-term effects, many nations, communities and individuals are taking
action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming by reducing
dependence on fossil fuels, increasing the use of renewable energy, expanding forests,
and making lifestyle choices that help to sustain the environment. Whether they will be
able to recruit enough people to join them, and whether their combined efforts will be
enough to head off the most serious effects of global warming, are open questions that
can only be answered by future developments.
Conclusion
Aerosols, also known as particulates, are airborne particles that absorb, scatter, and reflect
radiation back into space. Clouds, windblown dust, and particles that can be traced to
erupting volcanoes are examples of natural aerosols. Human activities, including the
burning of fossil fuels and slash-and-burn farming techniques used to clear forestland,
contribute additional aerosols to the atmosphere. Although aerosols are not considered a
heat-trapping greenhouse gas, they do affect the transfer of heat energy radiated from the
Earth to space. The effect of aerosols on climate change is still debated, but scientists
believe that light-colored aerosols cool the Earths surface, while dark aerosols like soot
actually warm the atmosphere. The increase in global temperature in the last century is
lower than many scientists predicted when only taking into account increasing levels of
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated compounds. Some scientists
believe that aerosol cooling may be the cause of this unexpectedly reduced warming.
However, scientists do not expect that aerosols will ever play a significant role in
offsetting global warming. As pollutants, aerosols typically pose a health threat, and the
manufacturing or agricultural processes that produce them are subject to air-pollution
control efforts. As a result, scientists do not expect aerosols to increase as fast as other
greenhouse gases in the 21st century.
The "greenhouse effect" often gets a bad rap because of its association with global
warming, but the truth is we couldn't live without it.

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