Global warming is a very hot topic especially with the high amount of stress put into the need to stop it. The big question is, what causes it to occur? The answer is not so simple and is very difficult to pinpoint. There are several different variables that are thought to be the cause of global warming.

The climate is always changing. The Earth goes through cycles where it is warmer than usual and colder than usual. With global warming being a fear on many people’s minds, the question comes up: what are its causes?

The Different Causes of Global Warming

Simply pointing a finger and saying that global warming occurred for that reason is not possible. There is a wide range of different causes that have different influences on the earth and how it warms up. The following are known causes of global warming and they all have a different impact on how the average temperature of the planet is rising:

Unnatural Human Activity – Human activity is referred to as one of the most major influences on the rise in global warming. Although within the past century the total temperature has only risen a fraction of a degree as we have seen with human activity, the claim is that human activity in destroying forested areas, polluting the water sources and creating excess wastes and greenhouse gas emissions has been cause for the temperature of the Earth to rise.

With the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, an increased amount of carbon dioxide was suddenly being released due to the factories that had been created. This increase in carbon dioxide had to go somewhere. More importantly, other gases such as methane went into the atmosphere as well. This created the “green house effect” that is normally taught in schools. The energy gets trapped and continues to heat the planet.

That’s the theory, but it is unknown how much an impact humans have actually caused.

Natural Earth Activity – The Earth has many sources of heat and natural greenhouse emissions that occur all of the time. The Earth itself, the ground, absorbs radiation that is sent to us from the sun. This absorption warms the ground and keeps emanating the warmth into the night time. Even then, another part of the Earth will be warmed by the sunlight.

Volcanoes are one of the worst offenders which simply cannot be stopped. When a volcano erupts, it releases sulfur dioxide and other noxious gases into the atmosphere.The soot and smoke particles that fly into the sky usually increase the amount of greenhouse effect until it completely settles, which can take several years to accomplish and could cause a substantial increase in the normal temperature for that period of time. On the flip side, these gases can also create a “shield” that reflects sunlight in some areas, filtering the amount of heat that can get to Earth, causing those areas to cool.

Natural Ocean Activity – The Oceans are an important part of how the Earth works. The waters of the Oceans are warming and this can have a large range of effects on the environment. Warmer waters mean less dissolving of carbon dioxide gasses. This also means that the water will not be able to hold as many nutrients in the water where biological creatures such as the microscopic diatoms and plankton are that allow for them to absorb carbon and release oxygen into the atmosphere. This increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere only helps to warm the planet.

Natural Atmosphere Activity – The atmosphere is able to do so much and protects all living beings from the harmful sun rays that reach Earth. The big problem is that the same atmosphere that saves us is now killing us. The atmosphere is getting thicker with greenhouse gasses which cause even more global warming effects. The deterioration of the Ozone layer is also causing an increase in radiation from reaching the Earth. Clouds are also changing in the way they protect us from harmful radiation. Instead of keeping radiation out, they actually allow it in and keep bouncing back the radiation even though the Earth tries to reflect it.

Other Biological Stressors – Biological beings, even those of the smallest caliber aiding global warming are producing greenhouse gasses which in turn make it more difficult to keep the planet from overheating. The simple act of respiration and releasing the air from lungs puts more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Small plants such as peat moss which grows around the world are capable of creating nitrous oxide, which is a well known greenhouse gas. This is more prevalent with the raise in heat. Commercial farming also pits millions of cows, goats, chickens and other animals into locations which simply produce too much methane which cannot be offset around the world.

The Quest for Earth Equilibrium – The last reason why global warming is occurring is simple. The Earth is trying to accommodate for all of the changes that have been occurring for the last few millennia. These changes can vary from extreme highs in temperature to extreme lows and is plain the effect of trying to find a mean in which the Earth runs at its best. This happens naturally on small scale models with water and other substances and is expected to occur with the Earth if changes are not made to fix global warming.

Sun’s Energy Levels – Once a year, the Earth goes around the sun one complete time. At an angle of 23.5 degrees to the perpendicular plane of orbital path, it consistently is receiving energy from the sun. However, if that measurement were to change even half of a degree, the result could be climatically significant.

While it might appear that the sun is providing a consistent amount of energy, the truth is, there is variation to the energy levels produced by the sun. Even if it is just slightly different, the effects on the Earth could be big. A little less energy and the planet might be, overall, a little colder for a duration of time.

Fixing Global Warming

The only way to fix or prevent the further raise in temperature on Earth is to stop creating greenhouse gasses and learn to stop destroying and depleting the Earth’s resources. Over the next few centuries, there may be a decrease in the temperature which will offer a better outlook for the future generations.