Running head: KEEP THE EARTH CLEAN 1

Keeping the Earth Clean to Combat Global Warming

Cody Jones

John F. Hodge High School

Spring 2017
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Abstract

This paper focuses on the cause and effects of global warming. Global warming, or climate

change, has been a man made problem to Earth. Examples of man made contributions to global

warming are littering, the use of non regulated motor vehicles or not strong enough regulated

motor vehicles (Rassmussan,2016). The problem with global warming is that it is a long term

affect on Earth. Results from global warming are hard to examine with the near non existing

short term effects. Global warming is happening through pollution and waste from humans and

will speed up the process of Earth aging. The ozone layer is the protective layer around our

atmosphere that creates a greenhouse effect on Earth. (Ozone Layer, 2017) To combat the global

warming caused by human pollution, primarily the emission of CO2 gas, the global population

must accept the evidence that global warming is real and participate in the grassroots

organization of recycling and anti-littering initiatives while staying up to date on motor vehicle

emission standards.

Keywords: Greenhouse, Pollution, ozone layer, CO2

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Keeping the Earth Clean to Combat Global Warming

Chapter One

Introduction

Global warming, or climate change, has been a man made problem to Earth. Examples of

man made contributions to global warming are littering, the use of non regulated motor vehicles

or not strong enough regulated motor vehicles (Rassmussan, 2016). The problem with global

warming is that it is a long term effect on Earth. Results from global warming are hard to

examine with the near non existing short term effects. Global warming is happening through

pollution and waste from humans and will speed up the process of Earth aging. The ozone layer

is the protective layer around our atmosphere that creates a greenhouse effect on Earth. (Ozone

Layer, 2017) To combat the global warming caused by human pollution, primarily the emission

of CO2 gas, the global population must accept the evidence that global warming is real and

participate in the grassroots organization of recycling and anti-littering initiatives while staying

up to date on motor vehicle emission standards. Chapter one consist of an introduction to topic,

and the need for study. Chapter one also consist of the purpose of study, limitations of study,

definition of terms, and a summary of chapter one.

Need for Study

Global warming needs to be studied for science, and for the future. Global warming is

often ignored because of the short term effects not the long term effects. Global warming is a

long term effect, so Earth will stay the some tomorrow, but if society does not change their bad

habits, like littering and abusing vehicle,modifications, then the Earth will have a faster dying

rate.
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Statement of Problem.

The effects of global warming are poisonous to the Earth. One effect of global warming

is a deterioration of Earths ozone layer, the portion of the atmosphere that protects us from

ultraviolet radiation, caused by air pollution. Not enough people are aware of the cause or the

effects of global warming.

Purpose of Study.

Prove that global warming is real, and that if people take these steps we can combat it. Through

stricter vehicle emissions, and putting a stop to littering.

Definition of Terms.

Greenhouse Effect: an atmospheric heating phenomenon, caused by short-wave solar

radiation being readily transmitted inward through the earth's atmosphere but

longer-wavelength heat radiation less readily transmitted outward, owing to its absorption

by atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and other gases; thus, the rising

level of carbon dioxide is viewed with concern. (Greenhouse Effect, n.d).

Ozone Layer: Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV)

radiation (Ozone Layer, n.d.).

Stratosphere: The layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere,

extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface.(Stratosphere,

n.d.).

Limitations of Study

Paying for some of the articles.

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Summary of Chapter One

Global warming is happening through pollution and waste from humans and will speed

up the process of Earth aging. The ozone layer is the protective layer around our atmosphere that

creates a greenhouse effect on Earth. To combat the global warming caused by human pollution,

primarily the emission of CO2 gas, the global population must participate in the grassroots

organization of recycling and anti-littering initiatives while staying up to date on motor vehicle

emission standards. Global warming is a problem because it is harming Earth. It has long term

effects meaning it is only hurting the future generation. Humans purpose and duty is to

reproduce, if humans cannot produce a stable home for tomorrow, than there is no point in

reproducing. Chapter two will dive deeper into the actual process of global warming. A better

understanding is needed of harmful exhaust and littering to know how it is hurting our ozone

layer. Chapter two will also contain why global warming is bad not just for humans, but how it

affects every living being on Earth.

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Chapter Two

Introduction

Chapter two will contain the main reason why global warming is harmful to Earth. This

chapter will cover the main focus of combating global warming through specifications needed.

Taking the harmful man made waste and gas and comparing throughout time. This paper intends

to prove the importance of combatting opposition to global warming, man-made global warming

specifically, while also covering a solution to the long term effects of global warming. Chapter

two will contain an introduction, scope of study, the opposition to topic, support for topic, a

solution, and a summary.

Scope of Study

The main focus of this paper is to show how global warming is accelerated when people

litter because of the gases released by decomposing trash. These gases reach the astrosphere,

weaken the Ozone layer, and cause the greenhouse effect. Other harmful behaviors like car and

vehicle emissions need to be reviewed. These human behaviors cause the Earths temperature to

rise, ice caps to melt, and disastrous things to happen as sea levels rise.

Opposition to Topic

The anthropogenic global warming hypothesis originated from the United Nations

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, otherwise known as the IPCC. The IPCC stated

that many people refuse to believe or accept global warming or climate change (Graham, S.,

2016). It is in two steps: "Increasing fossil fuel causes increasing carbon dioxide in the air; and

increasing carbon dioxide in the air causes climate change. Oil, natural gas and coal are called

fossil fuel by the IPCC. (Graham, 2016, para 2). Very little research has ever been funded to
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search for natural mechanisms of warming (Graham, 2016). It has simply been assumed that

global warming is manmade. This assumption is rather easy for scientists since we do not have

enough accurate global data for a long enough period of time to see whether there are natural

warming mechanisms at work. (Spencer, 2016, para.3). Over the last several hundred thousand

years, CO2 levels varied in tandem with the glacial cycles (Spencer, 2016). During warm

"interglacial" periods, CO2 levels were higher (Spencer, 2016). During cool "glacial" periods,

CO2 levels were lower (Spencer, 2016). The heating or cooling of Earths surface and oceans

can cause changes in the natural sources and sinks of these gases, and thus change greenhouse

gas concentrations in the atmosphere (Spencer, 2016). These changing concentrations are

thought to have acted as a positive feedback, amplifying the temperature changes caused by

long-term shifts in Earths orbit (Causes, 2016).

Support for Topic

How Global Warming Happens

Global Warming is the act of the earth warming up due to the weakening of the ozone

layer in our atmosphere. Excess CO2 is from man made society like vehicle emissions. When

CO2 is produced more than the earth can handle, the ozone layer, the layer that protects life from

the harsh ultraviolet rays, gets weakened and thus warming areas that should not be warm.

Amanda states that this act is called the greenhouse effect and can be quite disastrous.
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Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and

greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that

have bounced off the earths surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into

spacebut these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap

the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. That's what's known as the greenhouse

effect.In the United States, the burning of fossil fuels to make electricity is the largest

source of heat-trapping pollution, producing about two billion tons of CO2 every year.

Coal-burning power plants are by far the biggest polluters. The countrys second-largest

source of carbon pollution is the transportation sector, which generates about 1.7 billion

tons of CO2 emissions a year. (MacMillan, 2015, pg. 1)

Melting Ice Glaciers

Ultra violet rays push through the weakened ozone layer thus melting the arctic glaciers.

MacMillan published an article with statistics of the melting glaciers and how it can lead to sea

rise.

Recently, a team of scientists published a study that found that the rate of sea level rise in

the 20th century was greater than it had been in 2,800 years. Sea levels have risen almost

3 inches globally in the most recent 20 years and rise on an average of 1/8 inch each year.

Melting land ice is responsible for a larger and ever-increasing amount of the global sea

level rise in recent decades, as opposed to thermal expansion of seawater. (MacMillan,

2016, para 4)
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What MacMillan said can be used as evidence of the vehicle emissions is one of the many

contributors to global warming. The twentieth centenary was when humans first developed cars

without making the cars global friendly, as in producing out too much CO2.

Ice Caps Melting

A compounding problem with ice melt is that it can accelerate through positive feedback.

Snow-covered ice has a high reflectivity or albedo, which means that radiation is reflected back

from it and not as much is absorbed as heat. Water, however, has a very low albedo and does

absorb high amounts of solar radiation and heat held in the earths lower atmosphere.

(Thead, E. (2016) Figure 1.

Figure 1 demonstrates a projected flood zone if our current climate change continues.

From one hundred years to five hundred years the sea level rises approximately thirty one inches.

Flood zone is caused by excess water, which is caused by melting glaciers. Two new studies by
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researchers at NASA and the University of California, Irvine (UCI), detect the fastest ongoing

rates of glacier retreat ever observed in West Antarctica and offer an unprecedented direct view

of intense ice melting from the floating undersides of glaciers. The results highlight how the

interaction between ocean conditions and the bedrock beneath a glacier can influence the

glacier's evolution, with implications for understanding future ice loss from Antarctica and

global sea level rise.(Rassmussan, C.)

Figure 2. 2014 sea level compared to the mean sea level from 1993-2013.(National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate.gov, 2013)

As Figure 2 makes clear, the impact of sea level rise is not felt equally around the globe. Some

locations experience greater rise than others because of local terrain, local hydrological factors,

and oceanic currents, among other regional factors. (Rassmussan, C. 2016 pg 3). Unfortunately,

many large cities are located on coastlines that are particularly vulnerable to sea level rises.
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Improvements in high-resolution modeling have made it possible for the expected sea level rises

in specific locations to be mapped, both in worst-case and expected-case scenarios. This very

detailed awareness of the hazard has, in many locations, led to positive planning and actions to

mitigate the impact. (Rassmussan, C. 2016). Rassmussans article will describe the latest

scientific thinking about the magnitude of global sea level rise, detail some solutions that coastal

cities around the globe are implementing to mitigate risk, and offer general suggestions for good

resilience planning for locations that will be impacted by this threat. Thead made an excellent

point by knowing that no matter the circumstances, sea level tends to rise and fall just by nature,

but the rapid change over the years is unusual and can be prevented.

The current best estimates predict that sea level will rise up to 6.6 feet, or 2 meters, by the

year 2100. Until recent years, this figure was viewed as pessimistic, with a rise of 3 feet

considered more likely. Recent studies raise the concern that the 6.6-foot estimate is

actually the more probable one with business as usual carbon emissions. Earlier work

accounted for glacial and Arctic melt, but had greater uncertainty about the West

Antarctic Ice Sheet. The new research, developed in the last three years, modeled that the

West Antarctic sheet would be undermined by warmed seawater, accelerating its decline.

The study also found that adhering to the agreements in the Paris climate summit of 2015,

and thereby keeping the mean global temperature increase under 2C, would lessen the

melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Nonetheless, even in this optimistic case, some

sea level rise will continue to occur due to current greenhouse gas levels in the

atmosphere and the attendant warming. (Thead, E. 2016. pg 2.)

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Vehicle Emissions

California was the first U.S. state to develop motor vehicle emission standards and,

because of the severe air quality problems in Los Angeles, remains the only state with the

authority to establish its own emission standards. In the past several decades California has often

established vehicle emission requirements that were later adopted at the U.S. federal level. The

national effort to control motor vehicle pollution can be traced to the 1970 Clean Air Act, which

required a 90 percent reduction in emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen

oxides from automobiles. The Act was adjusted in 1977 to delay and relax some standards,

impose similar requirements on trucks, and mandate vehicle inspection and maintenance

programs in areas with severe air pollution. Further amendments to the Act, passed in 1990,

further tightened vehicle emission requirements. Because of the size of the U.S. auto market,

vehicles meeting U.S. emission standards are available from most international manufacturers.

For this reason, and because U.S. standards are generally considered the most innovative, many

other countries have adopted U.S. standards (Faiz, A. Reaver, C, 2002). Relevant to Faizs

statement, Amanda also confirms the top five contributors to global warming. The second one

being unsupervised vehicle emissions. The countrys second-largest source of carbon pollution

is the transportation sector, which generates about 1.7 billion tons of CO2 emissions a year.

(Amanda MacMillan, 2015, pg. 1)

Thead and Amanda both have proven that since the twentieth centuries, the CO2

productions has rose unexpectedly for the next three decades. Vehicles were first being made at

that time and introduced to the public for commuting.

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Record High Temperatures.

Rise in temperature with CO2 levels. When CO2 levels rise, so does the corresponding

temperature globally. (Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 17 October 2016)

The chart above illustrates the rise in CO2 with global temperature corresponding.

According to NASA, the month of september has risen in temperature in a record breaking

amount:
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September 2016 was the warmest September in 136 years of modern record-keeping,

according to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA's Goddard

Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. September 2016's temperature was a

razor-thin four thousandth degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest September

in 2014. The margin is so narrow those two months are in a statistical tie. Last month was

point ninety-one degrees Celsius warmer than the mean September temperature from

1951 to 1980. (NASA, 17 October 2016, pg. 1)

The record-warm September means eleven of the past twelve consecutive months dating back to

October 2015 have set new monthly high-temperature records. Updates to the input data have

meant that June 2016, previously reported to have been the warmest June on record, is, in GISS's

updated analysis, the third warmest June behind 2015 and 1998 after receiving additional

temperature readings from Antarctica. The late reports lowered the June 2016 anomaly by five

hundredths to one degree Celsius to a quarter to a degree. NASA, 17 October 2016, pg. 4)

Solution.

There is no single solution to global warming, which is primarily a problem of too much

heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. The

technologies and approaches outlined are all needed to bring down the emissions of these gases

by at least eighty percent by mid-century. (Thead E. 2016 para 4). In order to effectively address

global warming, humans must first accept that global warming is a problem. Significantly reduce

the amount of heat-trapping emissions they are putting into the atmosphere. People can help by

taking action to reduce the personal carbon emissions. But to fully address the threat of global

warming, people must demand action from elected leaders to support and implement a
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comprehensive set of climate solutions. Melissa Denchak (2016, para 3) from NRDC, proposes

solutions:

Whats the single biggest way you can make an impact on global climate change? Talk to

your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good

decisions,by voicing your concernsvia social media or, better yet, directly to your

elected officialsyou send a message that you care about the warming world. Encourage

Congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require polluters to pay for

the emissions they produce. The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is

because their constituents make them, you can help protect public lands, stop offshore

drilling. Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money.

And once all cars and light trucks meet 2025s clean car standards, which means

averaging 54.5 miles per gallon, theyll be a mainstay. For good reason. Relative to a

national fleet of vehicles that averaged only 28.3 miles per gallon in 2011, Americans

will spend $80 billion less at the pump each year and cut their automotive emissions by

half. Before you buy a new set of wheels, compare fuel-economy performance

.(Denchak, 2016, para.3)

Summary of Chapter Two

Chapter two contained the main reason why global warming is harmful to Earth. This

chapter also covered the main focus of combating global warming through specifications needed.

Taking the harmful man made waste and gas and comparing throughout time. Harmful vehicle

emissions were ruining earth's ozone layer, the protective layer that prevents ultraviolet lights

from harming the life on earth. Without the ozone layer more of the sun's rays come through and
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the temperature rises. When the temperature rises, the ice caps melt in the two poles of the earth.

When the poles melt, it leads to disastrous flooding around the whole globe. Chapter two also

combated opposition to global warming and man made global warming. Chapter two also

covered a solution to the long term effects of global warming. Chapter three will contain a

reflection.
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Chapter Three

Reflection

I have learned more about how global warming affects earth. The biggest problem about

global warming is awareness and action. The purpose of this paper was to show readers that their

is an effect from global warming caused by the people. I have devoted a month to learn more and

dive deeper and get actual facts of what is happening to the earth. I am proud of the information I

retrieved and am thankful for the authors to make their articles free to the public. I strongly

believe with MacMillan's advice quoted under solution in chapter two, that is, spreading the

word about global warming. The first step in fixing the problem is accepting that there is a

problem.
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References

Causes of Climate Change. (2016, December 17). United States Environmental Protection

Agency.

Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change

Empirical evidence that humans are causing global warming. (2016) Skeptical Science.

Retrieved from

https://www.skepticalscience.com/empirical-evidence-for-global-warming.htm

Faiz, A. Reaver, C. (2003). Air Pollution from Motor Vehicles Standards and Technologies for

Controlling Emissions. The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development.

Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/gite/iandm/faizpaper.pdf

Global Warming is Human Caused. (2016, January 24). National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved

From

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-is-

Human-Caused.aspx

Graham, Seldon. (2016). Proof that Man Made Global Warming theory is false. American

Thinker. Retrieved from:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/01/proof_that_the_manmade_global_warmin

g_theory_is_false.html

Greenhouse Effect, n.d. Retrieved from

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/greenhouse-effect?s=t

NASA analysis finds August 2016 another record month.(2016). NASA's Goddard Institute for
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Space Studies. Retrieved from

climate.nasa.gov/news/2490/nasa-analysis-finds-august-2016-another-record-month/

NOAA establishes new panel to guide sustained National Climate Assessment. (2016). NOAA.

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research.noaa.gov/News/NewsArchive/LatestNews/TabId/684/ArtMID/1768/ArticleID/1

1776/NOAA-establishes-new-panel-to-guide-sustained-National-Climate-Assessment.asp

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Global Analysis

for Annual 2015, published online January 2016, retrieved on November 6, 2016 from

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201513.

MacMillain, A. (2016). Everything you've wanted to know about global warming but were too

afraid to ask. NRDC. Retrieved from: http://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101

NASA. (2016). Historical records may underestimate sea level rise. Global Climate Change.

Retrieved from:

climate.nasa.gov/news/2504/historical-records-may-underestimate-sea-level-rise/

Ozone Layer. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ozone-layer?s=t

Thead, E. (2016). Sea Level Rise: Risk and Resilience in Coastal Cities. Climate Institute

Retrieved from climate.org/sea-level-rise-risk-and-resilience-in-coastal-cities/

Rahmstorf, S. (2016) Global sea level linked to global temperature. PIK PNAS Retrieved

from www.pik-potsdam.de/~stefan/

Rassmussan, C. (2016). Studies offer new glimpse of melting under Antarctic glaciers.Global
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Climate Change. Retrieved from:

climate.nasa.gov/news/2506/studies-offer-new-glimpse-of-melting-under-antarctic-glacie

r/

September was warmest on record by narrow margin. (2016). Global Climate Change. Retrieved

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Spencer, Roy. (2016). Global Warming. Spencer Ph. D.

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Stratosphere. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/stratosphere?s=t