• Question: what is the main reason of global warming

    Asked by to Daren, Lynne, Phillip, Simon on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Daren Fearon

      Daren Fearon answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      I’m no expert(!) but I believe a large part of the problem is our dependence on burning fossil fuels for energy. Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which are atleast partially responsible for global warming.

    • Photo: Simon Redfern

      Simon Redfern answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      Earth has experienced many episodes of climate change over its 4.5 billion year old history. There is some evidence that huge changes in global temperature followed the meteorite impact that is thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs. That’s worrying, because we appear to be going the same way. The changes in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are more rapid than has previously been seen, and modern society has not seen the sorts of changes that we appear to be in the midst of. All the evidence points to burning of fossil carbon (oil, gas, coal) since the industrial revolution, which has increased carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is only present in small quantities in the air, but it has a big effect on trapping heat (infrared radiation), acting like a blanket around the planet. That’s why people think it is leading to global climate change, seen in an increase in the temperature of the oceans and atmosphere. We can expect the weather patterns around the world to change – and most worryingly, the thermal expansion of the oceans alongside possible melting of glaciers can lead to an increase in sea level.

    • Photo: Lynne Thomas

      Lynne Thomas answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      There is no doubt that our behaviour on the planet is having a significant impact on the climate. This is mostly in the burning of fossil fuels which adds a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some people argue that it is not our actions which are causing it but I think the cause isn’t really the important thing, its what we do now to try and slow it down. Science is going to play a vital role in this by helping to develop greener energy sources but also in making materials which can trap gases such as carbon dioxide and therefore prevent it from getting into the atmosphere.

    • Photo: Phillip Manning

      Phillip Manning answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      The Earth has undergone many fluctuations in climate, with the most recent (in which we live) being unusually cold. Only a handful past geological periods have similar cool phases. It is fun to think that the dinosaurs only knew a ‘Greenhouse’ planet…as there were no icecaps and the evolution of life on Earth thrived. When we discuss climate change today, we often do so in terms of the major impacts on our own species….even though many other species are becoming extinct around the globe in our lifetime. This extinction event in which we live is undoubtedly caused, in-part, by climate change, but also our own species obsession with modifying environments to suit our own needs (farming, etc.). If our climate warms, we too will have to adapt, as species have done in the past. The cause of the warming is clearly from the input of certain greenhouse gases (such as additional carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc). However, these greenhouses gases are always topped-up by vast natural emissions such as from volcanoes…so there are several factors at play, but us humans are more of those key factors.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Humans definitely don’t help global warming – in the past 150 years the amount of carbon dioxide we’ve released into the atmosphere through burning things for industry and power is huge. We need to take responsibility for the atmosphere and try and reduce the amount of CO2 we release.

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