The earth we live in is going through many changes. While we have only ourselves to thank for the good and the bad, many people feel that there are things we can do to better the environment that we occupy. For example, consider the greenhouse effect, a topic that is the basis for an enormous amount of debate in our world and our government toady.
The greenhouse effect is the ability of our planet to absorb the suns visible and ultra violet radiation. The radiation is then released and absorbed by carbon dioxide and other gases in the earth’s atmosphere. By preventing the radiation from escaping into space the gases help to warm our planet. These gases, also knows as greenhouse gases, have become increasingly abundant in our atmosphere and have caused the earth’s annual average temperature to rise slightly over the past few decades. The concern is that the increasing temperature may have immense effects on our climate causing vast geographic transformations. Some greenhouse gases, such as Ozone, are also amongst the leading causes of air pollution; which the World Health Organization estimates to kill 2.7 million people each year. Many people feel the reduction of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the earth’s air would help to curtail the harm being done to our environment.
While our government has done a decent job of passing laws regulating the emission of these gases, much more still needs to be done. We cannot continue poisoning our planet and continue to get away with it. The government has to be the leader in helping scientists uncover the truths behind the greenhouse effect.