Subject: {FIRSTNAME}, Global Warming Hello {FIRSTNAME}, I hope you enjoyed the fifth course on environmental damage, next we are going to look at global warming. Here is a recap of the e-course schedule: Part 1: What Are Alternative Fuels Part 2: Why Are Gas Prices So High Part 3: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Part 4: Gasoline and Oil Part 5: Environmental Damage Part 6: Global Warming Part 7: Alternative Fuel According to the Numbers With that being said... Lets get rolling shall we :) ================================================== Part 6: Global Warming -------------------------------------------------- Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, has brought the issue of global warming to the forefront of people’s minds with his Oscar winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” While there are some people who have been concerned about global warming for years, but this movie helped make the phenomenon more “famous” if you will. If you’ve never thought about global warming, consider the following facts: ·Since the 1970’s, there has been a 100 percent increase in the intensity and duration of hurricanes and tropical storms. ·According to the U.S. Geological Survey predictions, by the year 2030, Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left at all. ·400,000 square miles of the Arctic Sea have melted in the last thirty years. That is roughly the size of Texas and is threatening polar bear habitats. ·By the year 2050, 15 to 17 percent of animal and plant species will be wiped out by global warming ·The United States is the number one global warming polluter in the world. ·Six former United States Environmental Protection Agency leaders say that the U.S. isn’t doing enough to reduce pollution that contributes to global warming. This is supported by the fact that the United States Congress has not passed one piece of legislation related to the reduction of global warming. Basically, global warming is an observable progressive warming of the average temperature of the Earth over a period of time. While some people might think is a great thing envisioning mild winters, but the truth is that global warming is a disturbing phenomenon. The rising temperatures can cause changes like rising sea levels, an increase in the frequency and intensity of severe weather, decreased agricultural yields, and glacial retreats and/or disappearances. Global warming is also projected to cause the eventual extinction of many plant and animal species as they struggle to survive in warmer climates that they aren’t used to. Global warming is caused mostly by the release of methane gas into the environment. Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Methane gas is naturally released from arctic tundra and wetlands. However, the biggest contributing factors toward global warming are man-made. Man-made causes bring about the most damage when considering the global warming trend. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Pollution comes in many shapes and sizes. Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or oil. When fossil fuels are burned they give off a green house gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). For more information about alternative fuel, please refer to my website Take Care,