The Earth is kept warm enough to support life through a process known as the “greenhouse effect.” Our only source of heat is the Sun, whose rays warm the surface of the Earth. The Earth reflects this heat back into the atmosphere. If all of the heat escaped into space, our planet would be too cold for us to survive. Fortunately heat is trapped in the atmosphere by so-called "greenhouse gases", and some of the warmth finds its way back to the surface of the globe via the troposphere, the lower part of the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, many modern human act

Another cause of the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is deforestation. If we all stayed awake in Biology class we learned that trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis. The forests act as reservoirs for carbon. When a tree is cut down it has a major effect on the environment. The carbon dioxide that was once stored in the tree is released back into the atmosphere. Once a tree is cut down it is no longer taking in that carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fewer trees equal more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In his book Forests in a Full World, George M. Woodell states that “deforestation is the second biggest source of carbon dioxide, … only the burning of oil, coal and gas produce more.. If [global warming] is to be slowed, the world, must not only stop cutting and burning large forests, but replace many millions of acres that have been destroyed.”

ivities produce greenhouse gases as waste. Carbon dioxide, which is one of the most common, is produced in vast quantities by industrialized nations like ours, and as more and more countries are becoming industrialized, the volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. Another important contributor to the problem is methane, which is released by farm anima

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