The Inevitable Consequences of Global Warming

             Many events have occurred in the last century which indicates Global Warming is happening and many more events are predicted to happen as a cause of Global Warming. Since the beginning of the previous century, global temperature has risen 0.75 degrees. ("Termpaperslab.Com - Website Report." Termpaperslab.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.)The earth's temperature is predicted to rise to an average temperature of up to 4 degrees with certain regions experiencing a rise of 16 degrees. It is believed that Global Warming is causing an increase in the severity and frequency of natural disasters. The causes of climate change is a complicated topic since natural causes cannot explain our changing climate alone. Although the belief that the lifestyles and activities of the human population are causing changes, scientists believe that the main cause of Global Warming is greenhouse gases, which humans emit in various ways. Most of these gases are from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, electricity production and factories. The main culprit of Global Warming is carbon dioxide also known as CO2. Yearly emissions of "carbon dioxide equivalent " has increased more than 20%, six billion metric tons, since 1990. Certain gases in the atmosphere restrict heat from escaping, therefore causing the Earth to gradually store this heat which causes a rise in the Earth's temperature. Warmer climate leads to more precipitation and evaporation, causing some regions to become wetter while others will become significantly dryer. Global Warming is already having noticeable effects on the environment. Ice on rivers and lakes are breaking up quicker, glaciers have shrunk, animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Predictions that scientist previously made are now starting to become reality. There has been a loss of sea ice, accelerating sea levels, longer, and more intense heat waves. Different regions of the world such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia have been experiencing different effects of Global Warming.