What the World Can do About Global Warming, the Greenhouse Effect and the Ozone Layer?.
Most people do not realize simple things such as leaving on lights in the house or taking baths every day are slowly ruining the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere is "a layer of air many miles up in the sky" that allow the sun to shine onto the Earth and the greenhouse effect prevents much of the heat from escaping the Earth (Elkington 8). The atmosphere also keeps the sun from burning animals into non existence. "Trapping heat close to the surface of the planet raises global temperatures, giving rise to . . . the "greenhouse effect""(MacEachern 14). The ozone is a "pure form of oxygen found in the stratosphere ten to thirty miles above the earth's surface, acts like a big umbrella to protect the earth from dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun. it is the only gas in the atmosphere that limits the amount of harmful solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth . . . [and] small changes in the ozone concentrations could have dramatic effects on life on earth"(MacEachern 16). This is how the greenhouse effect works: (1)the sun shines on Earth and releases some energy, (2) 3 percent of that energy is sent back into space. During this time (3) humans are driving cars, power plants are running both of which burn fossil fuels; then, someone is spraying their hair with hair spray, garbage is laying around in landfills and etc. (4) when all these fumes combine, they "form a "blanket" which traps energy, thus warming the Earth"(MacEachern 14). Humans are a big part of the problem and solution; therefore, limiting some of their everyday activities can help slow down the deterioration of the ozone layer, improve the greenhouse effect and reduce global warming.
Many activities that people do create gases that pollute the atmosphere. One of the harmful greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), are produced every time a human or an animal exhales, but nothing can be done about that.