The first picture or earth from space was taken in in 1968 and it showed an atmosphere without pollution. But things have changed a bit since 1968 because now, earth's atmosphere is polluted with CO2 wich causes increase in the average temperature of the earth's near surface air and oceans. The most CO2 in earth's atmosphere, warmer ins the temperature. This is what we call Global Warming.
The most vulnerable part of the earth is the atmosphere because is very thin. Is thin enough that we can change it's composition. The atmosphere is being thicken by pollution and most of the warm from the sun is getting traped between the earth and the atmosphere wich causes ocean warming, sea-level rise and coastal flooding.
As trees grow they take in CO2 from the air. When the wood dies the CO2 is returned to the air. Forest clearance and wood burning (such as happens in tropical rain forests) is increasing the latter half of the process, adding to the CO2 in the atmosphere.
When the oceans get warmer, it causes big storms and hurricanes that will become more frequent and stronger as oceans heat up causing more water to evaporate. Evidence is building up at an alarming rate. But Global Warming not only increases precipitations but relocates these precipitations. It creates more evaporation from the ocean's water but it also evaporates soil water.
Glaciers around the world benefits earth's atmosphere because they reflect the sun like a mirror and cool the air, but because of the earth's heating the glaciers are melting and the thickness of the Artic has decreased 40%. They are melting so fast that soon, there won't be enough water for people from the Himayas whom get water from the glaciers.
Other direct manifestations of Global Warming are heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather, earlier spring arrival, plant and animal range shifts and population changes, coral reef bleaching, heavy snowfalls and fires.
The earth's heat is going up each day. The ten hottest years have ocurred in the last 14 years and the hottest was 2005. Scientists think that CO2 levels will go off the charts in less than 50 years, wich means that earth's heat will be so high that living here will be almost impossible.
But is there something we can do to save our planet? There is much we can do to decrease earth's heat like recycling, use public tranportation instead of car in order to reduce CO2 emissions to the air, do not use disposal products, plant more trees, use electricity in a more responsable way, keep up on the maintenance of your refrigerator and air conditioners as they can leak very toxic and harmful chemicals, industry has to take on-going measures to reduce the emission of gases to the atmosphere.
