Our Earth is a very fascinating place. The atmosphere that surrounds our Earth acts as a shield from the Sun’s massive amounts of radiant energy and heat. It is a filter of sorts, it keeps the Earth’s temperate at an approximate area, which helped spawn and sustain life. Half of the Sun’s energy is absorbed by the Earth’s surface. The rest is reflected back into the atmosphere where it is then absorbed by the gases which are present there. Nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and methane gases absorb the heat, these are called Greenhouse Gases.

Though these greenhouse gases occur naturally in our atmosphere, the human race has added much more to the equation. The more fossil fuels and wood we burn, the more greenhouse gas we produce. This means that our atmosphere can retain much more heat. And in turn, our planet’s temperature begins to rise. This “Greenhouse Effect” is commonly known as Global Warming.

Global Warming has always been a dangerous prospect. Though it is happening, the pace at which it increases isn’t enough to deter people from their dangerous consumption of woods and fossil fuels. In 1900, the average temperature of our planet was 59.8 degrees F. Scientists have predicted that over the next hundreds years, this temperature will increase by 3.6 - 6.3 degrees F. This is the highest rate of global warming our planet has seen in 10,000 years.

Our planet is completely stabilized. Scientists predict that it took upwards of millions of years for the ice caps to set, creating a consistent weather pattern and livable temperature. Unfortunately for mankind, global warming is melting these polar ice caps, and many aspects of life on this planet are already suffering their adverse effects. The ice caps melting are forcing the sea level to rise. This is known as Thermal Expansion.

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