The "greenhouse effect" is a term that is used to refer to an atmospheric process. The greenhouse effect is the inability of long wave radiation to escape the atmosphere causing increased air temperature and increasing impurities in the atmosphere. During the last 20 years the media and public have given the topic "priority consideration." There is some evidence that the atmosphere is warming and strong indications that the greenhouse effect is responsible.

It is apparent that there has been an increase in global temperature of about 0.5°C during the past century. The 1980s went on record as being the warmest decade on record. The only problem with this comparison is that climate records only date back 100 years. With this in mind there is no theory for long-term comparison but there is a short-term alarm. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report calculated that the so-called "greenhouse effect" would cause the Earth's atmosphere to warm by up to 5.8°C (10.4°F) by 2100 (CNN).

Humans did not create the greenhouse effect; it has been a part of the Earth since it was first formed. Without the effect the Earth would be a frozen planet. Carbon dioxide, methane,

There is an increasing amount of evidence that human induced factors are responsible for recent temperature increases. The agents are commonly referred to as "greenhouse gasses" - carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons. These gasses have a low capacity for transmitting long-wave radiation and as their concentrations increase, more radiation is retained in the lower atmosphere. These gasses cause more terrestrial radiation to become trapped in the lower atmosphere, thus causing temperature increases. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 75% of the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Our current understanding of the atmosphere and its processes is not enough to understand what damage has been done and what exactly can be done to rectify the damage. Scientists can study the oceans, the atmosphere, the air pollution and weather records of the past; but no one can accurately predict the consequences from the damage that has been done nor can we undo the past. So, now we need to pull together as one-world not separate nations to eliminate further damage. We need to develop alternative forms of energy that do not harm the earth, engineer new filtration systems that eliminate toxins being release into the air. If we don't pull together on this issue everyone will lose.

"Alarm after U.S. abandons environment treaty." www.cnn.com, 29 Mar 2001

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1425
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)