2010 is about to become one of the hottest recorded years around the globe. In the beginning 5 months of this year, the temperature of both the ocean surface and land was the warmest ever recorded, and it was 1.22 degrees F warmer than the average of the whole of the 20th century. In addition, the NSIDC – the National Snow and Ice Data Center – reported that the Arctic sea ice was melting extremely quickly this May, and 50 percent faster than the average recorded melting rate for May.
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A year ago we did a feature on the pros and cons of global warming, in which we listed some of the negative effects that global warming will have on the world, as well as some of the possible positive effects.

The negative impact of global warming is well-documented. Here are some of the key words associated with global warming: Ocean circulation disruption, desertification, flooding of low-lands due to higher sea levels, more common extreme weather events such as hurricanes, extinction of species, mass disruption to agriculture.

All of these macro-processes are likely to be the net result of an overall increase in the warmth of the earth; however, on a more micro regional level some of these processes will be reversed. For instance, in colder climates such as Northern Russia and Canada we are likely to see an overall increase in the number of species present. Chances are, these regions will become more suited to agriculture, and to life in general.

When we talk about the pros of global warming, we usually refer to the extreme northern and southern regions of the world and how beneficial the decline of permafrost would be for its inhabitants. This is true – an increase in global temperatures could in many ways be very beneficial for these regions.

There is certainly no doubt that global warming is a reality and that humans are causing it or at the very least exacerbate it. The emission of greenhouse gases has soared in the last century, and the atmosphere cannot cope with it. Certain political parties and corporate organizations are not eager for the public to become fully aware of the climate change issue, as it goes against their personal interests (i.e. – oil).
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Google Earth is a program that has been providing us with a real-time image of different parts of the world for five years. Scientists have now come up with an additional function in Google Earth that shows how future climate change will affect the earth. Ed Parsons, a Google representative, said that this is a wonderful example of using the latest web technology in a beneficial way, to transform raw scientific information into a clear visual picture. This in turn will promote a better understanding of the impact of climate change and global warming on our lives.
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The US in particular has a sizeable population of global warming sceptics. They believe that man-made global warming is fake and fabricated purely so that special interests can gain from it financially.
Here is some of the common evidence employed by global warming sceptics:
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1. Methane Greenhouse Gas From Farm Animals
One of the natural causes of global warming is the release of methane gas from livestock and agricultural animals. This causes an increase in methane in the atmosphere, which helps trap heat near the earth and raises the temperature. Even though this is one of the natural causes of global warming, an increase in the number of farm animals raised has greatly increased methane greenhouse gas emissions as well.
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1. Climate Change Cycles
One of the natural causes of global warming is the regular climate change cycles, which occur over a period of around forty thousand years. Since the earth was first created there have been cycles of cooling and cycles of warming, and this continues today. This does not mean that global warming skeptics are correct not to worry about global warming.
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1. Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide makes the top five list of greenhouse gases, and this gas is released during the fossil fuel power plant processes, as well as from animals and humans breathing and other causes. Carbon Dioxide is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, with water vapor being the most prevalent.
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Are deforestation and global warming related? The answer is yes, and deforestation plays a big role in the causes and effects of global warming. There are natural causes of global warming, such as the cycles of cooling and warming that occurs over thousands of years. Deforestation and global warming are closely related, and this cause is man made. When forests are cut down, burned out, and removed the effect is disastrous for the atmosphere. Trees play a critical role in the production of the oxygen used by humans and animals on earth, and the trees filter carbon from the air and turn it into oxygen. The causes and effects of global warming are numerous, but deforestation is one of the most pronounced causes of this problem.
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Along with all the scientists who state that the causes and effects of global warming are sped up drastically by human actions there are global warming skeptics, who deny that the increase in temperature is caused by man or even that this increase is occurring at all. So the question is: is global warming fact or fiction? One fact that can not be disputed, even by global warming skeptics, is that glaciers and ice caps around the world are melting, and that this is happening at an increasing rate. Satellite photos and surveys over the years have shown that much of the ice shelves in certain areas of the world have melted and disappeared, and what is left is still receding.
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Does methane greenhouse gas contribute to global warming? This gas is responsible for some of the causes and effects of global warming, and comes from many different sources. Methane greenhouse gas levels are high, and this has a very damaging effect on global temperatures. This gas comes from cattle and other animals, fossil fuel power plant processes, organic material that is decaying, automobile exhaust, and many other sources. Methane is more than twenty times worse than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat into the atmosphere and slowly increasing the temperature of the globe. Minimizing the use of fossil fuels can help prevent even higher levels of this gas from causing global warming to accelerate more.
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