The beginning of the Industrial Revolution brought many new exciting inventions to simplify our lives and made

them more efficient. Such inventions included cars, household appliances and plants that burn solid waste, fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal, and wood products for fuel. Before the Industrial Revolution, human activities caused very few gases to be released into the atmosphere, but now scientists say, through the burning of fossil fuels, a large population growth and deforestation, humans are affecting the mixture of gases in the atmosphere. This mixture of gases in the atmosphere is causing the worldwide problem known as Global Warming

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the earth has a natural greenhouse effect which is caused by energy from the sun controlling the earths weather and climate, and heats the earths surface. In response to the sun, the earth radiates energy back into space. Atmospheric greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases, trap the energy leaving the earth and retaining it as heat, much like a greenhouse ceiling. This is a natural and necessary effect, without it temperatures on earth would be much lower than they are now and life as it is today would not be possible, but with the greenhouse effect the earths average temperature is a more comfortable and life-supporting 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The problems that have arisen with the greenhouse effect have occurred due to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Now a days the automobiles, heat from homes, businesses, and factories are responsible for about 80% of today's carbon dioxide emissions, 25% of methane, and 20% of the nitrous oxide emissions. Agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining also give carbon dioxide emissions but in a very minimal amount.

In the future, producing food will be quite problematic. When Global warmings full affects kick in, we will have droughts and floods rather often, and under these conditions, crops will not be able to grow. Another issue is acid rain, which will kill many of the crops as well. Not having enough food will cause major health problems not to mention the air we breath, which will be full of carbon dioxide (since the a lot of plants which produce oxygen will be dead.) Food and oxygen are absolute necessities; without them, we will not be able to survive

Limited land will also be a problem. In a matter of years when once global warming has melted most of the glaciers, the sea level will rise quite a considerable amount, causing certain parts of America, Canada, and the rest of the world to be completely under water; those areas will nolonger be suitable to live in. Other places may have droughts, floods, or abnormally altered weather patterns. There will not be enough land that is suitable. It will be extremely over-overcrowded, and there simply wouldnt be enough room for everybody.

The most obvious thing thatll be hard to deal with is the violent level of heat that humans would be forced to live in. At this point, air conditioning would only be available to the very rich, snow is probably already forgotten, and the idea of going out on a nice summer day would obviously be displeasing. The idea of simply staying inside all day would probably be satisfying, but you must go outside at some point, especially if you want to make a living. Ultimately, this will result in a lot more skin cancer, or any other health issues due to the extreme amount on UV ray exposure.

We can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions we can take to help reduce global warming.

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Do our part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging will help to reduce waste. And whenever we can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. 2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning Turn down the heat while we're sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting our thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. 3. Change a Light Bulb Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

4. Drive Less and Drive Smart Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore our community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school. 5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs. 6. Use Less Hot Water Set our water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. 7. Use the "Off" Switch Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when we leave a room, and using only as much light as we need. We have to remember to turn off our television, video player, stereo and computer when we're not using them.

8. Plant a Tree If we have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

9. Get a Report Card from Our Utility Company Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
10. Encourage Others to Conserve We should share information about recycling and energy conservation with our friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.