Climate Change The Eco Footprint Lab - 980 Words

â€Å"Human activities contribute to climate change by causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases, aerosols, and cloudiness (IPCC).† Since humans discovered how to use coal and oil to make their lives easier, they have been offsetting the balance of the greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect allows sunlight to warm Earth, by trapping some of the heat waves (Global Warming Is Human Caused). There is a balance of radiating energy between the Earth and space (IPCC). When fossil fuels are burned, extra gases are release. This buildup causes too much heat to be trapped inside the atmosphere, leading to global warming (Global Warming Is Human Caused). This semester, our environmental science class, completed labs that†¦show more content†¦All of these activities cause global warming. This lab helped me to discover how I am increasing the rate of global warming and what I can do to change that. CO2 is a vital greenhouse gas. Humans are i ncreasing the amount of CO2 found in our atmosphere, by participating in various environmentally harmful activities. One such activity is deforestation. When a tree is cut down, it releases a plethora of CO2 into the air (IPCC). In some areas of the world, humans are practicing the act of deforestation, or the act of cutting down a large number of trees in a short time frame. This is causing the level of CO2 to rise past its natural output. Also, with fewer trees, there is a reduced uptake of the CO2 (IPCC). For our second lab, we went to the Old Arboretum to measure the height and width of various trees. After taking their measurements, we identified which type they were. This lab didn’t necessarily relate to global climate change, but it did teach us about the significance of trees. Learning about how important trees are to their environment might lessen the rate at which trees are being deforested, or at least give people an incentive to replace the trees they removed. Ene rgy is one of the main contributors to the success of today’s population (The Importance of Energy). It is fundamental to our lives. How we acquire our energy makes a huge difference