Global warming is the process in which greenhouse gasses increase the amount of sun rays that are accumulated in the Earth's ozone layer/atmosphere. The greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (which is the main contributor to global warming) and methane gas. Humans are the main causes of today's global warming. Our industrial release of carbon dioxide has sped up the process of the warming. The amount of carbon emissions is not regulated, so there is no telling how much carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere and adding to the destruction of global warming. Global warming is dangerous to the planet because it leads to mass extinction, the melting of the polar ice caps, rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns.

Approximately 252 million years ago, global warming struck the earth. When the Araguainha comet touched down on Earth, it caused massive earthquakes (thought to be between 9.3 and 10.5 on the Richter Scale) and volcano eruptions which began the process of fracking. Fracking is "a technique for breaking apart rocks to extract trapped hydrocarbons for burning as fuel" (Barras). This natural fracking, unlike fracking triggered by men where the methane (hydrocarbons) is collected, released the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Geologist Eric Tohver believes that the fracking released approximately 135,000 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere. 

This massive amount of greenhouse gasses in the ozone layer caused many species, such as giant dragonflies and aquatic scorpions, to go extinct. Another effect of the fracking that caused some species to go extinct is debris in the ozone layer. Debris from the earthquakes was thrown in the atmosphere and in turn blocked out the sun's rays, causing an "impact winter" which robbed the plants of the nutrients they needed to survive (Barras). This lack of plants starved many species of animals into extinction. After all of this global warming induced death, the planet recovered to a certain extent that allowed life to continue on. However, in the present, the planet is in another downward spiral into the jaws of global warming. 

Since the year 1979, the surface area of the Arctic ice caps has decreased by more than 20 percent. The ice sheets that still exist have decreased to one-third of their original thickness. The disappearing of the polar ice caps of the world lead to what is called the "albedo effect" which states that less surface area of the ice equals less reflection of the sun's radiation. This leads to more global warming because the ice reflects the radiation from the sun back through the ozone layer so that it doesn't get caught in the atmosphere and destroy aspects of the planet (Scheer). 

The polar ice caps are the habitat of polar bears, seals, whales and penguins. Due to the shifts in the ecosystem caused by the melting ice caps, the polar bears, seals, whales and penguins have started altering their migration patterns. These alterations, in turn, affect the native people who rely on the animals for food. Each stage of global warming leads to another stage that furthers the destruction. Take for example, the spruce bark beetles that have benefitted from global warming. This is seemingly a good thing, however, as a result of the prosperity of the spruce bark beetle population the forests of Alaska have lost approximately 3.4 million acres (Scheer). 

The melting of the polar ice caps also leads to the rising of the ocean levels. There is stipulation that as the sea levels rise, parts of the United States will be flooded. It is estimated that about 22,000 square miles of the U.S. coast will be submerged. The flooding will impact island nations the most since they are a certain distance above sea level. Many islands could disappear in the future as global warming increases. The rising sea levels will also change weather patterns that people rely on for food production. 

Also, due to the cold water produced from the melting ice caps could stop the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream can carry heat from the equator all the way to Europe, so if it is halted, Europe would lose any warm weather that it normally has (The Effects [ ... ] Climate). This would in turn affect weather patterns in other areas of the world as all weather is connected. These weather changes lead to "new regimes that will challenge plants' abilities to survive under the new conditions". Many plant species of Veracruz will be extinct by 2050 due to the potential loss of humidity (Contreras). 

Global warming also changes the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. Extreme precipitation and rainfall will cause more flooding and landslides. As the coastal areas flood, the mid-continent areas will become drier. This will cause extreme summer droughts and frequent wild fires that will wreak havoc throughout the surrounding areas. Heatwaves, like the one of summer of 2003 in Europe, are also a risk that is brought about by global warming. The heatwave exposed the citizens of Europe to such intense and prolonged heat that approximately 22,000 to 35,000 people died, most of which were the elderly.  

Global warming causes the mass extinction of species, melting of the ice caps, rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns. There are many articles that give tips as to what to do to try and stop global warming with entries such as: 

"While it may seem futile for us to try to stop Arctic ice melting, we do in fact have the power. We can all work to reduce our carbon footprints by flying and driving less, turning down (or off) the heat or air conditioning, speaking up to our elected officials, and even divesting from companies that support the continued development of fossil fuels." (Scheer).

Many people pull together in order to fight global warming and fix the damages. The damages can't be completely undone but they can be stitched up.

