The answer to who first discovered global warming is widely debated. In the mid-1800s, French mathematician and physicist Joseph Fourier was one of the first to present scientific evidence that the Earth’s atmosphere could have an effect on global temperatures.
Fourier noticed a discrepancy between the amount of heat the Earth’s atmosphere was receiving and the amount of heat that was actually being retained.
In 1895, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius further theorized that an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would cause an increase in global temperatures. However, his theories were largely dismissed at the time.
It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that global warming started to gain greater visibility in the scientific community, due to the work of scientists such as Jule Gregory Charney, Stephen Schneider and Wallace Broecker.
Charney’s research focused on the atmosphere’s response to changes in greenhouse gas emissions, while Schneider and Broecker studied the impacts of increasing global temperatures, such as sea level rise, droughts and melting polar ice caps.
Today, global warming is widely accepted by the scientific community and is a major area of research and policymaking.
When did global warming first start?
The first signs of global warming started in the late 19th century. Scientists have identified this time as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when burning of coal and other human activities started to increase the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide.
This caused the planet to start heating up, and the effects of global warming began to be felt.
The impacts of global warming have become even more profound in the last several decades. Since the 1950s, average global temperatures have risen notably due to an increase in the number of heat-trapping greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by human activities.
This has caused sea levels to rise, extreme weather to become more frequent, and glaciers and ice sheets to melt. Global warming is now widely accepted around the world as a reality, with humans largely responsible for its occurrence.
Is it too late to stop global warming?
No, it is not too late to stop global warming. The Earth’s climate is naturally changing, however, human activities are causing the temperature to rise more quickly than it otherwise would have. Many policy makers, businesses, and individuals have taken action to reduce their emissions and increase awareness of the issue.
Governments around the world have set ambitious goals to reduce their carbon emissions by a certain date, and countries are increasingly developing renewable energy sources.
Individuals can also help by reducing their personal energy consumption. This could include changing light bulbs, turning off electronics not in use, replacing old appliances with more energy efficient models, walking more instead of using vehicles, and eating more plant-based meals.
Many businesses have instituted green initiatives to reduce their energy use and many are now investing in renewable energy sources for their operations.
While it is not too late to stop global warming, it is still a significant challenge. If individuals and businesses do not take immediate action and adopt more sustainable practices, the temperature rise caused by global warming will have catastrophic consequences for the environment.
We must take innovative steps now to reduce emissions and promote clean energy if we have any chance of slowing the effects of global warming.
What caused global warming 10000 years ago?
Global warming 10,000 years ago was caused by natural events, such as the end of the last Ice Age. During the Pleistocene Epoch, which lasted from around 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago, there were several glacial periods, otherwise known as Ice Ages.
During these periods, the Earth’s atmosphere contained more greenhouse gases, and this allowed the planet to remain in its ice-capped state. However, at the end of the Pleistocene, natural events, such as the increase in volcanic activity that released greenhouse gases and shifts in the orbit of the Earth, caused the planet to warm up.
Thus, the end of the Ice Age, which caused global warming 10,000 years ago, was due to a combination of both natural and human activities.
Which country is no 1 in global warming?
Currently, the United States is ranked as the number one country in terms of global warming, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Emissions Gap Report 2020.
The report stated that the US accounted for 14.9% of the total global emissions in 2019. This percentage of emissions is significantly higher than any other country in the world.
Other countries that rank high on the list in terms of global warming emissions include China, India, Russia, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom, which together produced just over 50% of the world’s emissions in 2019.
The US has been the top emitter of greenhouse gases since the 1980s, due to a variety of factors such as its large population, highly industrialized economy and past history of emissions. While other nations have taken measures to reduce emissions, the US has lagged behind in such action, leading to its current number one ranking.
In 2020, the US did announce plans to cut emissions by reducing its reliance on coal-fired power plants, expanding renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency standards, though the UNFCCC Emissions Gap Report stated more needs to be done in 2021 if global goals for net-zero emissions by 2050 are to be met.
