• Question: what is the main cause of global warming?

    Asked by leewwh to David, Helen, Ian, rhysphillips, Sarah on 14 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Rhys Phillips

      Rhys Phillips answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      That’s debatable. It’s an increasing amount of “greenhouse gases” that cause it but what activity causes the most greenhouse gases seems to cause many arguments. Many people say it’s flying, some say it’s industry such as manufacturing that use industrial processes.

    • Photo: Ian van der Linde

      Ian van der Linde answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Human activity, in lots of forms, is causing global warming. This includes industrial and household pollution and deforestation, to name but a few!

    • Photo: Helen Fletcher

      Helen Fletcher answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Sarah should tell us the answer to this one!

    • Photo: David Corne

      David Corne answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      The prevailing belief is that the main cause is CO2 (and other “greenhouse gases”). This is a good site: http://timeforchange.org/CO2-cause-of-global-warming . CO2 is like a blanket, or the lid of a cooking pot, keeping the heat in, and the more CO2 in the atmosphere, the more firmly the lid stays on. And where does it come from? See here
      Basically, when we use most types of fuel, for heating, transport, producing electricity, and so on, CO2 is a byproduct. If we cut down on energy use, and/or use different forms of energy that don’t have problematic byproducts, then we can do something about it.

Comments