| Traces history of issues of Greenhouse effect | | | | was still a threat and nations needed to take |
| and Global warming | | | | action to negate the effects of global |
| | | | warming. Kyoto Protocol, an international |
| There is one subject that is certain to raise | | | | agreement to fight global warming, was born |
| a passionate argument in a party these days | | | | in 1997. This protocol called for countries |
| and that is Global Warming. Everybody has an | | | | to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases. |
| opinion about it. And why not? After all if | | | | After eight years of hard bargaining, and |
| the international action plans for reduction | | | | acrimonious debates Kyoto treaty was finally |
| of carbon emissions have to succeed, every | | | | ratified by 141 countries. Noteworthy among |
| individual needs to be involved and committed | | | | the countries that did not ratify it were the |
| to it! | | | | USA and Australia both the largest producers |
| | | | of greenhouse gases. |
| It is generally believed that the earth was | | | | |
| covered with ice about 15000 years ago. About | | | | The treaty aims to limit and cut back |
| 7000 years ago the earth began to warm up and | | | | emission of greenhouse gases to control |
| the ice age came to an end. Then again from | | | | global warming. It sets limits for emission |
| the 14th century to the 19th century large | | | | from 35 developed countries; developing |
| parts of the earth experienced harsh, cold | | | | countries are exempted from emission limits |
| conditions. This period was known as the | | | | to allow them time to catch up. Under the |
| little ice age. In 1824 Fourier proposed the | | | | treaty, various countries have committed to |
| theory that solar radiations are trapped by | | | | reduce the emissions to below their 1990 |
| the atmosphere and reflected back to the | | | | levels by 2012. |
| earth causing the earth to warm up and that | | | | |
| the earth was slowly getting warm. Arrhenius | | | | Most of the countries are struggling to limit |
| termed it the greenhouse effect in the late | | | | the greenhouse emissions to the levels they |
| 19th century. In the 1950s, Callendar | | | | had committed to; many are finding it quite |
| supported the theory of the greenhouse | | | | tough when it comes to pushing for action |
| effect. | | | | while balancing domestic political pressures |
| | | | and pressure from oil & gas industry. It is, |
| From late 20th century there was a much | | | | however, heartening to note that there are |
| greater attention being paid to environmental | | | | already significant success stories coming up |
| issues and serious scientific activities | | | | where individual companies have shown the |
| started for devising ways to measure global | | | | leadership and achieved remarkable success in |
| temperatures and to devise better | | | | attaining, and in some cases over attaining, |
| mathematical models to analyze earths | | | | their targets of reduction of carbon |
| climate. By the end of the 20th century there | | | | emission. In USA public opinion is seen to be |
| was a large body of scientific opinion that | | | | far more decisive and assertive than the |
| believed that increased carbon dioxide | | | | Federal government and many states are going |
| emissions, caused by ever increasing use of | | | | ahead enacting legislations to limit carbon |
| fossil fuels, were responsible for global | | | | emission while federal government twiddles |
| warming. In 1994, the United Nations Panel on | | | | thumbs. |
| Climate Change asserted that global warming | | | | |