Global Warming: Causes, Effects and Solutions What Causes Global Warming? Carbon dioxide and other air pollutants in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trap the sun's heat and cause the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2annually. Here's the good news: Technologies exist today to make cars run cleaner and bum less gas, modernize power plants and generate electricity from nonpolluting sources, and cut our electricity use through energy efficiency. It is sure that these solutions are put to use. Is the Earth Really Getting Hotter? Although local temperatures fluctuate naturally over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. And experts think the trend is accelerating: The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990. Scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century. Are Warmer Temperatures Causing Bad Things to Happen? Global warming is already causing damage in many parts of the United States. In 2002, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon endured their worst wildfire seasons ever. The same year, drought created severe dust storms in Montana, Colorado and Kansas, and floods caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Texas, Montana and North Dakota. Since the early 1950s, snow accumulation has declined 60 percent and winter seasons have shortened in some areas of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington. Of course, the impacts of global warming are not limited to the United States. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. And in what scientists regard as an alarming sign of events to come, the area of the Arctic's perennial (常年不断的) polar ice cap is declining at the rate of 9 percent per decade. Is Global Warming Making Hurricanes Worse? Global warming doesn't create hurricanes, but it does make them stronger and more dangerous. Because the ocean is getting warmer, tropical storms can pick up more energy and become more powerful. So global warming could turn, say, a category-3 storm into a much more dangerous category-4 storm. In fact, scientists have found that the destructive potential of hurricanes has greatly increased along with ocean temperature over the past 35 years. What Are the Possible Consequences of Global Warming? Global warming is a complex phenomenon, and its full-scale impacts are hard to predict far in advance. But each year scientists learn more about how global warming is affecting the planet, and many agree that certain consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue. Among these: ? Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages in the American West. ? Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern seaboard, in Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico. ? Warmer sea surface temperatures will fuel more intense hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. ? Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases. ? Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine (高山上的) meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction. Could Global Warming Trigger a Sudden Catastrophe? Recently, researchers and even the U.S. Defense Department have investigated the possibility of abrupt climate change, in which gradual global warming triggers a sudden shift in the Earth's climate, causi