How Our Earth Responds

According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth’s surface temperature has risen by about one degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.

Human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the build up of greenhouse gases-primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-trapping property of these gases is undisputed although uncertainties exist about exactly how earth’s climate responds to them.