4. Pollution from Airplanes

Airplanes are indispensable to today’s society. Businessmen fly across the country on a daily basis to meet the demand of industry. In less than 24 hours, you can fly across the circumference of the planet traveling from the US to China. So how can you possibly blame these amazing gravity defying machines of global warming? 10% of the green house gas emissions come from airplanes. You might be going to a vacation or to a business meeting but those airplanes you travel on are releasing their pollution directly into the air they fly in.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, during the 3 days after 9/11, there was a difference of 4°F in the average highs and lows compared to other days. What caused this change? It is believed that the contrails of the air crafts are the cause of this. Following 9/11, all airplanes were grounded. This allowed scientists to see the difference in the temperatures with contrails in the sky and without them. Although airplanes do pollute the sky, they accidentally reflect some sunlight.

5. Pollution from Buildings

Although many believe those large SUV’s and Airplanes are the cause for all the commotion going on about global warming, the houses we live in may be a larger contributor. Unlike cars and airplanes, homes have a long lifespan of 50- 100 years meaning that changes in this area may be difficult to accomplish. Houses are mainly built to burn oil, or run on coal. In most houses, coal is used for electricity because it is the cheapest and most abundant resource.

To assist with this problem, architects will have to start using materials that can reduce the consumption of fuels by making them better ventilated or better at holding in heat. Government regulators must pass laws forcing contractors to follow stricter guidelines when building homes to reduce energy consumption. Finally, individuals can reduce the amount of frivolous energy they use on a daily basis.

6. Methane Stored in Water and Ice

With the increase in temperature, a fear of methane being released into the air arises. Methane is approximately 60 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a green house gas. According to scientists, in the past, a rapid release of methane has led to immense heating of the earth. In the past, when the earth’s temperature rose to a certain level, such as 8 degrees above normal, the earth’s temperature then increased an additional 14 degrees.

Methane is stored in the earths oceans and is released when the temperature increases and pressure reduces. Also, methane can be found in ice. When ice melts, methane stored in the ice is released. Scientists fear that if the earth reaches a certain temperature, it would be impossible to turn back and prevent a massive increase in temperature.