Most discussions about global warming center around the impact man has on his environment. Massive emissions of carbon dioxide by industry and transport are the prime culprits evidenced in this regard. While global warming in and of itself is a controversial subject, what is clear is that it is not only a phenomena caused by mankind.
If man did not exist on Planet Earth, global warming would exist to a certain extent. The Earth is kept warm by gases in the atmosphere. Certain gases prohibit heat from escaping out of the atmosphere into space. This is a naturally occurring event with gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, not to mention water vapor, playing a natural role in the process. If our atmosphere contained none of these gases, our planet would be a very cold place. Scientists estimate it would be approximately 30 degrees colder, leading potentially to massive ice formations throughout the world as we know it.
An odd, but useful, example is the desert. During the day it can be hot as Hades, but at night it can grow extremely cold. The temperature variation is due to a lack of temperature regulators. During the day, there is nothing to regulate the heat such as a body of water. When night falls, there is nothing present that stores the heat of the day.
The current debate on global warming isn't so much whether it exist, as it is what is natural and what is not. A certain amount of global warming is par for the course, an undisputed fact. The question is what impact, if any, is our production of massive amounts of greenhouse gases having on natural global warming and what are the long-term implications.
The global warming issue is a complex one. One of the simple problems is the significant amount of time involved in the process of heating up the planet. While this may sound positive at first glance, one must also realize that it will take a long time for behavioral changes we make to take affect.
