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The sun’s energy enters the atmosphere in the form of light waves and heats up the earth. Some of that energy warms the earth and then is re-radiated back into space in the form of infrared waves. Under normal conditions, a portion of the outgoing infrared radiation is naturally trapped by the atmosphere, keeping the earth’s temperature comfortable. About 25 years ago, scientists determined that this thin layer of atmosphere is being thickened by huge quantities of human-caused carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. And as it thickens, it traps a lot of the radiation that would otherwise escape the atmosphere and into the universe. As a result, the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere—and oceans—is getting dangerously warmer (Gore 26-27).


And herein lays the controversy. Is the earth warming normally due to natural climate cycles, or is it warming at an unprecedented pace due to an increase in human-generated greenhouse gasses? The focus of this debate......

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Approximate Pages: 21 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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