In the current day lexicon of scientists, global warming isn’t really a term of use anymore. The reason for this is that we have come to understand that the effect of the changes we make to our environment will increase the temperature in many locations on the planet, but will also cool a few places. In light of this, the thing you know of as global warming is actually referred to as global climate change. Over all, however, the world is definitely warming.

We need a simple definition for global warming, one that gets the gist without excluding the simplicities. The simplest and most accurate definition is that global warming is the effect greenhouse gases have on the earth’s climate. Greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, carbon dioxide and methane. While this sounds like a simple definition, there are a couple of key things to realize. 

First, global warming is both a natural phenomena and one created by man. Put another way, greenhouse gases are a natural part of the biosphere and would exist if man did not. Indeed, they are a critical component to the existence of life on this planet. If greenhouse gases didn’t exist, the temperature on planet earth would average zero degrees! Naturally occurring gases, however, keep the temperature at a much more livable 59 degrees. 

So, if global warming occurs naturally, what is the big panic about? The problem we are facing is the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases act as thermal blankets for the atmosphere. The more gas in the atmosphere, the thicker the blanket and the less heat escapes. Over the last 80 years, we have been pumping massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the sky. At the same time, we have been reducing forestation around the planet, the primary plant collection that sucks greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. This double whammy is starting to show negative results, the increased heating of our world. 

The ultimate question with global warming is what will happen as the planet heats up. We are already seeing signs with the retreat of the glaciers. Glacier National Park, for instance, is going to have to be renamed since it has already lost 65 percent of all of its glaciers! While the exact end result of global warming is not clear, we can expect major climatic changes over the next 80 years. 

Well, you were looking for a definition for global warming. As long winded as this one is, it is as definitive as you are going to find. 

Global warming has become an accepted threat to our way of life. As the global warming effects on Arctic wildlife show, it is already having a devastating impact on our world. 

Global warming is a very real problem. According to the National Academy of Sciences (in the United States), the average temperature all over the world has risen one degree Fahrenheit over the last century. This might not seem like much, but even a relatively small difference in temperature can have a great effect on the environment. A temperature increase of a only three more degrees is possible by the end of this century and could have massively devastating effects.  The global warming effects on Arctic wildlife are unique in the global warming discussion because we are seeing them now instead of in the hazy future. 

Global warming, which is caused by harmful gases that are put into the atmosphere because of natural developments and human activity, has caused a real change in the environment for the animals that reside in the Arctic. It is felt that by 2026, the temperature in the Arctic could be two degrees warmer than it was in 1750. This warming can, and will, cause the death of some species of tundra vegetation, as well as melting of summer sea ice. The summer sea ice, which has already been disappearing at a rate of 9.2 percent per decade, could be completely wiped out by the end of this century if global warming continues. Think about that for a minute. There will be no ice in the Arctic! 

The loss of summer sea ice will show great global warming effects on Arctic wildlife, as seals and polar bears rely on the ice.  In fact, polar bears are under great stress at the moment with only 25,000 or so left in the wild. As the Arctic warms up, ice forms for shorter periods of time. This negatively affects the bears because they hunt on the ice packs. With shorter ice pack periods, the bears have less time to feed. They have been unable to adapt their hunting activities, which has resulted in thinner bears. Cannibalism has even been seen among some polar bear groups.