1. Increase in greenhouse gas emissions: Higher emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap more heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to an increase in temperature.
2. Deforestation: Large-scale clearing of forests reduces the planet's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, resulting in increased atmospheric concentrations and warmer temperatures.
3. Industrialization and urbanization: The burning of fossil fuels for energy and the expansion of cities release substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming.
4. Melting of ice and snow: As ice and snow melt due to rising temperatures, they reveal darker surfaces like land or water, which absorb more sunlight and heat, leading to further warming.
5. Feedback loops: Some natural processes, like the release of stored carbon from thawing permafrost or the reduction of ice sheets' reflectivity, can amplify global warming by releasing additional greenhouse gases or reducing planet-cooling effects.
6. Natural disasters: Large-scale events like forest fires or volcanic eruptions can release immense amounts of greenhouse gases and aerosols, temporarily affecting the Earth's climate and raising temperatures.
7. El Niño events: Periodic warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean can impact global weather patterns, leading to increased temperatures in different regions of the world.
8. Solar radiation: Although changes in solar activity have a relatively small direct impact on Earth's temperature, variations in solar radiation received by the Earth due to fluctuations in the sun's output can contribute to temperature changes over long periods.
Which of the following events could increase Earth's temperature?
1 answer