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Essay Available:
Pages:
2 pages/≈550 words
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Style:
APA
Subject:
Life Sciences
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
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Total cost:
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Topic:

Carbon Footprint Results in the Greening of Planet Earth

Essay Instructions:

Choose one of the following three essay topics:
1.According to the US-based EPA and other sources: a typical passenger vehicle (aka. a car) emits 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year, and has an average lifespan of 8 years. To what extent does compound interest serve as an effective analogy for the Carbon footprint of a car over its lifetime. Discuss.
2.The capacity for water vapour in Earth’s atmosphere is temperature-limited. As the atmosphere warms, is water vapour likely to be of increasing concern? That is, is water vapour destined to cause concerns that parallel those currently associated with CO2?
3.“Increased levels of CO2 will result in a greening of planet Earth.” What does the seasonal variability captured in the Keeling curve suggest in regard to this promise of a greener planet?
Marks will be awarded as follows:
Scientific content (15 marks)
Use of quantitative data, e.g., illustrations, graphs (5 marks)
Quality of written communication (5 marks)
Target 500-750 words for the length of your essay - roughly 2-3 written pages
Note that a formal essay is required

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Carbon Footprint
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
June 29, 2020
Understanding the relationship between different kinds of gasses and climate change is vital to reduce the repercussions of global warming. For the most part, people are aware that the increase in greenhouse gasses (i.e., CO2) is one of the primary reasons for the continuous increase in the Earth’s temperature. However, one of the debates that exist is whether water vapor would cause a parallel or even more significant repercussions as compared to CO2. This is because water vapor is more voluminous in the atmosphere and that its effect on temperature increase is more direct. Nonetheless, this article would discuss why CO2 is still a more powerful determinant of global warming.
Global Warming and Greenhouse Gasses
Water vapor is one of the gasses that cause an increase in temperature in the atmosphere. As water turns into gas and forms into clouds, the cloud cover helps trap some heat from the sun. While this might be good for maintaining livable conditions at Earth, too much cloud cover could trap more heat coming from the sun and increase the effects of global warming. In an article written by Hausfather (2008), he noted that overall humidity “66 to 85 percent of the greenhouse effect, compared to a range of 9 to 26 percent for CO2”. This is a significant difference that causes the misconception that an increase in humidity poses a more significant threat than an increase in CO2 levels.
Nature of Water Vapor
The reason why CO2 poses a higher risk is that it has a long-lasting effect as compared to water vapor. On the one hand, water vapor is ‘temperature-limited,’ which means that it will condense and falls back to the Earth after the atmospheric temperature reaches a certain degree CITATION Nat11 \l 1033 (National Center for Atmospheric Research, 2011). This leads to shorter cycles, which lasts only for an average of nine (9) days.

Water Vapor

CO2

Average time in the atmosphere

* Nine (9) Days

* 40...
Updated on
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