GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

A very good morning I would like to wish to my English teacher, PN.Siti Hafiza and my fellow
classmates. Today I would like to present a speech entitled ‘Global Warming’. I choose this
chapter because it is our most threatening matter which may affect a lot on us.

The Earth is kept warm by it's atmosphere, which acts rather like a woolly coat - without it, the
average surface temperature would be about -18 degrees Centigrade. Heat from the sun passes
through the atmosphere, warming it up, and most of it warms the surface of the planet. As the Earth
warms up, it emits heat in the form of infra-red radiation - much like a hot pan emits heat even after
it's taken away from the cooker. Some of this heat is trapped by the atmosphere, but the rest escapes
into space. The so-called "greenhouse gases" make the atmosphere trap more of this radiation, so it
gradually warms up more than it should, like a greenhouse although a greenhouse actually does this
by stopping warm air rising and escaping from it. 

What Causes The Greenhouse Effect? 

There are some natural greenhouse gases: water vapour, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane and
ozone. However, over the past fifty years, production of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane
has risen sharply, and a new type of chemical - the chlorofluorocarbon, or CFC - has been introduced
as a refrigerant, solvent and aerosol propellant, but it is also a very powerful greenhouse gas,
because it can trap a lot of radiation - one molecule of CFC is 12,000 to 16,000 times as effective at
absorbing infra-red radiation as a molecule of carbon dioxide.  

The carbon dioxide comes mainly from burning fossil fuels in power stations, which also causes acid
rain. It is also created by living animals breathing, and is naturally converted by plants back to oxygen.
However, deforestation is reducing the planet's carbon dioxide absorbing capability. Nitrous oxide is a
by-product of nylon production, and is also released by fertiliser use in agriculture. The extra methane
is produced in coal mining, natural gas production and distribution (natural gas is methane), and
waste disposal. One fifth of all methane generated by human activity comes from microbial decay of
organic material in flooded rice fields. 

There are some natural greenhouse gases: water vapour, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane and
ozone. However, over the past fifty years, production of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane
has risen sharply, and a new type of chemical - the chlorofluorocarbon, or CFC - has been introduced
as a refrigerant, solvent and aerosol propellant, but it is also a very powerful greenhouse gas,
because it can trap a lot of radiation - one molecule of CFC is 12,000 to 16,000 times as effective at
absorbing infra-red radiation as a molecule of carbon dioxide. 

The carbon dioxide comes mainly from burning fossil fuels in power stations, which also causes acid
rain. It is also created by living animals breathing, and is naturally converted by plants back to oxygen.
However, deforestation is reducing the planet's carbon dioxide absorbing capability. Nitrous oxide is a
by-product of nylon production, and is also released by fertiliser use in agriculture. The extra methane
is produced in coal mining, natural gas production and distribution (natural gas is methane), and
waste disposal. One fifth of all methane generated by human activity comes from microbial decay of
organic material in flooded rice fields. 

As a conclusion I would like to say that we should take an immediate action to overcome this life
threatening issue so that our future generation could enjoy the earth’s beauty without any disturbance.

Thank You.