Olumide Larry Ogunjobi

ENGL 2216
July 30 2016
Its getting hot in here
Global warming was once a concept that many didnt take seriously. Yet, when
examining of all the natural occurrences that happened within the last few years,
global warming is something that can no longer be ignored. Global warming is
characterized as the gradual heating of the earths surface. It is brought about
mainly by the accelerated decay of our planets ozone layer. Ozone, O 3, is the layer
of oxygen that protects our planet from the suns heat and its harmful UV rays.
Ozone, however, can be characterized in two ways: stratospheric ozone, which is
good ozone, and tropospheric ozone, which is bad ozone. Stratospheric ozone
occurs naturally in the upper stratosphere, about 30 miles above the earths
surface. Tropospheric ozone is formed in the troposphere- the layer that forms
earths immediate atmosphere. The main difference between the two is that
tropospheric ozone does not occur naturally. It is an end result of a chemical
reaction between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds. These
chemical reactions are created when the UV radiation from the sun hits the
emissions produced by factories, cars, and power plants. Emissions such as these
release chemicals known as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which destroy atmospheric
ozone. The result of the destruction of atmospheric ozone is the imminent
destruction of the very thing that protects us. Global warming is a direct result of
ozone depletion. In order to combat ozone depletion, one has to figure out a way to
not only slow, but eventually stop ozone depletion in its entirety.