We hear so much about the changes in our climate and the melting ice caps these days that it may seem to you as if we’ve always discussed global warming. Have you ever wondered when global warming became a concern?

Global warming refers to an increase in the air and water temperature around the globe. The average temperature of the earth’s air has increased during the past century. But the earth’s temperature has fluctuated throughout history. Many thousands of years ago, scientists believe that the earth was coated in ice. The ice age ended when the earth’s temperature began to rise. The ice age demonstrated a change in climate that happened without the intervention of humans.

When people refer to global warming, they usually mean the impact that humans and pollution from machines such as internal combustion engines have on the environment. The main concern is how this pollution is impacting the greenhouse effect, which in turn will cause an increase in global warming.

This increase is causing significant problems to occur around the world. If the air temperature continues to increase, even more problems will occur. Most scientists feel that global warming is the result of greenhouse gases. Many also believe we’re already beyond the worst-case scenario stage. They feel that the amount of gases in the atmosphere is at the critical stage. Studies performed by governments around the globe find the same results--the level of dangerous gases is increasing much too rapidly.

Of course, humans have made an impact on the planet, and even ancient civilizations noted that man makes an impact on the land. Global warming has been discussed from the late 1800s. In 1896, a Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, felt that the combustion that occurs when fossil fuels are used can cause such an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the air that world’s natural greenhouse effect could be impacted. Of course, in that time period, the worry seemed thousands of years away.

Fast forward thirty years. In the 1930s, people were starting to notice a change in certain parts of the world. For instance the areas around the North Atlantic and the United States were starting to warm. Most scientists of the time felt this was just one of the earth’s cycles and didn’t mean anything long term.

Two decades later, scientists were able to determine that warming of the atmosphere was possible when carbon dioxide levels increase. Two decades beyond that, the scientists of the 1970s, along with many average citizens, were now becoming concerned about the impact humans were having on the planet. Finally, by the late 1980s, more people were concerned about global warming and the greenhouse effect as better data became available.

Some scientists still maintain it isn’t as bad as experts claim. But most people are concerned about the recent climate changes and the melting of the polar ice caps. Improving our efforts at controlling and reducing pollution is important for all nations. More importantly, it’s important for each individual. Some people maintain there’s nothing a single person can do, but that’s not true. Each of us can help in the battle to reduce pollution. It’s quickly becoming less a matter of choice and more a matter of necessity.