Global warming extremists want us to believe that as global temperatures rise, so does the possibility of complete extinction of entire species. Natural disasters will become more common, entire continents could one day go under water, and mortality rates could reach record levels. It might sound like a bad science fiction novel, but in some ways it might actually be right. At the very least global warming can and will affect humans living in almost all regions. From those living on the coast, to those living on the Arctic plains, no area of ​​our planet is safe from global warming. Understanding that global warming is a reality, how it occurs, and what we can do to stop it is vital to the survival of every living creature on this planet. Almost everyone has heard the phrase about global warming, but how many of us truly understand its meaning? processes that create and contribute to the warming of the Earth? It's actually a lot easier to understand than you might think. When radiation falls from the sun it is absorbed by the Earth. Gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane keep some of this radiation trapped in the atmosphere like a blanket that raises the planet's temperature. This increase is more commonly called the greenhouse effect. The theory of global warming originated in the late 1850s when scientist John Tyndall discovered certain gases that block radiation and trap heat on the Earth's surface. Just like a greenhouse. He suggested that these gases could accumulate to a level that could cause climate change. After much interest and contribution to the theory by other scientists, by the late 1920s or early 1930s interest in the subject was lost. In 1938 the engineer and inventor Guy Stuart Callendar argued th...... middle of paper ....... (2006). An inconvenient truth: the planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. New York: Rodale Press.Henson, R. (2006). The rough guide to climate change (1. ed.). New York: Rough Guides. Rosenberg, M. (2011, March 2). Advantages and disadvantages of global warming. GeographyHome Page - Geography on About.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/advantages.htm Tarbuck, E. J., Lutgens, F. K., & Tasa, D. (2006). Chapter 21. Earth Sciences by Prentice Hall(pp. 602-603). Needham, Massachusetts ; Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.Home Page - Geography on About.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/nexticeage.htmIs global warming Fueling wildfires?http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/GlobalWarming/story?id=2101402&page=1