Global warming has become one of the most controversial topics in the recent years. It has been a subject of debate among the scientific and even political circles on whether or not humanity should step up in curbing the effects of global warming. But how did we have global warming in the first place? What happened to our Earth that it resulted to an increase in global temperatures and rising sea levels?

There are two different schools of thought that are being argued: man-made or through natural causes. There is also a possibility that global warming is caused by both.

Natural causes

Some scientists and experts claim that global warming is being created by Earth itself. One of these natural causes is the release of methane gas from the arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane is a type of greenhouse gas, which traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Another reason they say is the cyclical climate change, citing that the Earth undergoes major changes in climate patterns every 40,000 years.

Man-made causes

Some say that humankind did the most damage to the Earth's atmosphere, with pollution being the number one man-made reason for global warming. Pollution comes in different forms, from the burning of fossil fuels that results to release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, to mining for coal and oil that allows methane to escape.

Another major man-made cause for this phenomenon is human population. With more and more people living around the world, the demand for food and other basic needs became important. This leads to more infrastructure and agricultural projects that sacrifice the Earth's environment by cutting down trees to make way for more land.

An increase in transportation has caused more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, mainly because of more exhaust from cars and other vehicles. Add to that, we breathe out carbon dioxide, which is supposed to be absorbed by trees and plants. However, with dwindling rain forests and smaller tree population, the balance in the atmosphere tips in favor of carbon dioxide and methane, at the expense of lesser oxygen and ozone.

With the increasing temperatures, we could only hope that the powers-that-be agree on a solution to aid our Earth.