Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the Earth's atmospheric temperature due to an increase in specific gases known as the greenhouse effect. The dictionary even suggests that the greenhouse effect is caused by an increase in pollution, or failing that, of humanity. In fact, 97 percent of scientists would also agree with this implication. Which honestly seems doable at first until all the facts are on the “table” so to speak. Yet there have been reports that have not been openly announced to the public or used in these scientists' research to disprove the legend about the causes of global warming. Even if humanity experiences a small effect from global warming, more powerful natural forces are at work. Many natural causes can explain modern global warming. These forces are Earth's reflectivity in sunlight, orbital changes, and solar influences. The Earth contains natural gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane) that help keep the lower layers of the atmosphere warmer. These gases trap infrared radiation that would normally be emitted into space in response to Earth's solar heating. One of the reasons humanity is blamed for increasing climate change is the burning of fossil fuels, which in turn creates more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The theory is that as population and industrialization increase, so do climate change and the increasing number of humans burning fossil fuels. Surprisingly, after the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s, the climate cooled between 1940 and 1975 while carbon dioxide levels rose rapidly, disproving this idea. Roy Spencer, a senior research scientist at the University of Alabama, says very little research is funded to get halfway through the article...to the correct hypothesis. Further research will one day answer this dilemma. So far, history speaks for itself: long before the appearance of man, the climate changed radically. Works Cited “Global Warming”. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam Webster. and Web. April 4, 2014. “Greenpeace co-founder: No scientific proof that humans are the main cause of global warming. » FoxNews.com. Fox News. February 26, 2014. The web. April 4, 2014. “The climate change debate: man versus nature.” » Livescience.com. Technology Media Network. October 5, 2011. The web. April 4, 2014. “Global warming: natural or artificial? Drroyspencer.com. Dr. Roy Spencer Ph.D. and Web. April 4, 2014. “Global warming: a natural phenomenon”. Qualimetrics.com. Quality measures. and Web. April 4, 2014. “Nature, not human activity, governs the climate. » Heartland.org. The Heartland Institute. March 2, 2008. The web. April 4. 2014.