Global Warming
The earth’s temperature is regulated by the equilibrium between the solar input and its output back to the atmosphere. Global warming arises when greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide combine with the atmospheric ozone layer thus, elevating the earth’s average temperature. Global warming is a real phenomenon that has been facilitated by human activities. Since the industrial revolution the use of machinery for the industries and transport sector was increasing significant. These machines utilize fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Burning such fuels emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These gases in turn cause insulating effect by trapping heat particularly near the surface of the earth causing a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect (Silverstein et al 5). Planet earth appears to be the sole planet to have water in, liquid and solid forms irrespective of the varied conditions in the planet. There are poles filled with glacier, dry and cold deserts, tropical and temperate regions which enhance biodiversity. The atmosphere on the other hand is very effective in ensuring that life is supported on the planet by creating warmth and shielding harmful solar radiations. This paper will give a detailed discussion of global warming arising from the greenhouse effect, its cause, and effect and management strategy from the global community.
The Greenhouse Effect
The ozone layer allows shortwave radiations e.g. visible light and UV rays from the sun to pass through. When such radiations hit the earth surface, they become infrared radiations or heat energy which is long wave and is unable to transverse the ozone and therefore are absorbed by atmospheric gases to create a greenhouse effect (maslin 4). On the planet, this is crucial for the organisms to inhabit comfortably. Such a process is essential if controlled naturally since it warms the earth surface for the survival of organisms. However, it may become detrimental if human interferes with it through deforestation, burning fuels which could be compared to having an additional blanket. This extra blanket makes the earth warmer which may cause emergence of destructive aspects (Silverstein et al 6). When greenhouse effect exceeds, excess heat insulates the planet which has dire effects on biodiversity. This is followed by rise in earth’s temperature which alter the climate patterns, erodes the ice caps, and thus the rise in sea levels, which is disastrous. Solar energy is however essential since it facilitates biological as well as physical processes in the planet. Solar isolation is reliant on season and the latitude. It is great when the earth surface points directly toward the sun’s radiations. As the angle drifts, the isolation decreases which explains why the arctic areas are cold while the tropics are warm. As a result when a there is a slight interference with this process, amplified changes occur. Solar energy on reaching the earth surface is absorbed and transformed into heat which warms the earth (Maslin 4).
Greenhouse Gases
They include carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide. They are emissions from the industries e.g. carbon dioxide or from fossil fuels for purpose of electricity. Fossil fuels e.g. gasoline also are combusted to propel automobiles. Other gases such as methane which is the second significant greenhouse gas absorbs twenty five more times as compared to CO2 (Maslin 11). It is a swamp gas produced by bacteria in wet areas such as rice paddies and also in fossil fuels production and decay of organic matter. In rice paddies, there is an anaerobic condition where organic matter decomposes and gives out methane gas. Nitrous Oxide is generated from the production of nitric acid and nylon, nitrogenous fertilizers, byproduct in combusting organic matter and in automobiles with catalytic converters.
Causes of Global Warming
Human activities have continued to raise the amount of trace gases such as nitrous oxide, CFCs, and methane in the atmosphere which takes up the infrared radiations more powerfully compared to carbon dioxide. Consequently, global temperatures have risen due to the greenhouse effect caused by the accumulation of the infrared radiations. This continued temperature increase has caused and shall continue to cause a deviation in the natural climate. Another major significance of global warming is that it facilitates decay of organic matter in the soil which in turn produces carbon dioxide which additionally boosts the process of global warming. This is a feed back system that accounts for the atmospheric carbon dioxide. Planting trees would be crucial since they would help absorb a part of the atmospheric carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. As a result, deforestation which has been practiced to acquire more land for the rising population and for purpose of industrialization has contributed significantly to the process of global warming.
Ecologists are concerned about the human activities that lead to the climatic changes which have dire consequences. Such global alterations as a result of human activities involves escalating the atmospheric carbon dioxide e.g. through fossil fuel burning. In 2007, the Global Carbon Project pointed out that from the year two thousand, the content of atmospheric carbon dioxide was rising by 35% speedier than what is anticipated. Close to half of these emissions are attributed to fossil fuels combustions .and the rest is from the natural carbon dioxide sinks present in the planet (Silverstein et al 25). Interference with the nitrogen cycle through more manmade nitrogen fixation processes such as the leguminous plants, fertilizers as well as a derivative of burning exceeds the natural way of nitrogen fixation. As a result, the earth’s biogeochemistry is interfered with. The use of fossil fuels and encroachment through land use e.g. clearing vegetation and through urbanization are the main aspects that contribute to global warming. As a result, climatic modifications unswervingly influence the biota of the planet leading to problem in biodiversity (Vitousek 1).
Effects of Global Warming
While species have adapted to modifications in climate in the course of evolution, the swift rise in global temperature is worrying. This is so because the species in the planet are reflecting physiological constrains due to the rising temperatures. This problem while combined with other environmental issues such as habitat demolition has dire effects on the plants and animal kingdom, which may lead to their extinction. For instance, the rising combustion of fossil fuels, burning forests and industrial emissions, which emit significant carbon dioxide, contents in the atmosphere is one way that climatic change has occurred. Such emissions are taken in by the marine and terrestrial ecosystems which are responsive to climate any slight changes.
The issue of global warming has raised a global concern due to the detrimental consequences it has to the environmentally, socially, economically and politically. There is an alarm that the rising average temperature of the planet has ecological alterations such as rising seal levels and modifications in weather patterns which have resulted to flash floods, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves among others. Summers are thought to be hotter unlike in the past which evidently indicates the effects of global warming. In addition, more significant effects such as effects are felt on agriculture and fishing. Moreover, the glacier is receding in North and South poles, which result to rising sea levels. Other consequences include more variants disease vectors, species extinction, expansion of deserts etc. The emerging diseases may be attributed to the elevated temperatures where, bacteria are able to multiply more and even survive under such conditions. In other instances mosquitoes can breed more since humidity is enhanced and there are warmer conditions (Moore 4&5). Marine life is quite susceptible to the rising temperatures since water temperatures have to be regulated. The species which do well under such warm conditions will increase drastically while the ones that prefer lower temperatures are at the verge of extinction. For instance, coral reefs may disappear due to the rising global temperatures and accelerated coastal erosions. Therefore global warming will not only lead to irremediable alterations in the ecosystem but also in the animal behaviors.
Is it possible to curb global warming? In deed it is. This is through united efforts to reverse the process by engaging in positive activities such as tree planting and recycling waste products. Thus there is a global urgency to react to the environmental emergency that has continued to confront planet. Many nations have thus passed legislations while others have signed treaties that will aid to safeguard the environment from the effects of global warming. For instance, the Kyoto Protocol is utilized by nations to target at the reduction of green house gas emissions thus, aid in climate mitigation (Silverstein et al 7). Additionally, through global Dimming, global warming can be managed to some extent. Global dimming this is steady decline in the earth surface irradiance due to presence of soot and aerosols, which emanate from pollutants and volcanic activity. They apply a cooling consequence by raising the reflection of arriving sun rays. Aerosols’ effects have no permanent effects unlike carbon dioxide because of wet depositions although disperse and take up solar radiations. They also aids in condensing the clouds to make them slighter in droplets thus reflect the sun rays more readily than the ones with larger droplets. Soot takes in solar radiation which has a cooling effect on the earth surface (Leroux 117).
Skeptics of Global Warming
Interestingly, some skeptics view global warming as a way that the universe is regulating its processes and therefore there is no need to be worried. Global temperature has risen in the past and although it is projected to continue rapidly, the average global temperature has risen by only 0.6 °C in the past 100 years. This change is not very significant such that some scientist view it as a natural occurrence and not a trend which is overemphasized (Silverstein et al 7).They do not view it as an ecological menace but as a way that the planet is reacting to the natural processes such as volcanic action, cloud cover and cosmic rays. Therefore they point out that global warming it is beyond human control. Therefore they observe global warming as a positive occurrence which should not be interfered with. They propose that global warming is advantageous since it will raise humidity especially in tropical deserts and the plants will enjoy abundance of atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis which is essential for more food to be made available. In the planets history, there are instances that the earth has been warmer which emphasize that it is a natural occurrence that the planet adjusts to. The planet has warmed and cooled severally as a result of orbital shifts which are slight. These have altered the atmosphere in the past. However, human encroachment is another external force that has subjected the planet to modifications in a more drastic manner and therefore, the need for alarm.
Conclusion
Climate models are projections that are computerized to determine the future climatic states and are essential in establishing the future trends of global warming. They are also crucial in investigating the current climatic modifications through simulations of past climatic conditions (Houghton 95). For that reason, there has been notable rise in global temperatures which is thought to be worse in the future. This will continue to adversely affect the natural, social and ecological mechanisms in future. Hence, there is a need for the global community to join hands in evaluating the means through which global warming will be curbed. Nations will have to abide to the agreements and such violations would be followed by heavy penalties. In my opinion, scientific innovations such as the genetic engineering would be utilized to modify plants so that they are able to utilize heavily the carbon dioxide president in the atmosphere to reduce its effects of causing global warming. Social lifestyles have to be modified to suit the mission of controlling global warming, hence climate change. For instance, the world has to cultivate sustainability through energy efficiency and in management of industrial emissions through environmentally friendlier technologies (Dincer et al 2).
Works Cited:
Dincer, Ibrahim, Hepbasil, Arif and Midilli, Adnan. Green Energy and Technology: Global Warming. New York: Springer. 2010. Print.
Houghton, John. Global Warming: The Complete Briefing. 3rd Ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University press. 2004. Print.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth or Reality: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New York: Springer. 2005. Print.
Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: A very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004. Print.
Moore, Thomas. Global Warming: A boon to Humans and other Animals. Stanford: Hoover Press. 1995. Print.
Silverstein, Alvin, Silverstein, Virginia and Nunn, Laura. Global Warming. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 2009. Print.
Vitousek, Peter. Ecology, Vol 75, No. 7. Ecological Society of America (ESA). 1994. < http://www.jstor.org/pss/1941591 >
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