Global Warming is undoubtedly one of the most pressing challenges for the humanity and has been the headlines for years. Every organism on this planet is directly or indirectly linked to the environment. Nature has got a unique ability to balance itself. It is the complex environmental issues that affects each individual on the earth. So, my dear readers today we will explore global warming, its causes, impact and finally what can we do to prevent it.
Understanding Global Warming
Global warming is a part of climate change. Climate is the average weather conditions over a place for a long period of time. When an identified pattern of climate of a place gets disturbed for over a decade then it can be referred as climate change. Global warming refers to the average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s Surface which can lead to change in the climate at the global level. There are numerous reasons for the global warming. Although some of it are natural but the majority contribution is due to the human activities
Causes of Global Warming
Human Contribution to the Global Warming
Human being is a the most developed species on the earth. This Development has become the prime cause of its increased desires. In order to fulfill our needs, we human being have taken on such activities that has contributed to the global warming. This contribution has reached to such an extent that all the efforts made to reset the environment seems useless. Some of these activities are:
Burning Fossil Fuels
The burning of coal, oil and natural gas for electricity, transportation and industrial purposes releases vast amounts of Carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. CO2 is the primary Greenhouse gas responsible for the increase in the global temperature.
Deforestation
Trees act as a natural carbon sink by absorbing CO2 during photosynthesis. Deforestation reduces the number of trees, leading to decrease in the carbon absorption from the atmosphere. Thus, it indirectly contributes to the increase in the level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Agriculture
Agricultural practices such as rice cultivation and livestock farming results in release of methane and nitrous oxide which are another potent greenhouse gas responsible for increase in temperature.
Nature’s Contribution to the Global Warming
Nature which is an integral part of our planet and our life, is a blessing full of mysteries and surprises. But at the same time, it can be a threat to the life also. Contribution of greenhouse gases to the environment is necessary to keep the planet warm or else the average temperature of earth would have been -19°c, not being suitable for life. But when this contribution surpasses the required level, it becomes a challenge for the nature itself and the living creatures. Some of these such causes are:
Forest Fires
Forest fires are the act of deforestation performed by the nature itself. We have often seen forest fires in the news such as the one in Chile early this year. These fire not only destroy the natural habitat of many species, but they destroy the species too adding great amount of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Permafrost
Permafrost is a region which has remained covered with ice for more than two years. On our earth most of the permafrost exist since Ice Age. Almost 25% of the northern hemisphere is covered with ice and the entire Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere is a permafrost.
These permafrost’s have trapped CO2 and Methane over a long period of time. Melting of these ice results in release of the greenhouse gases resulting in the increase of the global temperature.
Volcanic Eruptions
Now the human beings cannot be blamed for these eruptions, and it is beyond human reach to control the volcanic eruptions. The volcanic eruption adds huge amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, but it is less than that emitted by human activities.
Consequences of Global Warming
Global warming has great impact on our planet. It impacts the environment, living organisms, economy and many more such aspects. Some of its consequences are:
Rising Sea Levels
As global temperatures rise it causes melting of polar ice caps and glaciers which leads to sea level rise. This threatens coastal communities and low-lying areas with increased flooding and coastal erosion. As per report if the melting of these polar ice and glaciers are not controlled 80% area of countries like Maldives will be under water by 2050. Similar is the condition with Indonesia which led to the shift of their Capital from Jakarta to Borneo, as 2/3 of Jakarta would drown by 2050.
Extreme Weather Events
Global warming intensifies extreme weather events like hurricanes, heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall leading floods and proving devastating to the communities and ecosystems. Recently we have witnessed some of these events, few among them are as follows:
- Floods in Pakistan and South Asia
- Heatwave and drought in China
- Heatwave in Europe
- Typhoon in Philippines
- Hurricane in United States
- Sandstorms in Middle East
- Formation of Heat dome over Canada
Loss of Biodiversity
Although adapting according to the changing environment is the key feature of the living organism but if the changes is too rapid and frequent then it becomes difficult for them to change. As the result, many plant and animal species face extinction posing challenges to ecosystem stability.
Water Scarcity
Global warming affects precipitation patterns, leading to water scarcity in some regions and more intense rainfall in others, resulting in floods. Both the conditions are adverse as they both affect the underground water table. Less rainfall is understood for underground water table falling but how intense rainfall affects it? Yes, the intense rainfall reduces the time for water to percolate down the layers of soil and most of the water runs down the stream and thus rainfall fails to raise the level of underground water table.
Health Impacts
Heatwaves due to changing climates can have serious health consequences for humans leading to heat-related illnesses and the spread of infectious diseases which most of the time becomes fatal and affects the demography of the region all together.
Combating Global Warming
The best part is that the human has got the power to tackle global warming and protect our planet for future generations. What we have to do is to follows simple steps in a consistent manner to overcome this challenge. Some of these steps are:
- Transition to Renewable Energy: Invest in and promote renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and cut down greenhouse gas emissions.
- Energy Efficiency: Improve energy efficiency in buildings, transportation and industries to decrease energy consumption.
- Afforestation and Reforestation: Planting trees and restoring forests can help absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere and mitigate global warming. Social forestry can also be practiced in Urban areas.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Encourage sustainable farming practices that reduce methane emissions and promote carbon sequestration in the soil.
- Reduce, Reuse, recycle (RRR model): we should adopt a lifestyle that minimizes waste generation, encourages recycling and promotes responsible consumption.
- Advocacy and Policy: Support and advocate for strong climate policies and international agreements that addresses global warming on a larger scale.
International Treaties combating global warming
After it was realized that the global temperature is increasing at an alarming rate, there has been several conventions and protocols to fight this situation. Some notable among them are the Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol, Kigali Agreement, Rio Earth Summit, International Solar Alliance by India and many more to discuss but here I’ll restrict myself from further extending this blog and I’ll try to cover them separately in some other blog.
Let’ wrap up today!
Global warming is not just a scientific theory, but it can be practically experienced in the present scenario. We must act collectively and urgently to address this challenge. By understanding its causes and consequences and taking positive steps to combat it, we can make a significant difference in preserving the beauty and diversity of our planet for the future generations. Each of us has a role to play and together we can and together we will build a sustainable future for humanity and the Earth.
Let’s take the action today!
Nice article
Good one