Causes and Effects of Global Warming

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
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Causes and Effects of Global Warming
Global Warming
Global warming usually means an increase in the average temperature of the whole world in general. Experts say that the average temperature has risen by about 2 degrees Celsius. The most affected areas include regions that lie close to the poles, the Arctic and the Antarctic. The continually increasing global temperatures are responsible for a host of disasters all around the world. These hazards range from floods, hurricanes, heat waves and avalanches. Combined, they take a large number of lives yearly and destroy property and infrastructure worth billions of dollars. The greenhouse effect conclusively explains the ever-escalating temperatures. It suggests that the Sun radiates heat into the Earth in a short wavelength. Upon reaching the ground, some of it is absorbed, and a portion reflected back in a more extended wavelength. The reflected rays are absorbed by greenhouse gases hence creating a heat blanket in the atmosphere. Some of the gases also reflect the heat that should have escaped out into space. The central greenhouse gases responsible for this phenomenon include carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone. Other contributing gases include the clouds and water vapour. The constant increase in the concentration of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere brings about a consequent rise in the average temperatures. Different carbon-based industries and automobiles from all around the globe release a significant amount of these harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Deforestation has also played a central role in ensuring the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are escalating.
Causes of Global Warming
Fossil fuels are used to run virtually all machinery and industries built by man. From cars to aeroplanes and processing plants, fossil fuels have always been the epicentre of industrialisation in many countries across the world. However, every time fossil fuels are burnt to provide power, a significant amount of carbon dioxide is emitted. The building of more sophisticated industries and plants only increases the amount that is emitted into the atmosphere. The countries that have the most industrialised economies are the most significant contributors to the carbon problem. This problem endangers the atmosphere and the worlds, average temperatures by a considerable margin. Governments should be asked to adopt policies that ensure different plants manage the carbon dioxide emissions instead of just dumping it in the atmosphere. Failure to comply with the regulation should prompt revocation of their licences or administration of hefty fines.
Trees play an essential role in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem. They are primarily pivotal in the oxygen-carbon dioxide equilibrium since they take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. Deforestation or encroachment of forest cover brings about the deficit in the absorption mechanism of carbon dioxide. The more people keep on cutting down trees for construction or charcoal, the more the deficit leading to ever increasing the levels of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. The plants also emit carbon dioxide when they burn or decay. Forests are one of the most significant carbon sinks on earth. Experts argue that it is because they store a lot of carbon for a protracted length of time. They stand only second to the oceans when it comes to carbon storage. Policies against deforestation should be formulated to discourage the trend. Where people have invaded the forest cover, reforestation is needed. Further land should be set aside to plat more trees to restore the balance and consequently manage global warming.
Another primary cause of the global warming problem is the emission of methane into the environment. Methane escapes when bacteria break down organic material in the absence of oxygen or where there is insufficient supply. This breakdown often happens when biodegradable material trapped under ocean water begins to decay. Leakages in natural gas also contribute a mainly of the total methane emitted to the atmosphere annually. Masses of ice and methane usually in the ocean floors are also a significant source of methane. Commonly referred to as clathrates, they release the trapped methane whenever the sea temperatures rise above the melting point. With the current trend in general rise in global average temperatures, there is a high probability the intensity of such releases shall multiply shortly and worsen the situation significantly.
Effects of Global Warming
Global warming brings with it a lot of changes in the atmosphere and climate of the world. The rise in the sea level is one of the most prominent effects of the increase in the average global temperatures. This surge is the result of the expansion of the Earth as a result of the increased heat. The rise is also a consequence of melting ice from inland that then flows following the terrain and ends up in the ocean or sea. The frequency and intensity of catastrophes like the hurricanes have increased steadily since the 80s. Climate specialists term this to be caused by the increased global temperatures. Research has also established an intricate relation between global warming and the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters such as floods, heat waves, and droughts all over the world. It also causes fluctuation in the agricultural produce of many countries as well as an extensive glacial retreat. These effects keep getting severe by the year. This phenomenon shall prompt governments to devise mechanisms that shall enable their countries to deal with global warming as a means of controlling the effects of the catastrophes that bedevil them. Adoption of more stringent regulations and policies like the forest cover requirements and minimising the use of fossil fuel will play a huge role in managing global warming.
All in all, human activity is the primary cause of global warming. In a span of very few decades the level of the sea has risen rapidly, and that has resulted in some of the most destructive natural disasters ever witnessed in human history. From the cutting down of large amounts of forest cover to make space for construction to cutting down of trees to get firewood for cooking, the effects have been devastating. The reckless burning of fossil fuels and consequent release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by far poses the greatest danger to the future of the earth as a healthy place to live. Catastrophes such as droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves are the result of this endangerment. Man needs to take measures and come up with strategies that shall ensure the number of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere is managed and reduced to the bare minimum. Through the building of machinery that uses alternative sources of energy like nuclear and solar or electric energy for power, we might be able to reverse the effects that have seen the world come to experience.
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