Global Warming

Haldar, Ishita (1) defines global warming as the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans that begun in the mid-20th century together with its projected continuation.  The term is synonymous with increased greenhouse effect in the Earth, implying that the increase amounting to greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere causes the trapping of numerous solar radiations and hence increasing Earth’s surface. The greenhouse warming effect gets founded on the assumption that the rise in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide will result in a corresponding increase in the average global surface temperature.

 The warming of the Earth gets believed to have started in the mid-1800s. The temperature rise was very gradual at first, however in the late 20th century the Earth’s surface temperature began rising more rapidly. From the start of the 20th century to the end, the Earth’s surface temperature elevated, 0.74 ± 0.180C (1.33 ± 0.32 0 F).

Causes of Global Warming

Global warming gets caused by various natural or man-made Earth’s conditions described in this section. The rapid concentration elevation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the recent past get attributed to being the primary causes of global warming in the Earth surface (Ward, Peter Langdon, 36). Carbon dioxide gets produced on the Earth’s surface by different natural and manmade processes that include cement production, burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas in industrial processes and automobiles, deforestation, decomposition, ocean release and respiration, and volcanic eruptions. The sources of methane which is another greenhouse gas are landfills, nitrous oxide from fertilisers, agriculture, deforestation and gases used for industrial processes and respiration. Energy activities and processes contribute to the largest global greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent, land use contributes to 23 percent, waste contributes to four percent and industrial processes contribute to three percent. The gases significantly contribute to the greenhouse effect that has led to the rise of the earth’s temperature by approximately twenty-four percent. Carbon dioxide, for instance, is responsible for twelve percent of the greenhouse effect and methane leads to between five to ten percent of global warming. Water vapour causes thirty-six percent of the greenhouse effect and ozone is responsible for three to seven percent of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect simply gets explained as the absorption of some of the heat radiated from the Earth’s surface, reradiate the heat back towards the earth repeatedly, hence trapping the heat in the earth’s atmosphere resulting in temperature increase (Johnson, Rebecca L. 6-10).

Global warming gets caused by volcanic emissions and solar activity. The solar variation theory states that the sun has been gaining strength and has become strongest in the last sixty years. Hence, this aspect gets associated with global warming. Sunspots also get considered to be a cause or catalyst of global warming. The number of sunspots in a region influence the specific period the nearby landscape takes to cool down. The sun which is the main source of earth’s energy absorbs approximately seventy percent of the earth’s solar flux hence increasing the temperature of the earth’s surrounding.

Changes in the Earth’s orbital characteristics are a natural cause of global warming. The modifications in the shape of the earth’s orbit around the sun and the tilt of the earth’s axis alter the amount of solar energy that gets received by the earth. This orbital forcing hence results in earth’s temperature increase thus causing global warming.

Impacts of Global Warming

Global warming has led to more extreme weather in the Earth as compared to the ancient past. Some of the extreme weather patterns include an increase in the frequency of warm spells or heat waves over most land regions around the world as well as extended drought periods and its adverse effects (Fuchs, Ralph, 10-15). Another extreme weather is the increase tropical cyclone activity. Increased extreme high sea level except tsunamis is also another incidence of severe weather.

Global warming has also had a significant impact on social and economic aspects of human. These include the impact on agriculture and food supply, impact on water sources and increased pressure on groundwater supplies, increased uncertainty in electricity supply, migration, health, etc.

Glacier retreat and disappearance in the northern and southern hemispheres and also mountainous areas in Europe is also another impact of global warming. The extreme reductions in glacier extent and the thickness of glaciers have led to the rise of the sea level. The sea level has been rising by 0.2 cm each year. Another effect of global warming on oceans is the warming of the ocean surface causing the rise in temperature stratification.

Global warming has also had a severe impact on the bio-geo-chemical cycles. It has an effect on the carbon cycle in an interactive “feedback” process.

Responses to Global Warming

There have been numerous international, national, state and local actions that aim at minimizing the causes of global warming as well as preventing them and also mitigating the impacts of global warming. There have been increasing calls and actions to prevent carbon emissions. One significant action is the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that commits member states to reducing greenhouse gases emissions in their respective nations (Oberthür, Sebastian, and Hermann E. Ott, 1-20).

 References

Fuchs, Ralph. Global Warming - Impacts and Consequences of Global Warming: GRIN Verlag, 2007): 10-15

Johnson, Rebecca L. Understanding global warming. Lerner Publications, )2008): P. 6-10

Haldar, Ishita. Global warming: the causes and consequences. Mind Melodies, (2010): p. 1

Oberthür, Sebastian, and Hermann E. Ott. The Kyoto Protocol: international climate policy for the 21st century. Springer Science & Business Media, (1999): 1-20

Ward, Peter Langdon. What Really Causes Global Warming?: Greenhouse Gases or Ozone Depletion?. Morgan James Publishing, (2015): p. 36

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in customized research

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