Is Global Warming a Genuine Threat to the Planet Earth - Essay Example

? Is global warming a genuine threat to the planet earth? Introduction The phenomenon of global warming is gradually becoming an imminent threat to the living world. The occurrence of global warming has caused key changes in the atmospheric and climatic patterns of the earth. Global warming has caused the rising of surface temperatures by around 1.33 degree Fahrenheit along a period of 100 years ranging from 1906 to 2006. Along the same period the temperature of the Arctic region is observed to have risen by around 9 degrees Fahrenheit (Rosser, 2008, p.171). Further the rise of global warming phenomenon also led to the rise of climatic heat and humidity spreading many diseases which claimed a large number of lives in regions like Chicago. The incidence of global warming also affected the geographical and topographical formations by causing rivers like Mississippi to completely dry up. (Stein, 2001, p.5). The incidence of global warming to a huge extent is rendering huge impact to the pattern of life forms on the earth and thus has become a considerable threat to the planet. Thesis The incidence of global warming is becoming a gradual menace by the annihilation of several species of flora and fauna from the earth’s surface. Effects rendered by global warming generally encompass larger areas of the planet whether filled or not filled with biological species. The intensity of the effect of global warming in annihilating larger forms of biological species is still contested for lack of proper research activities in this direction. High concentrations of carbon dioxide, a potential contributor to the greenhouse effect, in the atmosphere is observed to be the major factors for large number of species to evaporate out of the earth’s surface. Estimates made show that around 43 percent of the total biomass possessed by the earth in major tropical regions go extinct on account of the effect of global warming. Figuratively it constitutes plant species hovering around 56,000 and other vertebrate animals of around 37,000. A more specific observation of the tropical regions on an individual scale shows that various types of plants of around 3,000 have been made extinct due to the effects of global warming. For animal species the number stood to 200 when the tropical regions were scanned on an individual basis. (Malcolm, Liu, Neilson, Hansen & Hannah, 2006, p.539, 544). The incidence of global warming cause rapid changes to the climatic parameters of different regions and thus can be taken as a significant contributor of the extinction of many biodiversity species from the earth’s surface. The cause of the extinction of different life forms on the planet earth has been hugely attributed to the changes in climatic patterns. Estimates made show that incidence of high amount of climatic changes contribute to around 35 percent to the extinction of different life forms. Large amount of human activities like deforestation and other industrial and commercial activities are the potential contributors behind intensifying the effect of global warming. (Thomas, Cameron, Green, Bakkenes, Beaumont, Collingham, Erasmus, Siqueira, Grainger, Hannah, Hughes, Huntley, Jarrsveld, Midgley, Miles, Huerta, Peterson, Philips & Williams, 2004, p.145). Thus it is found that the occurrence of global warming is one of the major contributors behind the gradual extinction of many recorded and unrecorded life forms from the face of the planet. The deforestation of trees and other industrial effects are emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere causing warming up of the climate. Rising climatic temperatures amount to the event of global warming causing the event of extinction of life forms. Anti-Thesis The above discussion hints that a large part of the flora and fauna of the planet has earned extinction owing to the harmful effects of global warming. However such a statement fails to gain much strength for a number of factors have been researched which are not related to the incidence of global warming but cause the extinction of large forms of biodiversity. Research made suggests that large amount of changes in the levels of sea waters caused due to tectonic movements of the earth amount to cause the extinction of many life forms. Further the level of sea changes causes huge alterations in the ocean currents. These changes brought about in the ocean currents amount to disturb the food balance of the different life forms causing extinction (Smith, Gale & Monks, 2001, pp.241-242). The different species of animals and plants spread along the planet have varying amount of ranges based on their group diversity. Thus as the length of diversity weakens among the different species they become amenable to larger forms of extinction. Those with higher ranges leading to extinction often surpass species with low ranges of biodiversity in them. (Brooks, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, Fonseca, Rylands, Konstant, Flick, Pilgrim, Oldfield, Magin & Taylors, 2002, p.910). Apart from the above causes other factors, which lead to the extinction of life forms on the planet, are continuous systems of evolution and immigration of larger species to regions of weaker species. Thus emergence of large species of carnivorous animals causes the gradual extinction of weaker life forms. Similarly migration of stronger species causes competition with the weaker ones endeavoring to feed on the same resources leading to gradual extinction. The mingling of the superior life forms with the weaker ones causes the development of complex organisms which indicate the extinction of their previous forms. (Lomolino, 2000, pp.1-2; Arora, 2003, p.147). Thus it is found that global warming has very less significance to the causes of extinction of different life forms. The large amounts of biodiversity get affected due to large amount of geographical changes, which causes the annihilation of different species. Similarly the constant evolution of complex life forms also amount to causing the extinction of weaker life forms. Synthesis The discussion made in the above section shows that the factor of global warming has very less effect in causing the extinction of life forms. On the other hand, several geographical and biological causes are presented which amount to cause the extinction of existing species. This section would elaborate on the level of significance of global warming in changing the biological strata. Observation made shows that due to the increasing effects of global warming the earth’s climate are undergoing rapid changes with rise in atmospheric temperatures. This in turn is leading to events like breaking down of glaciers and ice peaks causing rise in sea water levels. Rise in sea water levels alters the rate of ocean currents causing mass destruction of flora and fauna growing in their natural habitats. Research conducted shows that increase in the amount of climatic temperatures largely affects the growth, development, distribution patterns and even the survival strategies of different life forms in the planet. This amounts to extinction of the different life forms in the planet. Moreover the incidence of increase in climatic temperatures also signify larger amount of carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. The growth of carbon dioxide concentration levels in the atmosphere affects the growth and evolution of different species leading to their extinction (Hannah, Midgley, Lovejoy, Bond, Bush, Lovett, Scott & Woodwards, 2002, pp.264-265). The harmful effects of global warming yield a greater impact on reducing the yield of various crops and plant species in different regions. Research made shows that large increase in climatic temperatures amount to affecting the growth of crops through the spread of diseases and growth of insects and other viral forms. This causes changes in crop patterns due to the induction of newer technological processes resulting in genetically modified crops. Thus previously growing crop forms become extinct giving rise to much complex forms. Incidence of higher climatic temperatures also causes a significant drop in the nutrient capacity of the plants owing to reduced water levels. This also affects crop growth in different latitudes (Houghton, 2005, p.1386). The event of global warming is increasingly becoming a menace causing widespread extinction of different life forms on earth. Projections carried out by environment scientists reflect that by the close of the 2050 period due to the continuous growth of climatic temperatures the planet would come to lose about a million species of different forms of flora and fauna. Incidence of global warming is expected to cause widespread destruction of many life forms due to triggering events like melting of glaciers causing rise in sea levels. Thus various aquatic creatures like turtles; seals and tortoises are facing the threat of mass extinction in the near future. This mass extinction would lead to hugely disturbing the ecological balance of the earth (Goodstein, 2007, pp.1-5). Thus the event of global warming is surely an event of threat for the planet earth. Conclusion The phenomenon of global warming is really an event of threat for the diversified groups of flora and fauna spread along the earth’s surface. In fact the rise in climatic temperatures of planet earth caused due to global warming is causing havoc destruction in curbing the growth of animals and plants with also producing far flung catastrophes like rise in sea levels and atmospheric changes. All these above facts are making several aquatic and surface animal and plant forms turn extinct. Though several other factors like topographic changes, evolution and immigration tendencies cause the rise of complex life forms making the previous ones extinct yet global warming causes the maximum devastation to this end. References 1. Arora, R. (2003), Encyclopaedia of Evolutionary Biology, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD 2. Brooks, T., Mittermeier, R., Mittermeier, C., Fonseca, G., Rylands, A., Konstant, W., Flick, P., Pilgrim, J., Oldfield, S., Magin, G. & C. 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Thomas, C., Cameron, A., Green, R., Bakkenes, M., Beaumont, L., Collingham, Y., Erasmus, B., Siqueira, M., Grainger, A., Hannah, L., Hughes, L., Huntley, B., Jarrsveld, A., Midgley, G., Miles, L., Huerta, M., Peterson, A., Philips, O., & S. Williams (2004), “Extinction risk from climate change”, Nature, 427(8), pp. 145-148, Retrieved on February 10, 2011 from: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/83/1/thomascd1.pdf Read More