The Effects of Global Warming - Coursework Example

Global Warming Introduction Global warming may be referred to as a gradual increase in temperature of the earth surface. Global warming has been majorly attributed to the effect of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases might result from burning fossil fuels and the several human activities which revolve around agriculture and industrial activities. These gases form a layer that would form a barrier to the gases escaping from the surface of the earth. These increased temperatures must be sustained for a long time to be able to create changes in climatic conditions across the globe. Water vapor though is not produced by human beings in large quantities is a significant greenhouse gas. On the other hand, minimal emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere can cause a substantial increase in temperatures. The concentration of CO2 and water are far below that of oxygen and nitrogen which are the greenhouse gases. Their effect supersedes that of oxygen and nitrogen because, they are made from two atoms per molecule, and have a higher vibration potential. This ability to vibrate enables them to absorb and reradiate infrared radiation that leads to greenhouse effect (Casper 2010). Carbon dioxide is known to stay in the atmosphere for a longer period as opposed to water vapor that can condense or evaporate subject to prevailing conditions. Water vapor, therefore, tends to adjust to the prevailing conditions to strike a balance between the energy flows from the sun and radiation which emanates from the earth surface. Carbon dioxide then becomes the determining factor because it remains relatively constant for a long time. The higher the amount of carbon dioxide, the higher the temperatures at which the balance between the energy flow from the sun and the radiations from the earth surface occur. These higher temperatures in turn will require the presence of much water vapor to react. Human activities have resulted to increased atmospheric CO2 by approximately thirty percent (Janin&Mandia, 2012). This is due to an upsurge in fossil fuel combustion as well as changes in different carbon isotopes found in the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide which is in tandem with the anthropogenic emissions. If this state of affairs is not addressed then we are likely to realize carbon dioxide concentrations that have never been seen on earth in the last fifty million years. The production of electricity from burning of the fossil fuels, in various transport means, cement manufacture and for heating are the major contributors of carbon dioxide annually. This in turn boosts the level of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that is startling and disturbing. Effects of global warming Global warming is an issue that traverses every aspect of humanity, and no one is spared across the globe as far as the impact of global warming is concerned. The results are notable in several spheres of life like on climate, human beings, animals, photosynthesis, and the earth and the environment at large. According to the intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPCC) report of 2001, the following constitute the effects of global warming. Temperature increase of the entire globe is the major evidence of a sustained global warming over the past several years. The evidence if increases overall global temperatures can be seen on several environmental components like the melting of glaciers and ice caps. There is visible melting of glaciers as is witnessed on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. The top of the mountain was initially covered with permanent snow all year round. Melting is also visible in the Glacier National park of the United States and Canada, and it is projected that it will be extinct in the next few decades. Another area where there exists glaring glacier shrinkage is in the European Alps (Casper, 2010). Melting of the ice caps has also propelled loss o habitat and shortening of feeding period for the polar bears. Also evident, is the break-up of ice on rivers and lakes and thawing of permafrost. The additional ice has finally led to rising seawater levels. The effect of a higher sea level will be felt by the low lying islands which could entirely be submerged under the sea over time. Coastal cities are also at risk; an increase in the sea levels could lead to flooding of the towns that could make them inhabitable to the population of humans. In addition to this destruction of habitat by the flooding, salty sea water will also destroy the natural soils that non-aquatic plants rely on for anchorage. As a result, there will be a possibility of the sea levels modifying the plantation of the environment that it affects (Janin & Mandia, 2012). The warming experienced by the oceans has led to suffering by the coral reefs. They are undergoing a process of bleaching whereby they turn white and subsequently die because they cannot withstand the higher temperatures. The seasons have become very unpredictable. In some cases, spring comes so early, and this affects patterns of bird and fish migrations. According to a satellite documentary, it is revealed that in the northern hemisphere, growing seasons have become longer. Changes in the rainfall patterns have also been witnessed; there are situations like the El Nino, which has significantly affected the weather patterns in South and North America. Hurricanes, droughts and flooding have rocked most of the world due to changes in rainfall patterns. It should be noted that the cause of precipitation is moisture that is carried from water bodies by wind and condensed at higher altitude. The process of formation of moisture requires the heat of the sun and course the heat that is as a result of global warming. Therefore, an increase in global temperatures impacts directly on the intensity of the precipitation received. The location of this precipitation is also changed depending on the intensity of the greenhouse gas emissions in different places. As a result, several areas will receive very high rainfall and others remaining relatively dry. The consequence of extreme precipitation is flooding and storms that can substantially destroy the environment of a given place and change the ecosystem in entirety (Bischof, 2000). Habitat destruction has been evidenced due to the changes in weather conditions. Migrations of animals have been documented a lot owing to the variation in conditions of their environment. Although migrations have been commonplace in the past, the IPCC see the present trends as alarming. On health matters, the IPCC report revealed that there were higher chances of reduction in the mortality rate in the temperate areas due to exposure to relatively warm weather. The benefits were however outweighed especially by the adverse effects of these harsh weather conditions in Africa. As a fact humans require warm temperatures to survive. However, if the temperatures are extreme, the chances of survival remain relatively slim. In Africa for instance, desert life has become increasingly unbearable. The availability of water is limited to oases and sporadic rains. Water that supports human life is essential to human survival and thus at this level, the warming of the globe does not promote human health. Remedial measures to reduce the influx of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The United States is considered one of the major contributors to global warming. That is; US is characterized by high levels of industrialization that results in global warming. However, it ranks below regions like Australia, Western Europe and Canada in attempts to alleviate the effects of the menace. Mitigation measures need to be enacted to mitigate the contributors to global warming. If left without control measures, the world may not be a suitable ecosystem to inhabit. One way of alleviating this is to create large pools below the seas and oceans and use them as dumping sites for the carbon dioxide that is emitted from our industries. This is however very challenging to execute owing to high costs of constructing such facilities. In addition, there are high chances that these facilities may erupt and diffuse into the oceans changing the waters potential of hydrogen concentration (Casper 2010). Secondly the idea of encouraging the growth of phytoplankton on the surfaces of water bodies through dusting the surfaces with an iron. This may boost the uptake of carbon by the plankton; a reasonable quantity of it will go down the waters to the bottom. This approach may be used by the fishing industries to boost their catch levels while also contributing to the reduction of carbon dioxide. As any other photosynthesizing plant, phytoplankton produces oxygen during this process and consumes carbon dioxide (Nebel & Wright 1993). As a result, there will be a significant reduction in the level of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the environment. This method has a counter in because of the ecological imbalances it may cause and more so if done in large scales. A third approach would be the use of the terrestrial ecosystems of the earth to absorb more quantities of carbon dioxide. These systems may lack the capacity to absorb all the carbon dioxide; they may only stabilize the rates but not back to the pre-industrial carbon levels. The fourth possible means is to pump carbon dioxide into the wells from which oil and gas were extracted. However, this may be a very expensive way to do it because the wells have to be identified and prepared to contain the gases without leakages. It will also involve the collection of all emissions including the minor sources of the exhaust gases from cars. After capturing all these, they will be transported and injected into the wells and then sealed. Maintenance will then be inevitable to alleviate possible chances of leakages. Because of most of the problems associated with carbon sequestration, these methods are best suited as remedial measures during the endeavors to coming up with more environmentally friendly renewable energy alternatives. To reduce the effect of gases that are emitted into the environment due to fossil fuels, there is a need for different governments to reduce reliance on fossil fuels as the primary source of energy. The use of oil to produce electricity should be discouraged by making inventions like solar power systems cheaper to the population to encourage their acceptability in regions where there is much sunshine for much of the day. Geothermal and hydropower energy can also be developed as part of the campaign to produce clean, efficient energy that is sustainable to the environment. The healthy environment can only be possible through positive legislation of intergovernmental agencies to wholesomely deal with the problem at a global stage (Dinçer 2010). Conclusion The sustained emission of greenhouse gases into the environment due to human activity and the destruction of the Ozone layer have resulted in the problem of global warming. The effects of the warming are numerous and majorly negative to the environment and the human population. As highlighted in the paper, the impacts and indicators include the rising sea levels, sporadic rains and flash floods in different areas. These environmental activities are as a result of the changed patterns of precipitation, the melting of ice caps on mountains and the reduction of the snow cover in the Arctic Circle and the northern hemisphere. All these indicators pose some danger to the ecosystem and therefore an appropriate remedy needs to be taken by all the nations. There is a need for global participation to ensure that the problem is mitigated, and the level of emission of the greenhouse gases are reduced substantially over the next few decades. This would either slow down the rate of global warming or instigate a negative trend in the rise of global temperatures. The responsibility to undertake the task of reducing the level of emissions remains with the population of humans and their ability to care for the environment. Governments the world over should come up with policies to care for their environments especially in areas where fossil fuels are being burnt to produce energy for industrial use. The industrialists should be compelled to put in place mechanisms to proper carbon dioxide management to prevent their leakage into the environment to aggravate an already exhausted atmosphere. The carbon dioxide management can be done by strengthening environmental management authorities in all countries across the globe. References Bischof, J. (2000). Ice drift, ocean circulation and climate change. Berlin: Springer. Casper, J. K. (2010). Changing ecosystems: Effects of global warming. New York: Facts on File. Dinçer, I. (2010). Global warming: Engineering solutions. Dordrecht: Springer. pp 203. Print. Janin, H., & Mandia, S. A. (2012). Rising sea levels: An introduction to cause and impact. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Nebel, B. J., & Wright, R. T. (1993). Environmental science: The way the world works. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall. Read More