Global Warming Challenges - Essay Example

Teacher 18th April Global Warming The world today has become a small place with the advances in the technology and rapid industrial growth. These advancements have brought many benefits as well as drawbacks. The industries that produce different commodities efficiently also hinder the efficient working of the natural system. The natural system consists of air (atmosphere), water (hydrosphere), rocks (lithosphere) and living things including our selves (biosphere). This essay will focus the atmosphere and biosphere that how the activities of human beings affect the atmosphere and how these activities can be stopped. (Nebel and Wright) As the industries produce different things, they burn fuel as a result of which pollution is created. The most common outcome of the burning of fuel is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is one of the members of the green house gases which include water vapors, nitrous oxide and methane as well. These emissions of carbon dioxide raise the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in ppm (parts per million). Greg Craven book, “What’s the Worst that could happen?” illustrates the planet as a bath tub and shows carbon inflows and outflows. There, the safe level of carbon dioxide is 350 ppm which we have already crossed in 2009. Although the level of carbon dioxide was as low as 280 ppm before the industrial revolution but it then began to increase at an increasing rate and if we keep going like this, it will reach up to 900 ppm in 2100. The prime source of the dangerous carbon dioxide is burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide emissions are measured in gigatons per year (gtc/yr). Although there are other sources as well which even more carbon dioxide but the emissions are cancelled some way or another, like the oceans emit 10 times more carbon than humans but they also absorb massive amounts of it. These green house gases, when present in the atmosphere, trap the heat coming from the sun which otherwise would have been reflected. This leads to a rise in the temperature of the planet and this rise in the temperature is called global warming. Global warming affects many people, plants and animals and those who are unable to tolerate this change die. Global warming nowadays has become a very big problem as it has many adverse effects on living things and the planet. (Craven) There are a lot of reasons to worry about the global warming; some of them are related to individual human beings and some are related collectively to all of us. First of all global warming is causing the snow levels at the northern hemisphere to fall as the temperature there is increasing as well and causing the ice to melt which causes the sea levels to rise. To begin with, the increase in sea level would only be an inch or two. Even a tiny climb in sea levels may well cause flooding troubles for low-lying coastal areas. On the other hand, if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to liquefy and fall down into the sea, it would thrust sea levels up 10 meters, and a lot of coastal areas would wholly fade away beneath the sea. According to IPCC, the sea levels rose about 17 centimeters in the 20th century. People may lose their homes and food sources as a result of these floods. (Strickland and Grabianowski) Global warming can also cause different diseases as the temperature becomes hotter it gives rise to the growth of some bacteria especially to those who cannot survive in colder climates like pathogens. In a study, authors examined how increasing temperatures already are letting insects and microorganisms overrun regions where they formerly were barred by ruthless recurring chills. They believed that mosquitoes are moving up mountainsides, spreading sickness amongst animals previously sheltered by temperature. They also discovered some pathogens reproduce more frequently in warmer temperatures, so there are comparatively more germs around, to cause infection. Richard S. Ostfeld, an environmental researcher at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies also supported the argument. He said “We're alarmed because in reviewing the research on a variety of different organisms we are seeing strikingly similar patterns of increases in disease spread or incidence with climate warming.” (Global Warming May Spread Diseases) Human beings are also affected by global warming, due to floods droughts become frequent causing many people to die of hunger. Countries like Ethiopia, where famines are already very common, can face dangerous problems in finding food and resources. Global warming has also declined the fresh water resources in many countries. The rise in temperature causes the glaciers to melt at a quicker rate and the additional water flows into the sea. The water is simply wasted. Global warming can deprive many countries from fresh water and hydroelectric power as it is generated from fresh water. Ecosystems are changing due to global warming. Many animals are moving farther north because of the rising temperatures and melting ice. It is also observed by many researchers that those animals who cannot survive high temperature have either died or moved north to survive. A biologist also saw that with less ice to live and find food on the polar bears have become skinnier. So all the living things are affected by global warming and it should be stopped and prevented at any cost. Preventing global warming is not a very difficult task if one is determined. First step would be to cut the level of Carbon dioxide in the environment. This can be done by speeding up the process of carbon sequestration. Planting new trees will cause the level of Carbon dioxide to decline as trees take up Carbon dioxide to make their food. The level of Carbon dioxide can also be lowered by other high tech ways like injecting pressurized Carbon dioxide into the ground and fertilizing phytoplankton etc. Complete your part to decrease waste by opting for reusable commodities as a substitute of disposables. Buying products with minimum wrapping will facilitate to trim down waste. And whenever you can, reprocess paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling plant at your place of work, school, or in your neighborhood, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your domestic waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per annum. Moreover if the electricity or any sort of energy generated for any purpose is generated using renewable resources then it helps to curtail the level of Carbon dioxide. This in turn reduces global warming and helps normalize the natural balance. In addition to that the appliances that we use should be energy efficient to save energy as well as reduce the Carbon dioxide level. For example the incandescent light lamp that emits 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year can be replaced by a compact fluorescent light bulb which saves much energy. Regular maintenance of vehicles makes them work efficiently and they use up less fuel and produce less Carbon dioxide. Lastly one should tell his children, siblings and colleagues about this matter so that they may also contribute in limiting the effects of Global warming. (West) So some simple amendments in our life can help us solve a big problem of Global warming. Works Cited Nebel, Bernard and Wright, Richard. Environmental Science: The Way the World Works. Prentice Hall College Div. 1999. Print. “Global Warming May Spread Diseases”. cbsnews.com, CBS NEWS. 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 22. Apr. 2012. Strickland, Jonathan and Grabianowski, Ed. “How Global Warming Works”. science.howstuffworks.com, How Stuff Works. n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. Craven, Greg. What’s The Worst That Could Happen? New York: Perigee Trade. 2009. Print. West, Larry. “Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming”. environment.about.com. About.com environmental Issues. n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. Read More