Climate Change and Global Warming - Report Example

Climate Change According to Wagner & Sanford (2009), “The sustainability of human life on earth rests on three pillars: environment, economics and social justice” (p.21). Because of serious climate change and atmospheric temperature rise or global warming problems, the first two pillars are facing many troubles at present. Even though the reasons cited are controversial, plenty of studies have proved beyond doubt that atmospheric temperature is increasing gradually. In other words, atmospheric temperatures, a couple of decades before and at present, are entirely different. Some people argue that human activities are causing global warming whereas others are of the view that solar variations are causing global warming. In any case, it is a fact that global warming and climate change problems are causing huge problems to people, animals, agriculture and environment. Extreme temperature is not suitable for sustaining life forms on earth. If the temperature rises beyond certain limits, survival of humans and animals on this earth would be difficult. It should be noted that there is equilibrium, with respect to the quantity of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide from atmosphere for photosynthesis and they liberate oxygen when the process is over. On the other hand, human and animals breathe oxygen and liberates carbon dioxide. Thus, the atmospheric content of oxygen and carbon dioxide follows a ratio all the time. However, when atmospheric temperature increases, survival of trees and plants would be difficult and thereby the ratio of oxygen with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be spoiled. In other words, the content of carbon dioxide increases whereas that of oxygen decreases in the atmosphere because of atmospheric temperature rise. Such a situation is not suitable either for humans or all other living things. “Issues of climate change due to build-up of carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuel relate to air pollution. These issues also relate to destruction of ecosystem which acts as carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere” (Dryzek, p.8). In short, living things including human and animals, may struggle to find enough oxygen in the atmosphere to sustain their lives because of climate change or atmospheric temperature rise problems. According to a report for Oxfam, poor men and women in Vietnam are already experiencing the consequences of the climate changing, and in many cases are ill-equipped to reduce, or adapt to, the consequences. They will be particularly vulnerable as the number of extreme weather events increases in intensity and/or frequency. In many villages women are hit the hardest by natural disasters. They often cannot swim, have fewer assets to turn to for alternative livelihoods when crops are destroyed, and have fewer employment opportunities away from the home. The perception of many villagers and local leaders is that the climate is already changing. The main problems were typhoons, unpredictable weather, and the threat of salt water intrusion from sea level rise and other factors (A report for Oxfam, 2008, p. 3-4). Floods, tsunamis, earthquake, hurricanes etc are some of the weather calamities caused by climate change problems. All these natural disasters can cause immense damage to human life and properties. The frequency of occurrence of these kinds of natural disasters has been increased a lot in the recent past. Many people believe that climate change problems are the major reasons behind it. The occurrence of unexpected weather calamities is causing huge damage to the life environment and agriculture. Human activities are causing huge damages to the environment. Heavy industrialization and increased automobile use result in increased use of fossil fuels. Increased use of fossil fuels causes big problems to the environment since fossil fuels have the ability to release toxic greenhouse gases to the atmosphere at the time of its burning. Land, water and air are getting polluted as time goes on because of unregulated industrialization and automobile use. Moreover, greenhouse gases have the ability to destroy the ozone layer at the top of the earth which is shielding us from the intrusion of harmful radiations from sun and outer universe. “Scientists believe that Global Warming will lead to a weaker Ozone layer, because as the surface temperature rises, the stratosphere (the Ozone layer being found in the upper part) will get colder, making the natural repairing of the Ozone slower”(Shah). Humans and animals do not have the ability to resist the striking power of some radiations coming from sun and outer universe. For example, exposure to ultra violet radiations for a prolonged period may cause skin cancer. Ozone layer at the top has the ability to block the intrusion of dangerous radiations in earth’s atmosphere. The formation of stratospheric ozone layer is taking place naturally with the help of chemical reactions and natural processes in the presence of heat. Heat is an essential component in speeding up the natural reactions needed for the formation of ozone layer. When atmospheric temperature rises beyond certain limits, stratospheric temperature falls and subsequently the natural production process of ozone will be affected. In short, climate change problems not only affect humans and animals but also the environment both on and above the earth. In forests and grasslands increased UV-B radiation is likely to result in changes in species composition (mutation) thus altering the bio-diversity in different ecosystems UV-B could also affect the plant community indirectly resulting in changes in plant form, secondary metabolism, etc. These changes can have important implications for plant competitive balance, plant pathogens and bio-geochemical cycles (Sivasakthivel and Siva Kumar, p.35). Biodiversity is necessary to keep human life and animal life intact in this world. It should be noted that each life form in this world is interconnected each other in some ways. In other words, destruction of some animal species may cause problems to other animals. For example, destruction of snakes may cause increase in the number of rats since rats are the major food for snakes. When the number of rats increases in this world, farmers may suffer a lot. In short, keeping the number of all animals in equilibrium is necessary for the humans to sustain their life in this world. However, climate change problems are causing destruction of some species of animals. For example, “Polar bears are the world’s largest land predators, and the most majestic creature of the Far North. But dramatic changes, caused by global warming, are taking place in the Arctic that threaten the survival of this spectacular species” (Climate Change and Polar Bears). Atmospheric temperature rise causes melting of ice from the Polar Regions and hence Polar bears may suffer a lot. It should be noted that ringed seals are the major food for Polar Bears. When melting of ice occurs, ringed seals may escape from the polar region and hence polar bears may not get enough food. Starvation may cause the destruction of Polar Bears. “Wildlife depends on healthy habitats. They need: the right temperatures, fresh water, food sources, and places to raise their young” (Effects on Wildlife and Habitat). Climate change problems have the potential to affect the wildlife and oceanic life in many ways. As mentioned earlier, atmospheric temperature rise may results in destruction of forest as well as the temperature rise in oceanic water. Some animals require cold climate for their survival. Atmospheric temperature rise would result in the destruction of such animal species. To conclude, climate change, atmospheric temperature rise or global warming may cause immense harm not only to human life but also to animal life, oceanic life, environment, agriculture etc. The ratio of the content of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be seriously affected because of climate change problems. Ozone layer at the top of the atmosphere could be severely damaged because of atmospheric temperature rise and pollution related problems. In short, climate changes seem to be a big matter of concern for all living things in this world. Works Cited A report for Oxfam. “Viet Nam Climate Change, Adaptation and Poor People”. 2008. Web. 15 January 2013. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/climate_change/downloads/vietnam_cc_adaptation_poverty.pdf “Climate Change and Polar Bears”. 2011. Web. 15 January 2013. http://www.naturecanada.ca/climate_change_polar.asp Dryzek, J.S. “The Politics Of The Earth- Environmental Discourses”. 2005. Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (July 14, 2005). “Effects on Wildlife and Habitat”. 2011. National Wild life Federation. Web. 15 January 2013. http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat.aspx Sivasakthivel, T. and Siva Kumar, Reddy K.K. “Ozone Layer Depletion and Its Effects: A Review”. 2011. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, Vol.2, No.1, February 2011. Print. Shah, Anup. “The Ozone Layer and Climate Change”. 2012. Web 28 June 2012. http://www.globalissues.org/article/184/the-ozone-layer-and-climate-change Wagner, Travis P. and Sanford Robert. “Environmental Science: Active Learning Laboratories and Applied Problem Sets”. Wiley; 2 edition (January 27, 2009) Print. Read More