Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change, and Global Warming - Coursework Example

Global Warming Introduction Global Warming is an expression brought in to use in order to delineate a steady increment in the standard ground and atmospheric temperature of earth across the whole planet. According to several measurements, the global temperature has augmented by about a degree Fahrenheit in the past epoch (White Paper [1], 2002). This fashion of warming all throughout the epoch when the activities performed by the humans started to increase the Carbon Dioxide or CO2 and other associated green-house gases in the atmosphere. Even though, many science-veterans construe to the fact that an augmentation in the emissions may tend to result in further global warming, various ambiguities stay about the timing and criticalness of the consequential climatic transformation. However, many other science-veterans are induced about the fact that the activities which are performed by humans are partially held responsible for the long period warming of the past epoch. Moreover, they also believe that the climatic transformations which are a result of the increment in the greenhouse gases will continue to be a part of our future (White Paper [1], 2002). They also suppose that there are adequate confirmations to assure a considerable approach towards reducing the substantial results of global warming. 2. Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change, and Global Warming Significantly, too often, we misapprehend Global Warming as Ozone Depletion which is all the more different. Whilst, Ozone depletion refers to the tapering of the ozone layer in the stratosphere extending approximately between nine to thirty-one miles above the surface of the earth, Global Warming refers to an increment in the earth’s standard temperature. Science-veterans are quite sure about the green-house effect. They are fully cognizant of the fact that green-house gases make the earth warmer by means of entrapping the heat in the atmosphere. On the other hand, climatic transformations are the ling-term standards of a region’s events of weather that are humped collaboratively. As per the views of Schneider, the green-house effect and global warming have evolved from academia and government organizations to blend with the prominent chores (Schneider, 1990). Climatic transformations delineate a change in the long-term weather designs. They either become warmer or colder with substantial increment or decrement in the annual amounts of rainfall and snowfall (White Paper [1], 2002). The current global warming as well as the inventory of instantaneous climatic transformations in the geographical accounts has propelled the climatic transformations in to front position of scientific investigation with a substantial deal at risk for the human citizenry. Nevertheless, there is no such explicit cause-and-effect solution to the argument of the essential reason behind the global climatic transformation and as a result, must be reliant on the experiential statistics to compute the likely fundamental mechanisms. Regardless of the media accusations over the current reports, there exists no flexible confirmation that Carbon Dioxide is the result for global warming. Moreover, the reports also suggest that computer model replications are all based on the same postulations. Over the past epoch, global warming has resulted in calamitous anticipations for the up-and-coming century and arguments amongst the scientists regarding the causes and effects of Global Warming. However, according to Easterbrook, there is a certain amount of uncertainty with regards to risen global temperatures all throughout the previous centuries. The average global surface temperatures have not been linear although, but for the past decades, the global temperatures have warmed and cooled considerably in cycles of 25-35 years, prior to the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. All in all, the warming and cooling patters in both the Northern and the Southern Atmosphere follow one and the same pattern (Easterbrook, 2007). 3. Causes of Global Warming The standard temperature of the globe, as discussed above, has added to more than a degree Fahrenheit and the speed of warming has substantially been increasing since the late twentieth century. More or less, all the science-veterans who have been examining the climatic accounts of the earth have the same assumptions with regards to the human activities such as the discharge of green-house gases from vehicles, burning forests and possibly, the foremost authority that drives this trend. As we have discussed before, the key cause of global warming is the emission of green house gases such as carbon-dioxide, methane, etc. in to the surroundings. Noticeably, the key source of carbon-dioxide is the power plants for the reason that they emit substantial amounts of carbon dioxide which is generated from burning fossil fuels for the cause of the generation of electricity (Article, 2009). In most of the developed countries, the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted in the atmosphere originates from the burning of gasoline in the engines of vehicles. Commercial as well as residential buildings also delineate a substantial source of global warming pollution. The erection of such structures necessitates a substantial amount of fuel to be burnt which gives off a considerable amount of carbon dioxide to the surroundings. Methane is gained from the reserves such as rice, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel generators and is considered as twenty times as efficacious as carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere (Article, 2009). On the other hand, the key sources of nitrous oxide are inclusive of nylon and nitric acid generation, cars, utilization of manure in farming and the combustion of unrefined matter. Moreover, another cause of global warming is deforestation or the incessant cutting down of trees for the purpose of residence and industrialization (Article, 2009). More to it, industrial processes emit green-house gases as a by-product of several non-energy associated industrial activities such as manufacture of cement, lime, iron, steel, aluminum, titanium dioxide, etc, which produce carbon-dioxide as a by-product. Lastly, waste management and treatment activities are another cause of green house emissions along with landfills which augment to the largest source of methane emissions (White Paper [2], 2002). 4. Ill-Effects of Global Warming Global Warming results in to many negative situations which have already taken place in today’s scenario. It is necessary to cease them as soon as possible for when the time arrives, all these effects would tend to represent themselves in an appearance of chain-reactions. With an increment in the temperature, water evaporates swiftly which possibly condenses to form clouds and fall as rain or snow. Noticeably, the rainfall does not evenly disseminate and the increased evaporation tends to worsen the dry situations, thereby, giving rise to drought. This results in the depletion of plant-life and hence, it would reduce carbon-dioxide intake out of the air, thereby, worsening the conditions. On the other hand, when the temperature rises, it causes substantial amounts of ice to melt, thereby, letting all the fresh water flow in to the oceans. This results in the dramatic rise of the sea level which may cause floods and coastal areas to submerge. As a point in fact, a number of homes and lives will be depleted as coastal areas would go under-water. Moreover, islands face substantial danger and crops may get damaged leading to depletion in the production of food. Lastly, a transformation in the temperature would construe to a significant change in the weather conditions. Global warming tends to strengthen winds and storms which transform the overall climatic conditions of the planet, followed by various chain-reactions. We can envisage the future to be a lot more different than it is now by such a fact. The intensification of such factors may bring to us some considerable disasters which might be difficult to combat in the future. 5. Our Contribution in the Reduction of Global Warming The emissions of the alleged green-house gases may considerably affect the climate on earth. In order to fight against the problem, the Kyoto Protocol was introduced in the year 1997, which spells out enumerated targets for all the industrialized nations for the early twenty-first century (Hagem, 2006). All the industrialized nations which failed to sanction the protocol would obtain an endowment of emission permissions in correspondence to their emission aim for the given period of time. The emission authorizations can be traded by means of which, the dissemination of cost can be set apart from the dissemination of emission reductions (Hagem, 2006). Practically, customization of the human activities which augment carbon dioxide to the atmosphere needs to be taken in to account (Article, 2006). Generally, most of our contributions to the global warming are relevant to the modes of travel we opt for. If we choose forms of long-distance travel other than air, we can reduce the augmentation of the green-house gases in a significant way. Another way to fight global warming is to purchase energy-efficacious implements, along with keeping the older ones in service, for the reason that wastefulness may transform in to energy waste. Moreover, minimization of the heating and cooling in the home itself may add on to the reduction of individual contribution to the climatic transformations whilst, lowering monthly billings (Cross, 2006). Insulation and weather-stripping of our houses is another considerable source to reduce the usage of energy. If at all, the utility offers various check-off alternatives for replenished power reserves like wind or solar, it is appreciable to choose them for the reason that it may result in earth transforming in to a much healthier planet. Lastly, planting trees would remove tons of carbon-dioxide which would otherwise augment to the global warming (Cross, 2006). Work Cited Page 1. Article. Reduce Global Warming. Ntional Forest Foundation, 2006. 8 April, 2009 . 2. Article. "Global Warming Awareness". Globalwarming.org.in. 2009. 8 April 2009 . 3. Cross, Karen. Individual actions to help stop global warming. The Environmental Magazine, Buzzle Staff and Agencies, 2006. 4. Easterbrook, D. J. Geologic evidence of recurring climate cycles and their implications for the cause of global warming and climate changes in the coming century. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 39, No. 6. 2007. 5. Hagem, Cathrine. Combating Global Warming – A Contribution from Developing Countries. W. Østereng (ed.), Consilience.Interdiscipliinary Comunications 2005/2006. Oslo: Centre for Advanced Study. 6. Schneider, Stephen H. Global Warming: Are We Entering the Greenhouse Century?. James Clarke & Co., 1990. xiii. 7. White Paper [1]. What Is Global Warming?. NOAA/NASA/EPA Climate Change Partnership. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2002. 8. White Paper [2]. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory. NOAA/NASA/EPA Climate Change Partnership. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2002. Read More