Causes of Global Warming - Essay Example

?GLOBAL WARMING By Introduction Presently, global warming is one of the grave issues that the global population isfacing as it has created effects on agriculture and on the quality of life. Global warming causes real and measurable effects and the greatest contributor to global warming is human activities that continue to exploit nature. In essence, global warming refers to the rising of the average temperature in the atmosphere of planet earth that may result from human causes or from natural causes (Haldar 10). Thesis statement: Global warming is a principle threat to the existence of all living organisms on earth, such that if right measures are not put in place, there are bigger chances for more harm as discussed in this paper. Causes of global warming According to research, the human population has created a significant imbalance between living and planet earth in which the result has been the occurrence of natural disasters reported over the past a hundred years. Ideally, the rise of global temperature started mid twentieth century because of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions to earth’s atmosphere (Maslin 9). Environmentalists agree with the fact that the global temperature’s have increased by 0.5 degrees and will be on an increasing trend for years to come. Researchers indicate that 1990 was the hottest year of the twentieth century with scientists indicating that the global temperatures would rise by at least 3 degrees within the next a hundred years. First, air pollution and the greenhouse effect are the principle causes of global warming as the former is through factory emissions and vehicle gases (Maslin 10). The latter is through the entrapment of gases by green houses that help the sun to cool off, hence influencing the globe to experience higher temperatures. Over the years, the ozone layer has also experienced depletion as the atmosphere has allowed the penetration of harmful gases that heat up the earth. In essence, the ozone layer is the outermost layer of the atmosphere that prevents the damaging of the earth’s surface from radiations that are cancerous. The depletion of the ozone layer due to the heating up of the atmosphere and the resulting puncturing of the same (Ozone Holes) has allowed cancer-causing radiations to penetrate the earth leading to global warming. Further, the sulfur dioxide gas released during volcanic activities also causes global warming as they tend to cause blockage of the sunlight from reaching the earth’s surface hence distorting the global temperatures. With the rise of the global population, there has been an increase in human activity especially on forest as many strive to attain lands to settle in, which has led to the increased deforestation levels and decreased crop cover. Deforestation causes global warming because the cutting down of trees decreases the production of oxygen by plants and increases the concentration rates of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Essentially, plants take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during the process of photosynthesis in which if forest cover decreases then there would be plenty of harmful carbon dioxide for human beings. On the other hand, the increased use of fertilizers that contain nitrogen oxide as compared to the conventional animal manure has also paved way for increased global temperatures as these fertilizers have heat storage capabilities. Nitrogen oxides have higher heat retention capacities as compared to carbon dioxide and when they get into the atmosphere, they destroy the ozone layer faster hence allowing the penetration of ultraviolet rays. The burning of fossil fuels on a daily basis is another cause of global warming because these fuels contain high levels of carbon (Haldar 11). Burning them increases carbon levels in the atmosphere as there is no complete consumption of the same. In the end, the increased establishment of industries and continued human activities continues to rise, the global temperatures because the harmful toxins that destroy the ozone protection layer hence asserting. Global warming has influenced immense natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and flooding because of the increase in the sea levels. Scientists predict that seawater would submerge costal cities hence destroying the established infrastructure, which would stall development of many developed nations. This can also cause the loss of lives hence making this environmental issue to attract human and research interest. Additionally, the probable effect of global warming on the human population would be a rise and outbreak of both waterborne and airborne diseases due to the increase in atmospheric temperature (Singer and Hodge 170). Further, the death toll will rise because of the rise in atmospheric temperatures, which will lead to the drying up of the wetlands and influence drought (Casper 123). The result of this would be a malnourished and starving population, which would have an immense impact on the global population. Global warming will also influence the extinction of species by 2050 according to environmentalists, which would be the sixth mass extinction in history. In essence, this effect would create discomfort for the human population because humans cannot live without diverseness in population as this could influence the extinction of over a million species. By 2100, ocean acidification and the rise of global temperatures will influence the disappearance of coral reefs and present a danger for the ecosystems because a significant number rely on them for survival (Casper 2). In addition, deserts would increase because of the limited rainfall caused by decreased evaporation, which will in turn affect the agricultural human activity and the crop production levels. Eventually, global warming would prove to be a principle threat to the existence of all living organisms on earth, which would be a social-economic effect (Singer and Hodge 172). In summary, global warming is a principle threat to the existence of all living organisms on earth because the causes and effects of this environmental concern could be dire for the future populations. However, the concerns and possible effects of global temperatures have attracted concern from environmentalists and nations to establish sustainable and long-term strategies to prevent the situation from becoming unmanageable. The first attempt to combat global warming was in 1997 where there was the signing of the Kyoto protocol, but the resolutions passed by that agreement have not been successful in minimizing the effects of this global challenge (Haldar 112). The improvement of the atmosphere is vital as this would sustain life on planet earth through the increase of forestation activities, which would maintain carbon dioxide levels that would not be harmful to the atmosphere (Dincer 179). Further, the human population should develop policies that would enhance the conservation of the environment rather than heightening the depletion of living condition because of global warming. Many of the causes of global warming are preventable meaning that changing the human activities to those that are eco-friendly would be essential in reducing the levels of emissions for global warming gases. Lastly, the entire human race should understand the need to protect the environment in order to prevent global warming from making planet earth inhabitable. Works Cited Casper, Julie K. Changing Ecosystems: Effects of Global Warming. New York: Infobase Pub, 2010. Internet resource. Dinc?er, I?brahim. Global Warming: Engineering Solutions. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010. Haldar, Ishita. Global Warming: The Causes and Consequences. New Delhi: Mind Melodies, 2011. Print. Maslin, Mark. Global Warming. Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 2007. Print. Singer, Merrill, and Hodge G. ,Derrick. The War Machine and Global Health: A Critical Medical Anthropological Examination of the Human Costs of Armed Conflict and the International Violence Industry. Lanham, Md: AltaMira Press, 2010. Internet resource. Read More