How Global Warming Works - Essay Example

Johnny Hoyle Mr. Fortin English 302 21 May 2007 Global Warming Global warming will have an enormous impact on almost every aspect of life on Earth-not only the ecosystem, but on world finances and the health of human populations. As the warming of the Earth progresses, it is predicted that natural disasters will increase in frequency, as will the incidence of certain human diseases; plant and animal species will become extinct as their habitats are destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable. Last year, for example, the Caribbean experienced a period of record-breaking hurricanes. Studies of global warming indicate that this may not be an isolated phenomenon. The term global warming describes increases in the normal temperature of the Earth's atmosphere as well as the temperature in oceans across the world. Global warming occurs because carbon monoxide and additional chemical emissions become trapped under the ozone layer; as a result, the temperature of the Earth steadily increases. The impact of global warming has been researched extensively, and in addition to the extinction of plant and animal species, the human race itself may one day become extinct. It has been suggested that global warming will have far-reaching consequences for all life on Earth. In observing the possible crash on the environment (the blend of all living and non-living basics in a specified area), the extinction of animals and plants as well as land formations are most important. It is thought that more than 120 species of amphibians have already vanished forever because of global warming. The Golden Toad, for example, which was once mostly found in Monteverde, Costa Rica, was one of the first amphibians to become extinct. This reptile was last seen in 1989. Animals are not the only living organism in danger of extinction-plants are also being harmed by the effects of global warming. Several plant species have been confirmed extinct because of radical changes in weather patterns in a number of areas (Abarbanel p57). The Fern Gully in Jamaica is an excellent example of the harmful effects of carbon monoxide on plants and ecosystems. There has been a rapid decline in the population of ferns in this area due to the daily passage of numerous motor vehicles. Beautiful and treasured natural landscapes are being affected in ways which had previously been unthought-of of, due to global warming. Another example of the way in which global warming affects landscapes and ecosystems is the coral reef. These are important parts of the ecosystems in which they live-the death of a coral reef will in turn contribute to the eventual extinction of countless plant and animal species which live in it. The Pew Centre on Global Climate Change issued a report on February 13, 2004, stating that global warming might very well further contribute to the extinction of coral reefs. The report goes further to state that in areas with large geographic ranges and extremely high latitudes, certain coral species are very vulnerable to the effects of global warming, and that there is no doubt that coral species in these types of areas are affected. Plants and animals are not the only species which will experience the devastating effects of global warming. It is expected that the human race will be even more severely affected. Global warming will have far-reaching and destructive consequences, with famine in areas where the climate has been devastated to the extent that growing food is no longer possible, mass migration of people from significantly affected areas, and perhaps even war. Approximately two hundred million people may be affected if the sea-level rises significantly: Vietnam, Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Egypt are on the top of the list. The consequences of a large increase in sea-level in such areas are likely to be severe: a dramatic change in climate, scarcity of resources in affected countries, and perhaps eventually mass migration of people out of affected countries, leading to scarcity of resources in the country of refuge. An example can be found in the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat in June 1997-approximately 8,000 of the 9,439 people that migrated from this area attempted to enter the United Kingdom (Philander, p16). The increases in temperature and the incidence of natural disasters caused by global warming will almost certainly result in famine in the most severely affected parts of the world. This will be, no doubt, partly due to deforestation. Thickly-forested areas experience more rainfall, but as the Earth heats up, and more and more trees are cut to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of the planet's inhabitants, once-lush areas of forest will become dry and barren. Less rainfall in these deforested areas will cause an increase in drought, with famine the likely result. Humanity's instinct for survival may very well cause people to turn to war as a means of obtaining land with the capacity to produce abundant food. Such a scenario has already been played out in Zimbabwe, where the white population took control of arable land, forcing the black population to live on land which was useless for farming. Continuous war and many deaths was the result, and Zimbabwe's present government is attempting to reclaim these lands by force (Ager, p1). The prevailing changes in climate temperatures, ocean currents and landscapes caused by global warming will lead to an increase in the incidence of natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes. The tsunami that hit South Asia in December 2004 resulted in approximately 47,000 deaths in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Burma. Global warming experts believe that although tsunamis are natural occurrences, this one was particularly deadly because of rising sea levels in these areas-the work of global warming. Climatic alterations have increased sea level up to 10-20cm in some areas, compared to known sea levels in the twentieth century. It is predicted that in the present century sea levels will rise more than they ever have before (Mellilo, p183). Record-breaking hurricanes experienced in the Caribbean and North America provide yet more examples of the devastating impact of global warming. In 2005, these areas experienced a total of 15 hurricanes, beating an earlier record of 12 hurricanes in 1969 by a large margin. In fact, 2005 was the hottest year recorded since official record-keeping began in 1880. In 2005, for example, sections of Brazil's Amazon rainforest experienced the most devastating famine for more than a century. This famine is thought to have been precipitated by unusually high temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean (Houghton, p10). Increases in surface sea temperature have, moreover, been an important causative factor for this record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, with 27 named storms and 15 hurricanes in 2005. The effects of global warming are undoubtedly a significant cause of this vastly-increased incidence in natural disasters. These facts bring into question whether or not humanity's historical disrespect for ecosystems has caused natural disasters to increase in frequency and severity. In a National Geographic interview, physical oceanographer Ruth Curry (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Cape Cod, Massachusetts) states that extremely large quantities of fresh water discarded in the North Atlantic Ocean may have changed seawater density, and that this may eventually affect North Atlantic Ocean currents. Curry also says that global warming has increased freshwater runoff due to glacier melt water and increased rainfall. A warming trend of around 1 degree Fahrenheit has been recorded since the late nineteenth century. Warming has occurred both in the northern and southern hemispheres as well as over oceans. There is much evidence of global warming, including the melting of glaciers, decreased snow cover in the northern hemisphere, and warming below ground (Houghton, p14). There are several region-specific examples as well, which show the impact that global warming has on the world today. Low-lying areas in the Indian subcontinent, such as Bangladesh and surrounding regions, are regularly flooded. This flooding can be explained by global warming, which leads to increases in sea levels as glaciers and snow-caps melt-and because water expands when heated, sea levels naturally rise. Experts say that if the sea level increases by one meter, Bangladesh will lose 17.5% of its land. There is an expected rise of half a meter in sea levels over the next century. It has also been reported that two South Pacific islands, Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, have disappeared completely due to rising sea levels in these regions. Rising seas in Bermuda and reported high sea level rises in Hawaii are also attributed to global warming. When temperatures increase, tides and waves get higher. Additionally, the temperatures in the oceans create saltier waters, and this erodes beach lines and vegetation along shores. Global warming may have an effect on our future capability to acquire food-as the climate changes, plants as well as animals will also change, which in turn will lead to a change in our patterns of food consumption. A boost in rainfall is one result of global warming that possibly will have overwhelming effects. First, the quality of crops could be affected by an increase in precipitation. Second, ever-increasing rain may perhaps result in an increase of soil erosion. In addition to these oceanic problems, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are becoming dangerously high. Levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses have been rising rapidly since the industrial revolution. At the same time, populations have rapidly increased in size due to improved medicine and technology. With more people alive in the world, more fossil fuels were being burnt, and more carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide causes heat from the sun to become trapped in the atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. Our daily routines also contribute to global warming-driving a car, cooking, washing clothes and using heaters in the home. All these activities involve the burning of fossil fuels: coal, gas or oil. Almost all jobs somehow involve the burning of fossil fuels, and burning these fuels not only depletes the Earth's supply of such materials-it also results in the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Global warming is a reality. It causes changes in Earth's atmosphere that affect temperature, precipitation, glacial melting, rapid freezing and defrosting of rivers and lakes, sea levels, storm intensity, seasonal changes, human health, and much more. As global warming progresses, the world will see more of these changes take place, and they will increase in severity, possibly to catastrophic proportions. Just how severe these changes are will depend on the course of nature, and on whether or not the human race chooses to take measures to prevent or at least slow the development of global warming. Global warming has been a driving force behind environmental policy reform for many years; however this is a subject of intense controversy and debate in the scientific community, with different causes and outcomes suggested for global warming and associated phenomena. While many people believe these temperature changes are without precedent, in fact the average temperature during the 9th to 14th centuries was so high that it allowed Vikings to colonize Greenland and Canada. This warming was not caused by humans-instead it was due to the natural ice age cycle that has occurred since the formation of the Earth. These are caused by fluctuations in the sun's intensity, and the "wobble" of the Earth's axis, which takes approximately 23,000 years (a "Great Year") to go from one extreme of 48deg to the next (Mellilo, p184). The most logical explanation for the warming is the use of land. It has been documented and proven that the use of land changes the amount of energy absorbed and reflected by it (Joyce). When land is used to build a city, the energy is reflected onto other objects by pavement, cars, and buildings. Open land reflects the light into the atmosphere. This is why cities are always hotter than the countryside, and why increasing city density causes temperatures to increase over time. Scientists estimate that the global temperature will rise 5 to 9 degrees by the middle of the 21st century, accompanied by a sea-level rise of one to four feet. Five degrees may not seem like a drastic change, but in the last ice age at the beginning of the Quaternary period, the average temperature was only five degrees colder than it is now. Thus, our actions are warming the earth enough to break out of an ice age. Once the temperature reaches a certain threshold, the polar ice caps will begin to melt. While those living in the Arctic may find that a welcome surprise, the implications for the rest of the world are serious. Even a partial melting of the polar ice caps will cause sea levels to rise so much as to completely wipe out most coastal cities. This includes such cultural centers as San Francisco and New York. Those cities that survive will be battered down by hurricanes much more severe than anything seen in history. Of course, inland cities are not immune either. Rather than floods, they will face drought. Drinkable water will become scarce, and it will become a commodity that represents political power-countries with water will be the countries with power. This means there will be a political upheaval of global proportions. Life as our children know it will be completely different, and not necessarily for the better. With most of America's lakes dried up and with major trading ports under several feet of salt water, perhaps we won't be the economic leader. When we calculate the present effects of global warming-natural disasters, famine, drought, diseases, financial disparities, disappearing ecosystems, extinction of plants and animals as well as many cases of human death-we may not be very far from this possibility if remedial steps are not taken right away and to good and proper effect. Works Cited Abarbanel, Albert, and McCluskey, Thomas."Is the World Getting Warmer" Saturday Evening Post, 1950. pp. 22-23, 57-63. Ager, Derek. The New Catastrophism: The Importance of the Rare Event in Geological History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993 p 1. Houghton, John. Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, second edition, Cambridge University Press, 1997. p10-14. Melillo, Jerry. Warm, Warm on the Range, Science1999, pp. 183-4. Philander, George. Is the temperature rising The Uncertain Science of Global Warming, Princeton University Press, 1998 p16. Read More