Global Warming Problem - Research Paper Example

Global warming Introduction An environment is the surrounding that people interact during the day-to-day activities. A natural environment is a significant part of the interaction of man as it offers an avenue for satisfying most of the humans’ immediate, simple and complex needs. Research statistics indicates that at least 80% of the low-income people depend on the environment directly for survival with 60% of the global population depending directly on the environment for survival. It is understandable that the environment is a significant factor in the life of both humans and animals thus inappropriate management of the environment would culminate into detrimental impacts both to humans and to other living creatures (Houghton, 2005). Over decades, the relationship between humans and the environment has been unethical especially from the viewpoint of the environmentalist. This has been orchestrated especially by industrialization as well as an increase in the human population thus leading to a high demand in production to satisfy human needs. The increment in industrial activities and human actions as a result of high population growth rate has put more pressure on the natural environment resulting to global warming. In an attempt to intrinsically understand the nature, causes and implications of negative interaction between humans and the environment, this paper will focus on global warming, with analysis of the causes, results and recommendations towards environmental conservation. Global warming Global warming is a systematic rise in the earth’s average temperature and its related effects. Scientific evidence indicates that the climate is warming more than 90% of the additional stored in the climate since 1970. The resultant evidence of the climate change and the accompanied global warming is evidenced in the melting of the ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic regions thus pointing at the future change in events that could affect all living creatures. Scientific findings indicate that the increase in global warming is mainly contributed by an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases and other human activities. However, the future implications of global warming will be different from region to region, which will be influenced by an increase in the sea levels and changes in the precipitation patterns (Kosaka & Xie, 2013). Causes of global warming Global warming is chiefly caused by too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, acting as a cover that holds heat and warms the planet. Life on earth depends on the energy from the sun, approximately half of the sun’s light reaches the earth’s atmosphere, and it passes through the air and the clouds. Upon reaching the surface of the earth, the sun’s rays are absorbed and radiated back in the form of infrared heat. 90% of the heat from the sun is absorbed by the greenhouse gases and radiated back to earth's surface, thus the higher the concentration of the greenhouse gases, the more the heat of the sun will be radiated back to the surface of the earth. Scientific evidence thus suggests that human activities that cause expansion of the greenhouse gases are the major contributor to global warming. Gases like CO2 can survive in the atmosphere for a long time; thus, the heat-trapping effects of CO2 are compounded with time. CO2 puts the Earth at the greatest risk of global warming as the effects of the gas in the atmosphere causes irreversible changes to the damage it causes in the atmosphere. Methane is another of the significant gases in the atmosphere that greatly contributes to global warming. The gas is produced both by natural sources and as a result of human activities that include decomposition of the wastes and agricultural activities. Methane is a more active greenhouse gases as compared to CO2 is present in less amount. Nitrous oxide gas is a powerful greenhouse gas that is produced by soil cultivation activities. The gas is produced in larger scales especially when organic fertilizers are used as well as through biomass burning. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are synthetic compounds of industrial origin. CFCs are equally significant greenhouse gases that contribute towards retention of heat in the atmosphere resulting in global warming (Toggweiler & Russell, 2008). Human activities contributing to global warming Burning of coal for the purpose of electricity production and industrial production is one of the chief contributors of an increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. More than 40% of the CO2 emissions in the United States come from the burning of coal for electricity production purposes. The global market is currently accustomed to flooding of electric gadgets on a daily basis thus making the demand for electricity to increase throughout the world. In the absence of an alternative energy source other than through burning of coal and fossil fuel for production of electricity, the world is at an increased risk for global warming as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to increase. Increased demand for quick transportation activities across the globe has led to increased burning of gasoline thus results to CO2 emission into the atmosphere. The current car culture and an increase in demand for the globally sourced goods are estimated to be a contributor to about 35% emission of CO2 in the United States. With increased population growth rate, there is an increased demand for cars and goods from other regions of the world making transportation activity a necessity. The level of consumption is outpacing the level of discovery for more effective ways to transport people and goods whose effects will result in less emissions of CO2 in the atmosphere, thus, transportation activity is one of the areas that human activities contribute to the effects of global warming (Houghton, 2005). Methane emission from animals is a significant contributor to global warming. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas that is produced when organic matter is broken down by bacteria in an anaerobic condition. The process of methane production takes place naturally in the intestine of herbivores, and with the increase in concentration of livestock, there is an increased production of methane. Deforestation is one of the significant human activities that contribute to global warming. Clearing forests for fuel, clearing land for agricultural activities, and for population expansion diminishes the effects of plant cover in regulating the balance of atmospheric gases. The human activities are in a constantly increased demand for wood for purposes of fuel; paper production, as well as harvesting trees for their palm oil, increases the amount of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This is because, trees are responsible for the regulation of the amount of CO2 through the process of photosynthesis; thus elimination of plants on a high scale would diminish the rate of CO2 regulation in the atmosphere. An increase in the human population demands an increase in the means of production especially of the agricultural products. This is to meet the demands of the world’s population for food supply. With an increase in the intensity of agricultural activities, there is an increased use of chemical substances like fertilizer for farming activities. The application of nitrogen-rich fertilizer has effects on the storage of heat since nitrogen oxide has 300 times more heat storage capacity as compared to carbon dioxide. The storage of heat in the ground as a result of accumulation of nitrogen oxide contributes to the level of heat retained in the earth’s surface thus contributes to global warming (Pielke, Landsea, Mayfield, Laver, & Pasch, 2005). Results of global warming Torrential rains and flooding Statistical data indicate that global warming has increased the amount and intensity of precipitation events over the recent years. An example of 1999 when Venezuela saw its highest monthly rainfall in 100 years, accompanied by flooding and landslide that killed approximately 30, 000 people. On two consecutive days in the city of Maiquetia, the rain fell with an intensity that is normally experienced only once in 1000 years. The increased amount of precipitation results from the increased rate of evaporation of the ground water that is as a result of increased heat level in the atmosphere. A high rate of evaporation leads to the formation of heavy rain-bearing clouds resulting in heavy rainfall. Rainfalls of a heavy intensity, as witnessed in the case of Venezuela, have great implication to humans and other living things as they lead to loss of lives and destruction of property (Hughes, 2000). Droughts and wild fire Beginning 1998 to 2002, less than normal levels of precipitation have resulted to droughts and wildfires in South Europe, North America, and Central Asia. Higher temperatures increase the rate of evaporation and if precipitation does not replenish the evaporated water within the limits of time, significant droughts results. In drier soils, less amount of solar energy is used to evaporate water, which means more energy would be available to increase the temperature of the soil and the surrounding air resulting to more dedicated conditions. Drought and desiccated conditions form primary causes for forests and wildfires. In the event of an outbreak of a wildfire, most indigenous plant and animal species are destroyed thus leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem. An imbalance in the ecosystem would lead to the death of other species that are not destroyed by the wildfire as the sources of their food and survival is destroyed. Rise in the sea levels and flooding of the coastal lines The sea level rise is one of the most certain impacts of global warming. During the 20th century, the sea level around the world rose by an average of six inches, which is ten time the average rate over the last 100 years. The sea level rise results from the expansion of the ocean water as it warms and an addition of water into the large water bodies as a result of melting of glaciers and ice sheets, all which are associated with global warming (Hughes, 2000). An example like in Louisianan, nearly one million acres of biological rich marsh has been lost to the encroaching sea level. A rise in sea levels causes a high amount of revenue in providing mitigation measures in the form of sea barriers as protection from the encroaching sea levels. Additionally, in the absence of a physical barrier like a sea wall, a moderate rise in the sea level would submerge a large portion of island nations as well as densely populated coastal areas leading to displacement of populations. Declining Arctic animal population Global warming has had detrimental effects in the Arctic area as it pound immensely on the animal species of the region. The health status of the polar bears, in particular, is declining due to a decline in the ice coverage in the area. In the Arctic area, ice has declined by an average of 6% over the last two decades while the sea ice season in the Hudson has shortened by three weeks. Polar bears depend on the thickness of ice to walk on to their dens and their main source of food, which is the ice dwelling ringed seal. A declining level and thickness of the ice poses a great threat to the polar bear, which in the recent past has resulted, to the declining in the number of the bears. Less accumulated weight of ice during the winter makes it difficult for the female bears to give birth, as they have to hole up inside their dens and go for months without eating while insufficient ice during the spring makes it difficult for the mother bears to hunt for their cubs. These factors have contributed to a general decline in the average weight of the bears and the number of cubs produced within the last 20 years (Zhang, Douglas, & Leatherman, 2004). Rise in disease outbreaks Many diseases are spread by organisms such as rodents and mosquitos, known as vectors. The distribution and the number of the disease-transmitting organisms are influenced by the weather conditions and pattern. Global warming is a contributing factor for the rise in the level of vector-borne diseases. Higher temperatures from global warming fasten the maturation of some disease causing vectors. The incubation period for a mosquito that is required for it to transmit dengue fever is 12 days at a temperature of 30 degrees. However, an increase in temperature to 32 degrees would decrease the duration of the incubation period required to transmit the same disease to seven days. Higher annual average temperature can increase the season during which vectors are active, like in Canada, ecologists have determined that mosquitos wait nine days more than they did thirty years ago before beginning their winter dormancy. This increases the risk of contracting diseases like malaria in the regions where these vectors are active for durations longer than normal. Additionally, warmer climate can expand the geographical area of tropical mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever (Wentz, Ricciardulli, Hilburn, & Mears, 2007). Recommendations for global warming control Political and economic barriers have been the most hindrance to the development of nuclear-driven energy especially in the middle-income countries. Enrichment of radioactive materials for the production of clean energy source is often met with opposition especially by the developed nations who perceive the enrichment programs as a security threat. However, reduction in the regulatory measures for development of nuclear energy would reduce the dependency on coal and wood fuel as the source of electric production thus reducing the effects of greenhouse gas production into the atmosphere. Alternative management of forests through local and private management initiatives can act as an effective measure for the reduction of the forest and wildfires. Effective management of forests would reduce the incidences of diseases and overcrowding of the forests thus increasing the ability of trees to absorb carbon dioxide, thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In the control of flooding and the effects of floods as results of global warming, there should be development of subsidized flood insurance measure; this will make people living in the flood prone areas less vulnerable to the effects of flooding thus able to continue with their normal life activities even after the flooding (Houghton, 2005). Elimination of un-road worthy vehicles and development of regulatory measures for industrial disposal of gases is a measure that should be taken to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Old vehicles emit a large amount of semi combustible fuels into the atmosphere resulting in an increase in the level of global warming. Proper disposal of industrial gases should equally be a propriety as a mitigation measure to reduce the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases. References Houghton, J. (2005). Global warming. Reports on Progress in Physics.  Hughes, L. (2000). Biological consequences of global warming: Is the signal already apparent? Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Kosaka, Y., & Xie, S.-P. (2013). Recent global-warming hiatus tied to equatorial Pacific surface cooling. Nature, 501, 403–7. Pielke, R. A., Landsea, C., Mayfield, M., Laver, J., & Pasch, R. (2005). Hurricanes and global warming. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Toggweiler, J. R., & Russell, J. (2008). Ocean circulation in a warming climate. Nature, 451, 286–288. Wentz, F. J., Ricciardulli, L., Hilburn, K., & Mears, C. (2007). How much more rain will global warming bring? Science (New York, N.Y.), 317, 233–235. Zhang, K., Douglas, B. C., & Leatherman, S. P. (2004). Global warming and coastal erosion. Climatic Change, 64, 41–58. Read More