The Challenge Of Global Warming In World - Research Paper Example

The Challenge Of Global Warming In World The current decade has recorded the warmest temperature since 1880. Scientists state that the earth’s temperature could increase 7.3-Fahrenheit degrees in the 21st century if humanity fails to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil (Abrahamson 67). The result would negatively affect the earth’s climate patterns, and thus, pose a threat to the existence of living things. Many of these effects are taking place in the world today in the form of changing weather patterns among others. According to Gore, global warming is a gradual warming of the planet's atmosphere resulting from the greenhouse effect that is due to high levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons and other gaseous pollutants (112). There are various causes and impacts of global warming. The good news is that different ways exist by which people could help in reducing global warming. Human activities are the major contributors to global warming. They constitute approximately 72 % of global warming gas emissions. Global warming is mainly an issue of the excess amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The gas acts as a thick blanket that traps heat escaping from the earth’s surface thus warming up the earth. Imagine somebody under a thick blanket with a high-temperature heater on! Burning of forests and fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, and oil releases carbon dioxide (Pringle 78). Although there are other absorbers of carbon dioxide, forests are the primary absorbers of carbon (II) oxide to manufacture food during photosynthesis. Therefore, cutting forests to clear room for plantation and settlement significantly reduces the natural sink of carbon dioxide absorption. As more sources of carbon dioxide increase while the natural sinks reduce, the overall result is an atmospheric buildup of carbon dioxide. Apart from carbon dioxide, other global warming gases find their way into the atmosphere. Some of these gases include methane from landfills, and agricultural activities, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases applied in refrigeration, and industrial processes (Gore 23). Different greenhouse gases differ in the ability to trap heat. Some of the gases can prevent more heat from escaping than an equivalent amount of Carbon dioxide. The warming effect of a methane molecule is 20 times more than a molecule of carbon dioxide (Houghton 78). Chlorofluorocarbons and other gases have a thousand times of heat-trapping potential than carbon dioxide (Most countries have banned the usage of these gases). However, the concentrations of these gases are much lower than carbon dioxide. Therefore, Carbon dioxide topples all greenhouse gases in warming the atmosphere. Natural sources of global warming gases are relatively few when compared to their human-made sources. They include volcanic eruption that release sulfur-based gases, dump, and swamps that release methane, activities of soil bacteria, and oceans (Abrahamson 76). Before the ushering in of industrialization, there was a balance between production of carbon dioxide from natural sources and absorption of the same gas by natural sinks like forests and oceans. However, industrialization resulted in new sources of carbon dioxide without providing sinks to absorb the released gases. Therefore, there was an overall buildup of carbon (II) Oxide in air, and consequently, the accumulation is increasing with continued industrialization. Global warming changes climatic patterns. Hot and dry weather resulted in a wild and land fire season in 2006. There were reports of about 100,000 fires that led to burning of nearly 10 million acres of land. It was a record-setting phenomenon, 125 % of the decade’s average(Abrahamson 89). Warmer ocean waters lead to more energy in tropical storms thus acquiring more strength to cause destruction. Warmer temperatures also result in intense rainstorms since it increases the energy of the climatic system. Global warming has increased the amount of water vapor precipitated from the earth surface. Therefore, many places around the globe are reporting increased level of drought encroachment. Houghton states that global warming has resulted in severe health effects (89). Scientists have reported people dying from severe heat waves, especially in North America. The phenomena also could speed up rise in smog pollution in various areas and spark more pollen allergies and asthma (L'Engle 46). For example, the fine particles of the gases can interact with diesel exhaust particles, and the combination may find its way to the lungs. Warmer conditions could also increase problems with local air quality. More than 100 million Americans are already experiencing this effect. Global warming effects have not spared wildlife either. For example, scientists report incidences where some polar bears drown since they need to swim longer distances to arrive at ice floes. The carbon dioxide emission increases the acidity of oceans. Coral reefs and species having hard shells of calcium carbonate are thus vulnerable (Miller 234). Rise in global temperature may interfere with the ecosystem. Those species that may fail to adapt may become extinct. An elaborative assessment of the extinction from global warming discovered that one million and above species could no longer be in existence by the year 2050 if the current trajectory continues. The ultimate result of global warming is a threat to human life and lives of other living things. Therefore, human beings need to realize that they should urgently solve this issue. Any delay and lack of seriousness will further endanger lives on planet earth. There are critical steps that countries can take to solve the issue. The steps need maximum collaboration among people and nations (Stern 84).The most important step that people around the globe should take in reducing the global warming is to set practical limits on the main sources of global warming gases. Nations need to establish laws and policies that restrict the pollution of carbon from all the primary carbon sources. Power plants are number one emitter of carbon dioxide (Gates and Imbrie 78). They release about forty percentages of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Environmental regulatory bodies should establish emission limits for new power plants as well as existing power plants. Cars form the second largest emitters of carbon dioxide. The environmental regulatory agencies should ensure that gas and petrol fuels are clean and of right economic standards. Governments should encourage the public to use public transports rather than personal means of carriage. Governments should also impose high taxes to limit car purchase. Countries should actively invest in green, job-creating industries, as well as clean energy industries like solar and wind power production. Governments need to initiate and develop energy efficiency programs and retooling manufacturing plants (L'Engle 78). Manufacturer of power turbines and solar panels and retrofitting homes will open up more jobs than a similar investment in oil and gas. Thus, developed countries like America should reduce dependency on fossil fuels investments and begin focusing on cleaner sources of energy. It will not only bring life to the stagnating economy, but also go a long way in alleviating production of greenhouse gases. There is a need to break countries’ dependence and addiction on oil and other fossil fuels by encouraging use of cleaner and fuel-efficient cars (Miller 218). There should be retooling of Plants to produce hybrids and plug-in hybrid vehicles that consume less fuel. It will substantially save on gas, and the money saved would go into economic developments. The overall result in ten years’ time will be a reduction in the global warming pollution by more than 300 million metric tons and 2.3 million oil barrels per day. People need to make more energy efficient buildings and homes (Gates and Imbrie 89). Gore says that nearly 40 % of energy goes to buildings and appliances within them (Gore 38). Therefore, modern buildings need to be built according to energy-efficient standards that increase energy saving. People should retrofit existing commercial spaces and homes to save energy by weatherizing and fixing energy efficient lighting, cooling and heating systems. People need to embrace a culture of tree planting and its importance. They need to replace trees they cut by planting at least one tree for every tree cut. Parents can also plant a tree for each child so that as he/she grows up, and the child can be proud of the tree while caring for its growth. It should be a responsibility for each school to encourage tree planting among learners by encouraging them to plant a tree within the school compound and take care of it throughout her learning. The tree planting culture will restore the carbon sink and provide a sink for the excess carbon dioxide emissions (Houghton 68). Global warming is posing a threat to the existence of humans and other living species on the planet earth. The phenomena results from the greenhouse effect. Although there are several greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the most contributor to global warming. The greatest source of carbon (II) Oxide is the combustion of fossil fuels. Its accumulation in the atmosphere causes global warming, leading to rising in temperature. The increase in temperature poses a significant threat to the human health, changes in weather patterns, and melting of glaciers and ice. It also leads to an increase in sea levels, increases drought incidences and may cause the extinction of flora and fauna. People and governments around the globe should actively engage in reducing the causes and effects of global warming. Works Cited Abrahamson, Dean E. The Challenge of Global Warming. Washington: Island Press, 2010. Print. Gates, W L, and John Imbrie. Climatic Change. Santa Monica: Rand Corp., 2001. Print. Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. New York: Rodale Press, 2006. Print. Houghton, J T. Global Warming: The Complete Briefing. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009. Print. L'Engle, Madeleine. A Swiftly Tilting Planet. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. Print. Miller, Debra A. Global Warming. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Print. Pringle, Laurence. Global Warming. New York: Arcade Pub, 2002. Print. Stern, Arthur C. Air Pollution. New York: Academic Press, 2003. Print. Read More