What are the main causes of global warming - Essay Example

Global Warming Global warming can be depicted as the upsurge in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, which is enough to cause changes in the global climate. In this context, climate is the average weather conditions of a specific region. Climate is influenced by the latitude (how far or close a region is from the equator), difference of temperatures on land and sea, movement of the earth’s wind belt and human activities, such as deforestation, which can deplete the ozone layer. Dahlman and Renwick, (94) state that “of all human alterations of earths physical environment, global warming is perhaps the most profound”.
The earth’s atmosphere usually traps solar radiation, through gases such as Carbon IV oxide, methane and water vapor; these are called the greenhouse gases, which allow incoming radiation to pass through, but traps and retain the heat radiated back from the earth’s surface (Dahlman & Renwick 96). This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect. Global warming is simply an enhanced form of the greenhouse effect, caused by a major upsurge in the greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. The gases trap more and more radiation leading to an overall increase in the earth.
For global warming to occur, a lot of factors come into play. However, scientists have concluded that human activity is the leading cause of global warming. This happens in two main ways: burning fossil fuels, which is the main cause and deforestation. When fossil fuels are extracted and burnt, they release CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere is the biggest concern because it can last in the atmosphere for generations.
Deforestation only happens to accelerate the problem further. This is because most of the cleared trees, when burnt, also release CO2. Furthermore, we know that forests require CO2 for photosynthesis. In the process, plants are able to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Clearing trees therefore leads to the build of carbon IV oxide, which in turn raises the earth’s temperatures.
Global warming causes climate change (Dahlman & Renwick 96). This is unpredictable and mostly devastating changes in weather such as the Hurricane Sandy and other extreme climatic events such as the melting of the polar ice. These changes therefore call for all the people in the world to join hands to try to reverse and in the end eliminate this process. Among the strategies set forth to combat global warming include afforestation, which is the planting of forests where they were depleted, cutting the use of fossil fuels by using other alternatives such as solar and wind power. The power sources, which do not add to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, are known as ‘green energy’. People around the world are also encouraged to recycle recyclable material such as plastics and metal instead of burning them in a bid to stop the warming up of the atmosphere.
In my opinion, I do believe that global warming can be combated and in the end reversed. However, I do not think ‘encouraging’ individuals to plant trees and recycle materials is the way forward. The fight against global warming should be adopted at national and global levels since it is a global problem. Only by convincing all the world leaders to come together and come up with laws and energy policies that are geared towards reducing global warming, can we win this war. This would also ensure that companies adopt sustainable business model takes notice of the global warming situation.
Works Cited
Dahlman, C. T. & Renwick, W. H. Introduction to Geography: People, Places & Environment,
Sixth Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-13 978-0-321-93502-1, 2014. Read More