Global Warming: A Man-Made Phenomenon - Essay Example

Global Warming: A Man-Made Phenomenon. Life, as we know it on earth today, is being threatened by the phenomenon of Global Warming. The term denotes “the recent reported increase in the mean surface temperature of the earth; the increase being attributed to increased human activity and in particular to the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” (Khandekar et. al., 1557). The concept of the natural Greenhouse Effect was first postulated by the French mathematician Joseph Fourier in 1827. According to this concept, the earth’s atmosphere functions like the glass pane of a greenhouse by permitting short wave solar radiation to reach the earth, but trapping a significant percentage of the long wave radiation reflected back by the earth and ocean. The atmosphere thus constitutes a blanket which warms the earth, raising the surface temperature by about 33o C. The major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, along with water vapor. The natural greenhouse effect is being multiplied by anthropogenic (man made) greenhouse gas emissions. Of these, it is the increase in concentrations of carbon dioxide which is the most pervasive contributor towards the heating effects of the atmosphere. Global Warming is an undisputed reality, mainly due to the high emissions of carbon dioxide caused by rapid industrialization and increased deforestation. The days of dismissing global warming as a figment of the imagination of fanatical environmental activists are long past and the phenomenon is now an established scientific fact. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), constituted of reputed scientists from 113 countries, stated in its’ report of February 2007 that “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal” (FOXNEWS.com, Web site). The report also asserted that this warming trend will continue unchecked into the future and identified the increase in man-made greenhouse gas emissions as the major contributor to rising temperatures, thus making human activity the clear culprit in this issue. A mean temperature rise of 3.2 – 7.1o F is predicted by 2100. The evidence of Global Warming: the increased occurrence of extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and droughts; the rapid melting of glaciers on all continents and the sea ice in the Artic and Antarctic – leading to rising sea levels; the spread of tropical diseases, like dengue, due to increased warm ranges for mosquitoes and other vectors; the disintegration of coral reefs; above all, the colossal increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (EcoBridge Web site). The IPCC report of 2001 gave a 31% increase in carbon dioxide over the preceding 250 years, as also an increase in methane and nitrous oxide (Khandekar et.al., 1563).Attributing this increase to natural phenomenon, such as volcanic activity or solar radiation, in now refuted: “There can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are dominated by human activities,” says Susan Solomon, a leading U.S. scientist (FOXNEWS.com. Web site). The single most significant factor which contributes to Global Warming is the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, with the U.S. responsible for one-third of carbon emissions. While 77% of carbon dioxide emission is the result of man’s use of fossil fuels, 22% is due to deforestation, again a human activity, and the remaining 1% is the consequence of man’s use of high energy production processes, such as concrete, steel and aluminum. In short, Global Warming is due to the emission of greenhouse gases and these greenhouse gases are indisputably anthropogenic (Butler, 2006). The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, for electricity generation, is the direct result of rapid industrialization, accounting for about 40% of carbon dioxide emission in the U.S. This is followed by the burning of gasoline in the internal combustion engines of cars and trucks, accelerated by traffic gridlocks. Carbon dioxide is also emitted by aero planes and from buildings. Methane is emitted by flooded rice paddies, which cause organic decomposition, bovine flatulence and fossil fuel production. Nitrous oxide sources include the production of nylon and nitric acid, the employment of agricultural fertilizers, catalytic converters in automobiles and burning organic matter. The last contributor to greenhouse gases is the chlorofluorocarbons, which are emitted during the manufacture and processing of chemical products such as refrigerators, industrial solvents and blown-foam insulation. The increase in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide by 34% from pre-industrial times to the present age of industrialization is irrefutable proof of man’s complicity (EcoBridge Web site). Deforestation has been linked by scientific studies to climate change. Deforestation, which is the conversion of forests into other land uses, is proceeding at a speed which far outpaces any attempt at replanting trees. Western Europe’s primary forest cover has decreased by 99%. Forests are rightly called ‘The lungs of the earth.’ Rainforests absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, while releasing an estimated 20% of the worlds’ oxygen into the atmosphere. As forests are burned or cleared, the carbon dioxide is released, contributing to the greenhouse effect. The causes of deforestation are undeniably man-made: logging for construction material, timber and wood pulp; conversion of forests into permanent agricultural land or pasture for cattle grazing; construction of dams, roads and other infrastructure; mining, urban expansion; the use of non-selective chemical defoliants to combat narcotic plant cultivation; the collection of fuel wood for cooking; shifting cultivation using the ‘slash and burn’ method, in which trees are cut and the undergrowth burnt to make way for short-term agriculture. In comparison to these man-made activities, natural phenomenon such as wildfires, storms and droughts, which occur periodically and are compensated for by regeneration, pale into insignificance (Butler, 2006). Human induced concentration of greenhouse gases, and the resultant Global Warming, adversely affect the ecosystem, as seen in a study of the Sinai Baton Blue, the world’s smallest butterfly. Here, rise in temperatures was aggravated by livestock grazing and the collection of medicinal thyme (the habitat of the butterfly) for commercial purposes, threatening extinction of the species (Hoyle and James, 1113). Now that the conclusive evidence of man-made Global Warming has been documented and accepted, the need of the hour is to immediately decrease anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. On the individual plane, countermeasures include conserving energy by replacing regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, energy efficient models of domestic appliances, opting for cars and light trucks with optimum gas mileage, car pooling and bicycling, public transport, good insulation of homes and recycling of wastes (EcoBridge Web site). Governments must prioritize the use of alternate energy sources, such as wind, wave and solar energy. Chlorofluorocarbons must be eliminated. An immediate halt to deforestation and accelerated reforestation is called for. Above all, it is time the U.S. stopped its’ pretence that Global Warming is a natural phenomenon and accept responsibility for being the foremost emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Signing the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions would be a step in the right direction. Only when all the nations of the world stand united in the war against Global Warming can we be assured of preserving our fragile earth for posterity. Works Cited. Butler, Rhett A. 9 January 2006. A World Imperiled: Forces Behind Forest Loss. Tropical Rainforests: Imperiled Riches – Threatened Rainforests. 28 March 2007 < http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0801.htm > EcoBridge Web site. Global Warming. Causes of Global Warming. Evidence of Global Warming. What We Can Do About Global Warming. 28 March 2007. < http://www.ecobridge.org > FOXNEWS.com Web site. 2 February 2007. U.N. Report: Global Warming Man-Made, Basically Unstoppable. Associated Press. 28 March 2007. < http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249659,00.html > Hoyle, Martin and, Mike James. Global Warming, Human Population Pressure and Viability of the World’s Smallest Butterfly. Conservation Biology, Volume 19, No. 4, August 2005. Khandekar, M.L., T.S. Murty and P. Chittibabu. The Global Warming Debate: A Review of the State of Science. Pure and Applied Geophysics. Vol. 162, 2005. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 2005. Read More