The Causes of Global Warming - Essay Example

Global Warming Introduction During the biological history of earth, significant changes are observed in climate of the planet. The planet has gone through different changes such as ice age, as well as, long-term periods of warm climate. Historically, climate of the earth has been affected by some of the natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, as well as, by the amount of energy from sun. In addition, the Industrial Revolution and its associated human activities since late eighteenth century have also affected the composition of earth’s atmosphere. Our atmosphere has also been contributed with significant concentrations of trapped greenhouse gases due to the burning of fossils fuels like oil, coal, etc. for more than two hundred years in different parts of the globe. In the result, heat emission is prevented by such gases, and therefore, the globe is becoming warmer every year. (Weart, pp. 23-36) Greenhouse gases play a vital and crucial role in the continuation of life. One of the reasons of necessity of greenhouse gases is that surface of the earth becomes warmer, which is one of the crucial requisites of the human life. However, a significant increase is observed in the concentrations of such greenhouse gases, which has affected the temperature of earth since last decade. According to a number of climate and biological changes related organizations, last hundred years have observed an increment of approximately 1.3ºF in the average surface temperature of the earth. Specifically, year 2005 is considered the warmest year since the year 1850, which shows that the temperature is increasing drastically due to a number of natural and human-made factors. Most of the organizations have accused the human activities for most of the global warming, as well as, a number of other aspects of the world climate like rainfall patterns, sea level, etc that has affected the biological life of our planet. It is indicated by a number of organizations that similar pace of increment of greenhouse gases will result in the increment of 3.5ºF in the average temperature of earth, and temperature will be 7.2ºF by the end of 21st century, which is a serious warning for the human lives on this planet. It is a certainty that the biological composition of earth is changing due to the human activities, and climate of the planet will be changed drastically due to such increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. However, scientists and biologists are unknown of the rate and pace of predicted changes due to the greenhouse gases in the planet. Until now, the paper has described briefly regarding the global warming. Now the paper will discuss some of the major causes of global warming on this planet. (Avery, pp. 50-52) Causes Since the last decade, significant importance is given to the field of research related to the causes of global warming in different parts of the globe; however, scientific causes have indicted the human activities, especially since the industrial evolution that has increased the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. On the other hand, a number of other hypotheses regarding the global warming have accused various other factors for such an increment. For instance, variations in the solar activity has resulted in the global warming that is increasing every year, and some of the biologists have indicted emissions of carbon dioxide that has formed a thickened blanket, which has trapped heat of the sun, and thus, the planet is confronting drastic global warming. In this regard, coal-burning power plants are considered one of the major contributors of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is one of the largest sources of pollution in the United States. Every year, more than two billion tons of carbon dioxide is produced by such power plants. In addition, more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide is emitted annually from the automobile that is the second largest source of carbon dioxide pollution in the planet, and has contributed towards the global warming significantly. (Weart, pp. 49-52) Effects More than a hundred studies were analyzed by the biologists and experts in different parts of the globe, which involved thousands of species of animals and plants. More than eighty percent of the studies indicated that biological changes are directly correlated with the global warming. For instance, it was revealed by several studies that earlier breeding and migration is observed in certain species due to the increment of temperature in couple of last decades. Some of the studies have noted that geographical range of some species has been moved to elevated position due to the global warming, which has indicated that colder places that were not preferred for survival are now being used by the plants and animals. It is very perplexing to relate such biological changes with the global warming. (Kennedy, pp. 60-62) However, most of the biologists and analysts have indicated that animal and plant populations in different parts of the globe are affected drastically by the global warming. During the analysis, it was revealed that significant biological changes are observed in more than seventy-five percent of the species during the study. Various traits of species are affected and changed due to the increase of world temperature. On average, breeding and egg laying processes are occurring five days earlier, as compared with the facts of past decades, and such change is occurring after every decade in various parts of the world. Over the last forty-five years, some of the American and Canadian field biologists have studied more than twenty thousand tree swallow, in order to understand the relation and effects of global warming on these species. Studies of these biologists have concluded that egg-laying processes of female swallows are occurring eight days earlier every decade. Such results have been related with the increment of global temperatures, as well as, earlier arrival of springtime in different parts of the globe. In another study, flowering plants like wild geraniums were studied on long-term basis by couple of biologists that revealed that blooming is occurring earlier every year due to the earlier arrival of springtime annually. In addition, hibernation periods of marmots are ending three weeks earlier, as compared with the statistics of late 1970s in Colorado. Such biological changes are very much interrelated with the increment in global temperature according to most of such studies. (Kennedy, pp. 65-67) As temperatures are increasing, northward areas are now preferred by butterflies, marine invertebrates, and several other species. In Alaska, significant stunt is observed in the growth of white spruce trees according to a number of measurements and studies, and rapidly changing warm climate is considered the major cause of such biological change. Some of the biologists have predicted that quicker warming will be observed in the poles, as compared with the equator in future years according to the climate change models. It is also indicated by climate models that species will start responding differently due to such rapid global warming, which will be a problem for human race. For instance, caterpillars are some of the major foods of four types of birds in North America. However, these birds now prefer north during their shifting due to the global warming, which will result in no-check of caterpillar population. (Avery, pp. 77-78) This is one of the examples, which will affect the human lives significantly. In other words, global warming is increasing every year, and therefore, it is a major concern of most of the scientists and biologists in different parts of the globe. It is hoped that this paper will be beneficial for the better understanding of causes and effects of global warming in light of previous studies carried out, especially in biological perspective. References Barbara K. Kennedy. (2002). Life on Earth affected by Global Warming. Eberly Science Journal. Vol. 20, Issue 1. Dennis T. Avery. (2006). Unstoppable Global Warming. Rowman & Littlefield. Spencer R. Weart. (2003). Discovery of Global Warming. Harvard University Press. Read More