Global Warming
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Introduction
Global warming refers to the phenomenon represented by the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere as a result of the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide since the industrial revolution. To illustrate, the atmosphere near the earth’s surface is warmed because of so called greenhouse effect. The visible shortwave light goes from the sun to the earth, passing through a blanket of thermal, or greenhouse, gases composed largely of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. What has happened since the industrial revolution is that additional quantities of gases are produced and emitted to the air increasing the size of the thermal blanket.
In 2007 the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasted that by 2100 the average temperatures of the global surface would increase 1.8 – 4.0 °C, based on a range of scenarios for greenhouse gas emissions, and stated that it was now 90 percent certain that most of the warming recognized over the previous half century might be attributed to greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities (i.e., industrial processes and transportation).
Global warming is considered hazardous for the following reasons. The rise in the amount of greenhouse gases is trapping more heat and raising global temperatures. This is an indication of the extreme weather expected as a result of this dangerous phenomenon. In fact, many would even link the increasing number of hurricanes to global warming. When hurricanes attack, countries need months to rebuild the affected areas; let alone the high costs. Undoubtedly, more heat can cause serious health problems like asthma. With regard to the economy, it will be highly and directly affected. To exemplify, some countries depend on ice for tourism skiing activities. If these countries do not have snow as an effect of increasing heat their economy will be dead because the ski industry will be particularly affected. Coastal regions will also be affected by the formation of coral reefs. Given these perils of global warming, it comes as no surprise to have each and every country interested in eliminating it.
Causes of Global Warming
The climate system greatly varies through natural, internal processes and in response to certain variations in external forces from both natural and human causes. Such forcing factors include solar activity, volcanic emissions, variations in the greenhouse gases and the earth's track. The complete causes of the current warming are an active field of much researches, but the scientific consensus shows greenhouse gases as the key factor of global warming. The main natural greenhouse gases are : water steam, carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone.
Adding carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4) to Earth's atmosphere, with no other changes, will make the planet's surface warmer. Greenhouse gases generate a natural greenhouse result without which temperatures on Earth could be an expected 30 °C (54 °F) lower, so that Earth would be dilapidated.
One example of an significant feedback process is ice feedback. The increasing of the CO2 in the earth's atmosphere will lead to warming the Earth's surface and automatically leads to melting of ice near the poles. As the ice melts, land or open water takes its place. Both open water and land are on average less reflective than ice, and hence absorb more solar radiation. This will lead to more warming, which in turn causes more melting, and such a cycle continues.
Effects of Global Warming
Some influences on both the human life and the natural environment are already being recognized at least in part to global warming. Glacier retreat, ice shelf disruption such as the Larsen Ice Shelf, sea level rise, variance in rainfall patterns, increased intensity and frequency of hurricanes and extreme weather events, are being recognized as being, at least in part, due to global warming.
Some predictable effects contain sea level rise of 110 to 770 mm by the year 2100, repercussions an agriculture, probable slowing of the Thermohaline circulation, decrease in the ozone layer, increased intensity and frequency of hurricanes and extreme weather events, lowering of ocean pH, and the extension of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and group extinction events.
Conclusion
Finally, it is very obvious that Global Warming has become lately a controversial issue which concerns all countries, due to the negative consequences that will be caused due to the increase of such a phenomenon. Thus, all countries have to cooperate and work together, otherwise, all will suffer from the harsh consequences of this observable fact.
References
· Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions, Barnett, T. P., Adam, J. C., and Lettenmaier, 2005
· Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity, Behrenfeld, M.J., O'Malley, R.T., Siegel, D.A., McClain, C.R., Sarmiento, J. L., Feldman, G. C., Milligan, A.G., Falkowski, P. G., Letelier, R. M., and Boss, E.S, 2006
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