Sunday, January 8, 2012

GLOBAL WARMING



The global warming is one of the most serious issues that the world is suffering from as it has many negative effects upon our environment. In this essay I am going to examine the definition of global warming, problems that are related to global warming and the possible solutions that can be implemented to reduce the negative impacts of those issues.

The global warming refers to the increase in the average surface temperature of the earth's atmosphere resulting from the release of the excessive amounts of gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane that are produced by human activities especially the burning of fossil fuel. The industrial revolution, car use, population growth and other human activities and consumptions are demanding a high amount of fossil fuel which creates an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This means that the heat from the Sun is allowed to enter the atmosphere, but it is not allowed to escape back into space.  The more greenhouse gases there are, the larger the percentage of heat that is trapped inside the earth’s atmosphere. 

There are different problems that are associated with the global warming. One of the main issues is the weather and the earth's temperature changes.  An extreme weather change can be noticed among different events such as floods, droughts, heat waves and extreme storms. Furthermore, most people can recognize that the temperature has risen in the last decades. In fact, thousands of scientists recorded that the temperature has risen in the last century by approximately 1.2° to 1.4° F and it reached its highest level in 1998 followed by 2005. However, James Hansen, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) director, announced that "It is likely that the 2005 or 2010 calendar year means will turn out to be sufficiently close that it will be difficult to say which year was warmer". "What is clear, though, is that the warmest 12-month period in the GISS analysis was reached in mid-2010” he added.
Another main issue is physical environment and biodiversity changes. One of the most significant changes among the physical environment and biodiversity can be observed among the forests and animals. In fact, the warmer climate encourages the growth of pests which destroy large numbers of forests. Moreover, several types of animals will be affected by a high temperature average as it will be difficult for them to adapt with this change. In addition, there are many seasonal processes affected by the global warming such as leaf production, vegetation, egg-laying time and the migration period of birds, fish and other animals.

Raising the sea level is another serious problem of global warming. Thousands of scientists announced that the continuous increase in temperature would cause polar ice caps to melt rapidly which will significantly raise the sea levels. The high sea levels will obviously affect and destroy the coastal areas around the world. In addition, there is a real fear among some small island residents that their lands may totally disappear under water because of sea levels rising. Furthermore, we can mention here that the melting of the ice will contribute highly in warming the Arctic. This fact has been announced by lead author of the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Dr James Screen, when he said that “The sea ice acts like a shiny lid on the Arctic Ocean. When it is heated, it reflects most of the incoming sunlight back into space. When the sea ice melts, more heat is absorbed by the water. The warmer water then heats the atmosphere above it".

Even though there are many problems associated with global warming, there are different possible solutions and ways in which we can reduce the negative impacts of those problems. Different parties such as government organizations, corporations, environmental organizations and individuals can participate in order to achieve a good level of negative impact reduction.

The first solution can be handled by the government organizations in which they can play a significant role in reducing the global warming. In fact, the government can invest in finding different energy sources rather than depending only on the fossil fuel. Moreover, they have the authorization to issue different acts and laws which encourage the politicians, businesses and others to participate in reducing this problem. Furthermore, they can educate their people about the global warming, the problems associated, the negative consequences of those problems and the possible ways to reduce it.

Another solution is related to corporations and business in which they might implement different steps and ways to reduce this problem such as implementing innovative energy supply and demand solutions, improving waste management practices, participating in emissions trading and investing in carbon sequestration opportunities and research.

Different organizations who are focusing on saving the environment and reducing the global warming, neither individually nor through cooperation with other organizations and companies, can be a significant partner in solving or reducing the global warning. This can be achieved among different ways such as using a recycling program for paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. Individuals can also contribute in reducing the global warming through buying energy-efficient products, planting a tree, switching off the electricity if they do not use it, using public transportation and making sure their cars are running efficiently.

Considering the above explanation of the causes and consequences of the global warming, I believe that the global warming is one of the serious environmental issues that the world is suffering from. Furthermore, the whole globe including the local and national government, corporations, organizations and private individuals must cooperate and contribute in controlling those issues and reducing the bad consequences of it. All available and possible methods can be implemented to reduce the problem and the negative impacts that are associated with it must be approached by each party.  Lots of people around the world nowadays are suffering from the global warming, As I mentioned above, all of us can cooperate with each other through implementing different methods and solutions such as investing in finding other sources of renewable energy, using the recycle system, reducing our consumption and reducing the waste of the electricity.







 

Bibliography


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428142324.htm