GLOBAL WARMING : HUMAN INDUCED DISASTER

Introduction

• According to the Environmental Defense Fund, approximately 400,000 square miles of arctic ice has melted over the last 30 years. This is probably largely due to the impact of global warming. Global warming is a slowly increasing temperature in the earth's atmosphere. This happens when greenhouse gasses are released and start trapping heat in the atmosphere. This causes climates to change all over the world. There are many believed causes of global warming. Most of them are considered to be related to human activity.
• specialists are divided in their opinions based on observations, computer models and satellite readings as to the possible causes of global warming, with some attributing natural causes to the phenomenon and others putting the onus on humans

• Evidence for human causes of global warming
  Many of the GHG’s (greenhouse gases) occur naturally and are useful for keeping our planet sufficiently warm to support life. In the face of this proven statement, the human use of fossil fuels as the main source of excess greenhouse gases and being a contributory factor for global warming stands on equal footing as natural causes. Though by driving cars, generating electricity from coal-fired power plants, using central heating in homes and offices, the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere does occur. Furthermore, the last 150-year records show a steady industrialization resulting in increasing the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by 31 percent and in direct proportion to this is the rise in level of atmospheric methane-an alarming 151 percent-mostly from agricultural activities like raising cattle and growing rice. Thus, in the face of this evidence towards human causes for global warming, it is hard to ignore these telling factors.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING

Power Plants

• Power plants are a key contributor to the effects of global warming. Power plants that gain their electricity through the burning of fossil fuel (such as coal plants) are especially to blame for this problem. This is largely because once the fossil fuel is burned to create energy, it releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is one of the leading factors in global warming.

Cars

• Cars, and really any other form of transportation that uses fuel to operate, are also human causes of global warming. As the fuel is burned in the engine, the bi-product is the same as in power plants: carbon dioxide. Cars are fingered as a cause of global warming more than other forms of transportation because of their inefficiency compared to mass transit.

Fertilizer

• Fertilizer is another common human cause of global warming. As the population grows, there is a greater need for food. One of the main tools for large scale farmers is fertilizer. As farm fields increase, so does the use of fertilizer. Fertilizer naturally emits the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, which is also dangerous to the environment and a key player in global warming.

Deforestation

• Deforestation affects global warming in two ways. First, during mass cutting, many trees are burned in the process. This releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Trees are also largely responsible for helping to absorb carbon and release oxygen. The more trees that are lost, especially in temperate forest zones, the less carbon dioxide that is recycled into oxygen.

Methane

• Methane is the second largest contributor to global warming behind carbon dioxide. Rice fields, cattle farms, and fossil fuel production are all leading human causes of methane released into the atmosphere.

EFFECTS

Violent Storms

• Global warming is already leading to more violent storms and less predictable weather patterns. According to the Pew Center on Global Warming, since 1995, only two years have not had above average hurricane activity. The overall number of tropical storms has not increased, but there are more storms strong enough to be called hurricanes. We will probably continue to get bigger storms, which will do more damage to coastal areas.

Climate Shifts

• Global warming will destabilize the weather in other ways. In all likelihood, it will change worldwide weather patterns, leading to droughts in some areas and flooding in others. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates significant changes in the climates of all 5 continents. Although some of these changes may be positive in the short term, in the long term rising heat waves and unstable weather will most likely have a negative effect everywhere.

The increased warming will cause the polar ice caps to melt more quickly. This could flood the coastlines of the world and decrease the salinity of the oceans. This could disturb the ocean currents which regulate temperature around the world, leading to drastic changes in local climates. The IPCC predicts a decrease of about 25% in the current that regulates ocean temperature by 2100.

Global warming will also mess with seasonal water cycles. Many rivers are powered by mountain glaciers which grow in the winter and thaw in the summer, producing seasonal flows. As these glaciers melt, these rivers could decrease or even dry up.

Flora and Fauna

• Global warming will have drastic effects on local ecosystems. Most plants and animals are adapted for a certain environment. Generally, each species does well when the temperature is in a certain range, and the seasons work in a regular way. As things like temperature and seasonal precipitation shift, less robust plants and animals are not going to be able to adapt quickly enough. This will result in widespread extinction.

Effects on Humans

• It is hard to predict exactly how severely global warming will affect individual locations. The combination of violent storms, rapid changes in local climates, disruption of the water cycle and extinction of plants and animals will probably cause local food shortages and disruption of infrastructure in some areas. The panic and anxiety over global warming will damage the world economy, as will the population squeeze when people in coastal areas are forced to move inland by rising water levels. No matter how you spin it, it's going to take a toll on the economy--at least in the short term.

Then again, with enough planning we may be able to make the best of it. According to some predictions, some parts of the world will become more fertile even while others become more arid. There will probably be enough food and water to go around if we are smart about distribution. The question is, will we come together as a planet to make the best of a tough situation?