Global warming is the abnormal rise of average temperature on the surface of the earth. This has been caused by human advancement towards industrialization and modernization.
The outcome of global warming has been exhibited by the melting of ice and snows in areas such as the Antarctic which has changed the average sea level of the whole world because the ice and snow has been converted into water (Trenberth et al 244). If this situation persists the animals that live in those areas will be eliminated because their dwelling place will be destroyed.
Green house gases have contributed to the process of global warming. Green house gases are gaseous compounds that occupy the atmosphere and when their concentration is not stable they cause temperatures on the lower level of the atmosphere to hike. The components of these gases include carbon dioxide and methane (Changnon & Bell 35).
The rapid increase in human population has led to the elimination of most forests to give room for human settlements. The trees are very important because they help to prevent the accumulation of green house gases in large volumes in the atmosphere by consuming commendable amounts of carbon dioxide. Trees and other plants use consume carbon dioxide to help in generating food supplements for their survival.
Another major contributing factor is the combustion of fuels in factories. But the effect of carbon dioxide injected from the combustion of fuels in factories is less harmful compared to excess methane which is generated from dumping sites. Large volumes of methane are contained in the permafrost and also inside the sea beds of large water bodies like oceans and lakes. These volumes may be released into the atmosphere if the temperatures continue to hike. High temperatures will evaporate water together with methane
That’s why global warming has to be regulated by reducing the chances of these gases being exposed to the atmosphere. Among the most workable solutions include extracting methane from garbage dumping sites and other gases generated in other areas and combust it. Combusted methane will be converted into carbon dioxide which is less harmful (Trenberth et al. 243).
Trenberth et al. explain that carbon dioxide is obtained from the flaming of fuels such as charcoal and oil in order to generate energy that is used in cooking and automobiles. Considerable volumes of green house gases are very useful to humans and other living creatures (244). This is because they maintain the warmth in the earth because if they were not present life on earth would be like hell due to freezing temperatures.
The green house gases confine temperature inside the earth and prevent it from being lost. This is very true because if the heat obtained from the sun was not confined by these gases nights would be very cold due to absence of sunlight. However the structural bonding of these gases allows the heat to go through them but it can not exit through them. They work like a thermo flask that maintains the warmth of tea by retaining the heat which helps to keep the tea hot.
When these gases accumulate so much life in the whole world would come to an end because humans and other creatures would die due to hunger because plants can not survive under such temperatures. Moreover the outcomes of global warming may be harmful or beneficial depending on the climate of a given area.
For instance higher temperatures over Antarctic would facilitate more plant life while high temperatures would render most living things in Africa lifeless. Additionally the long intervals of heat would melt the ice in Antarctic hence allow ships to go through that region. This would then shorten the routes usually followed by ships thus promote foreign trade.
Changnon and Bell argues that farmers in cold areas can also benefit from high temperatures because plants would have extended growing period thus yield more. The advantages of global warming are fewer compared to the negative impacts (46). The business community would also be affected by global warming because insurance institutions would hike premiums paid by their clients because there would be frequent natural disasters than ever before such as earth quakes and hurricanes.
Human health would be in jeopardy because more people would be prone to contracting asthma and allergies due to early blooming of plants. This means that more money would be spent in treating these illnesses thus most economies will decline. Others would die due to lack of food and water because all the plants and animals would die hence desertification will occur.
The need to survive under such conditions will lead swell the rate of crime and more people would then be killed in the struggle for the few available resources such as food because people would have to fight in order to get food.
There are several ways through which people can avoid the occurrence of global warming. All of this possible solutions aim at regulating the effects of greenhouse gases. They include sharing a single car among people who are commuting to the same destination. This will interfere with one’s privacy but on the other hand it reduces the rate of pollution due to combustion of fuels from vehicles. Another commendable measure involves walking on foot to work places and also leaving electronics switched off.
Governments have also enacted policies against the use of chlorofluorocarbons in refrigeration systems and sprays because they deplete the ozone layer (Changnon & Bell 73). Therefore, global warming is a serious environmental disaster that should be prevented at all cost with the aim of protecting the ecosystem.
Works Cited
Changnon, Stanley and Gerald Bell. eds. El Nino, 1997-1998: The Climate Event of the Century. London: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Trenberth, Kevin et al. ”Chapter 3: Observations: Surface and Atmospheric Climate Change”.IPPC Fourth Assessment Report. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print.