Global warming has been the biggest buzzword among the media, news reporters, and even scientists over the past few years. But what exactly does global warming mean and why should we be concerned about it?
Global warming refers to the rising global temperature of Earth’s atmosphere in response to increasing levels of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) released into the atmosphere due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels and other land-use changes, according to NASA.
Here are some facts about global warming, tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint, and other helpful ways to reduce global warming.
Earth’s climate has gone through natural changes gradually. Just in the past 650,000 years, Earth’s temperature has fluctuated by about 5 degrees Celsius, with temperatures rising fastest at times when Earth is closest to the sun during its orbit.
Effect of Greenhouse Gases on Global Warming
Scientists agree that human activities are increasing carbon dioxide levels and other greenhouse gases(methane, nitrous oxide, etc.) in our atmosphere, which trap heat. This leads to global warming. Actually, we’ve already heated enough to see some of its effects: sea level rising and extreme weather patterns around the world.
While these gases occur naturally when plants produce them as they grow – human activity has greatly increased their production since industrialization began roughly 200 years ago. The biggest culprits?
Temperature projections vary widely depending on computer models. According to a report released in September 2013 by the U.N. backed U.N.-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), average global temperatures could rise. 3.7–4.8 degrees Fahrenheit (2–3 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial levels by 2100 – leading to major ecological disruption and risks to human health.
The Science Behind Climate Change
Science builds a foundation for understanding climate change. Climate change is driven by natural mechanisms like solar activity and volcanic eruptions.
The primary cause of global warming is greenhouse gases produced by human activity such as burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) for energy or transportation.
These greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), trap heat in our
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What Are the Causes of Global Warming
The causes of global warming may be natural or unnatural, both are alarming and need to address.
Unnatural Causes
Deforestation- Plants maintain the balance in our environment as they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Humans are cutting forests for domestic and commercial purposes. This leads to an imbalance and results in global warming.
Use of vehicles
The use of vehicles is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Most vehicles burn diesel and petrol, which release carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. Transportation is now the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States.
In many U.S. cities and towns, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter because emissions from millions of vehicles on the road add up.
Walking or riding a bike is a great alternative to driving and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Improving the insulation of buildings, traveling in more fuel-efficient vehicles, and using more efficient electrical appliances are all ways to reduce energy use, and thus CO2 emissions.
Low-carbon fuels, new and improved vehicle technologies, and strategies to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles are some of the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
As individuals, we can use cleaner modes of transportation to get around, from public transit to biking and walking taking these measures, we can reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier planet.
Chlorofluorocarbons, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are artificially made chemical compounds that contain atoms of carbon, chlorine, fluorine, and hydrogen. They are used as refrigerants, cleaning solvents, aerosol propellants, and blowing agents for foam packaging in many commercial applications.
However, CFCs are a significant contributor to ozone layer depletion, which leads to an increase in the temperature of the earth. Humans use air conditioners and refrigerators, thereby releasing CFCs into the environment.
CFCs rise into the stratosphere, where they are broken down by ultraviolet radiation, releasing chlorine atoms that react with ozone molecules, breaking them apart and leading to ozone depletion.
The depletion of the ozone layer makes way for harmful ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and other health problems.
Therefore, it is essential to take measures to reduce the use of CFCs and promote the use of alternatives that are less harmful to the environment.
Industrial Development
The onset of the Industrial Era has led to an increase in the temperature of the earth. Harmful gaseous emissions from factories are increasing the temperature of our earth. Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
The buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm, resulting in changes to the climate we are already starting to see today.
Greenhouse gases from human activities are the most significant driver of observed climate change since the mid-20th century.
The greenhouse effect happens when certain gases, known as greenhouse gases, collect in Earth’s atmosphere. These gases, which occur naturally in the atmosphere, include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, and others.
Therefore, it is essential to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from factories and other human activities to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Agriculture
Agriculture is a significant contributor to the increase in temperature due to various gardening activities that produce carbon dioxide and methane. Farmers add fertilizers to their soils to provide crops with the necessary nutrients, which give off the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the main cause of climate change.
Ammonia manufacturing today contributes between 1 and 2% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.
Fertilizers also produce greenhouse gases after farmers apply them to their fields. Crops only take up, on average, about half of the nitrogen they get from fertilizers, and much of the applied fertilizer runs off into waterways or gets broken down by microbes in the soil, releasing the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.
Climate-friendly gardening is a form of gardening that can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from gardens and encourage the absorption of carbon dioxide.
Therefore, it is essential to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and promote climate-friendly gardening practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Natural Causes
Volcanoes can affect the climate in various ways. When volcanoes erupt, they emit a mixture of gases and particles into the air. Some of them, such as ash and sulfur dioxide, have a cooling effect because they reflect sunlight away from the earth, while others, such as carbon dioxide, cause warming by adding to the greenhouse effect.
However, the net long-term effect of volcanism over the last 200 years has not been significant enough to warm the climate.
Volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide can cause global cooling, while volcanic carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has the potential to promote global warming.
Volcanic ash or dust released into the atmosphere during an eruption shades sunlight and causes temporary cooling.
Therefore, it is essential to monitor volcanic activity and take measures to mitigate the effects of volcanic eruptions on the climate.
Water Vapors
Due to increasing temperature, more water is evaporated from the surface of the earth, and this water stays in the atmosphere and adds to global warming. Water vapor is Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gas, and it’s responsible for about half of Earth’s greenhouse effect.
As the planet gets warmer, more water evaporates from the Earth’s surface and becomes vapor in the atmosphere. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas, so more water vapor in the atmosphere amplifies the warming caused by other greenhouse gases.
The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere exists in direct relation to the temperature, and if you increase the temperature, more water evaporates and becomes vapor, and vice versa.
Therefore, it is essential to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Forest Fires
Forest fires emit smoke which contains carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides into the atmosphere, resulting in global warming.
The gases are released into the atmosphere as the fuel is burned, and they contribute to the global warming effect.
Forest fires produce large amounts of greenhouse gases when they burn through organic material, and the main greenhouse gas produced is carbon dioxide (CO2).
Other gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are also released but in lesser amounts compared to CO2.
Forest fires also damage forests that would otherwise remove CO2 from the air.
Therefore, it is essential to take measures to prevent forest fires and promote sustainable practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Impacts of Global Warming
Global warming is an issue that affects our world as a whole. As temperatures rise, weather patterns change as well. Though some of these events are natural occurrences, there is mounting evidence that they are influenced by human activity.
Over Heating–According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average temperature around the world has increased by approximately 1.1 C since 1880. Melting of glaciers is an outcome of this, which has resulted in an increase in sea level.
Ecological Collapse–Global heating is a major threat to coral reef ecosystems. Due to rising ocean temperatures, coral reefs are dying. This can lead to the loss of the lives of plants and animals.
Climate change–Global warming has changed climatic conditions. This has led to climate imbalance as there are droughts in some places and floods in some.
High Death Rate– Global warming has led to widespread destruction by spreading diseases and causing death. The average death rate increases due to floods, tsunamis, and other natural calamities.
Habitat Destruction–A global change in climate around the world has destroyed the natural habitats of several plants and animals. Animals need to migrate from their natural habitat and it can even cause extinction.
Examples Of Climate Change
The effects of climate change are evident in Antarctica where rising temperatures are resulting in a significant loss of ice and Africa’s rainfall is likely to decrease by 30% over the coming decades.
How We Can Reduce Global Warming?
Calculating your carbon footprint
If everyone tries to reduce their carbon footprint by just 10%, we will reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by up to 13%. This is huge!
You can calculate your carbon footprint: simply add up all of your household emissions over a period of time (usually one year) and then divide that number by three.
For example, If you drive 3 miles per day for work, which adds up to 5 miles per week for 50 weeks out of 52, then multiply 5 x 52 = 260 miles per year. Divide 260 miles by 3 = 80 miles per person per year.
4 Ways to Stop or Reduce Global Warming
We have to make efforts if we want to live on this earth. Below are some tips on how to stop Global Warming:
1. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: This refers to three things, leading to a big message—reduce your impact on Mother Earth! This is a great way to conserve energy and reduce waste.
2. Trees consume carbon dioxide from the air and provide oxygen for us to breathe, thereby reducing CO2 levels in the air. We can plant more trees or enjoy tree walks.
3. Also we should drive less as cars emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air when driven at high speeds.
4. If you are eating outgo for food without plastic packaging or bring your own containers. Packaging is typically made of plastics which cause severe damage to aquatic plants and animals that consume them.
How We Can Reduce Global Warming?
Adaptation At The International Level
Climate change is a global problem but is limited to a regional scale. Although NASA is playing a role in making climate data available to the international community including policymaking and scientific planning, there is no global systematic approach.
Adaptation at an international level requires interrelated work on behalf of all countries. It would involve national governments and non-governmental organizations working together to find solutions that are good for the whole world.
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Conclusion
Global warming refers to the unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse effect. The main threats of climate change, stemming from the rising temperature of Earth’s atmosphere, include rising sea levels, ecosystem collapse, and more frequent and severe weather. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce global warming, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here are four ways to do it:
Use renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower.
Reduce energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.
Reduce waste by recycling and composting.
Support policies and regulations that promote sustainable practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
It is essential to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote sustainable practices to ensure a livable planet for future generations.
FAQs
What is one-way global warming can be reduced?
One way to reduce global warming is to transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal power. Renewable energy sources can provide energy without the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels.
1. Renewable energy minimizes carbon pollution and has a much lower impact on our environment.
2. Renewable energy sources emit little to no greenhouse gases and are readily available and, in most cases, cheaper than coal, oil, or gas. Transitioning to renewable energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels can help slow down the effects of climate change. Renewable energy technologies, such as advanced biofuels for transportation, are key for efforts to mitigate climate change
3. Therefore, promoting and investing in renewable energy sources is essential to reduce global warming and promote sustainable practices.
What are the 4 solutions to global warming?
Global warming is caused by an increase in the greenhouse effect, which warms Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere.
Rising temperatures from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions affect planet-wide systems in various ways, including rising sea levels, ecosystem collapse, and more frequent and severe weather.
Fossil fuels are the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. Solutions to global warming include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to renewable energy sources, promoting sustainable practices, and supporting policies and regulations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What are some of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming
Here are some of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming:
1- Carbon dioxide (CO2): It is the most significant greenhouse gas and is responsible for 53% of the level of global warming. It is the result of processes such as fuel use, deforestation, and production of cement and other materials.
2- Methane (CH4): It is produced by natural processes such as wetland ecosystems and the digestive systems of animals, as well as human activities such as agriculture, waste management, and energy production.
3- Nitrous oxide (N2O): It is produced by natural processes such as soil bacteria and human activities such as agriculture, fossil fuel combustion, and industrial processes.
4: Fluorinated gases: These are synthetic gases used in a variety of industrial applications such as refrigeration, air conditioning, and insulation. They are produced during the manufacturing of refrigeration and cooling products and through aerosols. Other greenhouse gases include water vapor, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
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