All of these events have had a major impact on the countries they occurred in. This impact has caused financial trouble for all of the countries but especially for the poorer ones such as the African countries who are struggling as it is and the bad weather makes it even worse.
There has also been an increase in the precipitation over all the world’s continents over the last century of about 1 percent. Higher latitude regions are seeing more significant increases in their rainfall while many tropical areas are experiencing a decline in precipitation.
Worldwide, sea level has risen roughly 15-20 cm in the last century. This is mainly due to the melting of glaciers and ice caps which is caused by global warming.
Melting Ice caps result in
flooding.
The Causes of Global Warming
Global Warming is actually a natural phenomenon but we humans have in fact speeded it up by using our gas guzzling cars which send tons upon of tons of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, another big cause of global warming is industry. Industrial areas with factories and machinery also give out a lot of harmful gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and in some cases they even give out solid metal particles like iron, plumb and chrome which are even more dangerous than the gases.
Those aren’t the only causes of global warming as the planes in which we fly also give out a lot of emissions which have devastating effects on the environment. Another cause is deforestation, the cutting down of trees and plants and even whole rainforests. This may be a less significant cause but it is still very much worth taking into account because in the long run, this leaves fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, hence, there is an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere.
Last but not least is the cause which has been pretty much dealt with by the banning of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in products like air conditioners, fridges and aerosol cans. But despite this ban many still misuse CFCs and pollute the environment further.
There are also some natural causes such as cattle farming which means breeding cows that give out a lot of methane through egestion. Another natural cause is release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands which also play small part in warming up the planet.
All of these causes have resulted in extreme weather which has hit countries all around the world, here are a few examples similar to those mentioned earlier.
- November 1999- Cyclone hits Orissa and 20,000 die in floods
- August 1999- Heatwave kills 271 people in Texas.
- Drought in Indonesia helps forest fires to spread smog over South East Asia.
Pollution from Factories.
The effects of Global Warming
There can be many effects of global warming on the planet some of which I’ve probably already mentioned when providing evidence for global warming. The most common and devastating effect is extreme weather which includes hurricanes, droughts, snowstorms, heatwaves and other natural phenomenon. Storm strength leading to extreme weather is increasing, and claims millions of lives each year but even more are left homeless. Worldwide, the proportion of hurricanes reaching categories 4 or 5 – with wind speeds above 56 metres per second – has risen from 20% in the 1970s to 35% in the 1990s. As well as claiming lives these natural disasters damage the economies of the countires they occur in especially in countries which rely on agriculture as their main source of income. Crops and plantations would get destroyed by floods or die of thirst during droughts and this is all because of the pollution which we humans cause.
Another effect of global warming is damage to the eco-system.
All ecosystems are affected by global warming. The UN Environment Program predicts that by 2075 few locally endemic species will survive. Twenty five percent of the Earth’s mammals and 12% of bird species will be extinct within the next 30 years. Polar bears are stressed through loss of habitat. Many species are steadily moving their ranges towards higher northern and southern latitudes, including butterflies, frogs, and birds. They breed earlier and plants flower earlier in the season.
Melting glaciers is also a big problem and here’s why. Since 1900 global glacier surface area has decreased by half and glacial retreat is occurring on every continent. Less glacier meltwater in summer means the drying up of rivers and streams, needed for drinking water, irrigation and many other processes. Just imagine the effects from an accelerated melting of Himalayan glaciers. The Ganges and other major rivers are very important for the huge populations of India, China and other parts of Asia.
As for the economic side of things the insurance industry is already facing increased costs from global warming. By 1992 this industry knew that since 1960 economic losses from disasters worldwide had grown three-fold and insured losses four-fold. One study suggests that of these about 35–40% are related to climate change. In 2001 the UN estimated the cost of increased disasters due to global warming at more than US$300 Billion per year by 2050.
Possible Solutions to Global Warming
There are actually quite a few solutions to global warming but putting them into practice is the difficult part.
By investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and increasing the efficiency of the cars we drive, we can take essential steps toward reducing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels that cause global warming. Using energy more efficiently and moving to renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and bio energy) would significantly reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases.
The United States currently produces 70 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, but only two percent from renewable sources. The burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide—the leading cause of global warming—but renewable energy does not, increasing the share of our electricity generated from renewable resources is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming emissions.
Cars and trucks are another significant source of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A serious effort to address global warming must therefore reduce emissions from cars and trucks. Many technologies already exist that can do this, while also creating new jobs in the U.S. automotive sector and other industries throughout the country. In addition, American consumers would save billions of dollars on gasoline, and we would reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
By putting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and vehicle technology solutions in place, we can reduce our contribution to global warming while creating a stronger, healthier, and more secure nation.
Renewable energy sources like Wind power could help reduce global warming.
Statistics and Graphs
Here are some stats and graphs to emphasise the importance of global warming.
As you can see the the levels of CO2 have risen dramatically from the 19th century up to the 21st century. This is largely because of the Industrial Revolution which happened in the 1800s and also because of pollution from vehicles and factories in the past 100 years.
This graph shows the result of the rising CO2 levels and as you can see the general trend of the graph is up. Global temperatures continue to rise briskly and if we don’t do something soon it could turn into global catastrophe.
Just to highlight the fact that humans need to stop producing greenhouse gases quickly here are some alarming stats:
- Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased by 30, 100 and 15% respectively
- Worldwide, sea level has risen roughly 15-20 cm in the last century. Approximately 2-5 cm of the rise has resulted from the melting of mountain glaciers.
- About 105 of North America’s plant species could be threatened by an increase in temperature as minimal as 3°C.
