Global Warming Causes and Effects

Global warming is the process wherein the average temperature of the Earth's near surface air increases, owing largely to various anthropogenic activities. Though there are some natural causes for this rise in temperature, they stand to be insignificant when compared to the anthropogenic causes. Understanding global warming causes and effects can give us a brief idea of the dreadful phenomena our future generations may have to face. Here are some of the prominent global warming causes and effects.

Causes of Global Warming
The causes of global warming are broadly divided into two categories - natural causes and anthropogenic (man-made) causes.

Natural Causes
Natural causes of global warming include the release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands, climate change, volcanoes etc. Methane, a greenhouse gas which traps the heat within the earth's atmosphere, is let out in large quantities in the arctic tundra and wetlands. In case of volcanoes, when a volcano erupts, tons of ash is let out into the atmosphere. Even though nature contributes to global warming, this contribution is very insignificant when compared to human contribution for this hazard.

Anthropogenic Causes
Anthropogenic causes for global warming are those which are caused due to human activities. The most prominent cause being man-made pollution. A large part of this pollution can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels. This includes burning coal to produce electricity as well as burning gasoline to power internal combustion engine vehicles. When these fossil fuels are burnt, they let out carbon dioxide, which is yet another greenhouse gas which traps heat within the atmosphere of the Earth and contributes to global warming. Secondly when the Earth is dug to extract these fossil fuels in the process known as mining, the methane inside the Earth's crust escapes into the atmosphere and adds to other greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. If we start investigating the anthropogenic causes of global warming, we zero in on one of the most important cause of global warming - population. More population means more requirements, which includes food, electricity and transport. In order to fulfill these requirements, more fossil fuels are consumed, which eventually leads to global warming. Humans breathe out carbon dioxide, and with an increasing population, the amount of carbon dioxide humans breathe out also increases and leads to global warming. Even agriculture contributes to global warming, owing to the extensive use of fertilizers, and the dung produced by cattle which is another prominent source of methane.

Effects of Global Warming
The effects of global warming range from a rise in sea levels to the extinction of certain species of flora and fauna. Basically, global warming means an increase in temperature of the Earth's atmosphere. This increase in temperature will trigger a series of events which can cause a lot of destruction on the planet.

Changes in the Global Sea Level
As the temperature will increase, the ice cover on the planet will start melting. The water from these melting glaciers will end up in the oceans, which will lead to a rise in the sea level. Over the last century, sea levels have increased by 4 to 8 inches, and by 2100, it's expected to increase to 35 inches. An additional 2 degree rise in global temperature will lead to the complete melting of the Greenland ice cap, which will cause the sea level to rise by 5 to 6 meters. Such a rise will cause many of the low lying areas, such as the US Gulf Coast and Bangladesh, as well as islands, such as Lakswadweep, to submerge underwater. If the whole of the Antarctic ice sheet melts, the global sea level is expected to rise by 10.5 meters.

Drastic Changes in Climate Patterns
Global warming will alter the climatic patterns of the planet. As far as precipitation is concerned, it will increase in equatorial, polar and sub-polar reasons, and decrease in subtropics. This change in precipitation pattern will trigger a drought in some regions, while floods in other regions. Warming of the atmosphere will increase the temperature of ocean waters, which will continue being warm for a few centuries. Warm water will lead to frequent natural disasters like hurricanes. Overall, the planet will experience extreme weather conditions, characterized by flood and droughts, heat waves and cold waves, and extreme storms like cyclones and tornadoes.

Widespread Extinction of Flora and Fauna
A rise in global temperature will also hamper the rich biodiversity of various ecosystems. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on (IPCC), an increase in global temperature by 1.5 to 2.5 degrees will make 20 to 30 percent of species vulnerable to extinction, while a rise of about 3.5 degrees will make 40 to 70 percent species vulnerable to extinction. Climate change will result in loss of habitat for many animal species like polar bears and tropical frogs. More importantly, any change in the climate patterns will seriously affect the migration patterns of various bird species. Irregular patterns of precipitation will affect animals and humans alike.

Global Warming and Humans
In case of humans, global warming will affect our food and water supplies as well as our health conditions. Changes in precipitation will affect basic necessities such as agriculture, power production etc. Increase in the temperature of ocean waters will hamper fisheries. The sudden change in climate patterns will have a hazardous effect on the human body which won't be able to endure the extreme conditions, a hint of which can be seen in form of frequent heat waves and cold waves. Increase in natural calamities such as storms, will lead to heavy human causalities. Infectious diseases will rise to a great extent as disease transmitting insects will adapt to wet, hot conditions. Many people will die of malnutrition as food production will decrease due to frequent droughts and floods.

These were just a few of the numerous global warming causes and effects. Many people argue that global warming is a slow process, and will take centuries for all these devastating effects to take place. But they forget that the factors which cause global warming are rapidly rising. The rate at which we are contributing to global warming has rose considerably, and is expected to rise at a faster rate in the future. We have already done enough of damage, and hence it's high time we understand the global warming causes, effects and the future repercussions and work out some global warming solutions at the earliest. We may not live to face the dreaded consequences of global warming, but if we don't act fast, it will be our future generations who will have to bear the brunt.