Global Warming Causes

Global warming is not just a single issue, but a compilation of numerous environmental issues which are threatening the basic existence of various lifeforms on the planet. If you are wondering, as to why we should be concerned about it, you need to understand that we are one of the numerous species which are going to bear the brunt of ever intensifying global warming effects on earth. Simply put, global warming is a phenomenon marked by incessant rise in the near surface temperature of the planet owing to various underlying factors. These underlying factors, i.e. the global warming causes, can be grouped into two categories - natural causes of global warming and human induced causes of global warming (i.e. anthropogenic causes).

Natural Global Warming Causes

Let's start with the natural causes of global warming, as it is human tendency to blame nature for each and every calamity we face. While the natural causes are relatively less in terms of numerical count, they are alleged to be more serious than their anthropogenic counterparts. The most prominent natural causes include volcanic eruptions, solar variations, methane release, etc. The link between volcanic eruptions and global warming can be attributed to the fact that a single volcanic eruption tends to release copious amount of carbon dioxide and ash in the atmosphere. The link between global warming and carbon dioxide is not at all difficult to understand. The increase in amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually contributes to a rise in near surface temperature as greenhouse cover traps the solar radiations in the earth's atmosphere. Yet another natural trigger of global warming is solar variation - a phenomenon wherein the planet inches towards the Sun and the proximity causes the near surface temperature of the planet to increase and results in global warming.

When we talk about the natural causes of global warming, one important trigger which has to be taken into consideration is methane release. In order to understand methane global warming potential you need to take into consideration the fact that this greenhouse gas has a life of 7 years. This implies that it will take 7 whole years to clear off methane concentration in the atmosphere if its release is curbed today. That, however, is difficult considering that the large deposits of methane in Arctic tundra and other wetlands tend to release it in the atmosphere continuously, thus contributing to global warming. Those who argue that the natural causes are more devastating than the anthropogenic causes fail to understand that these natural causes help in stabilizing the temperature of the planet, and without them the Earth would have been freezing making it unsuitable for human existence.

Anthropogenic Global Warming Causes

The list of global warming causes which can be attributed to human activities is quite lengthy, and includes several important human activities including agriculture and industrial production. The large-scale environmental pollution which results in dumping of various greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and CFCs, in the atmosphere can be attributed to human activities such as industrial production, burning of fossil fuel, modern lifestyle, etc.

Contrary to popular belief, methane release is not just restricted to nature. It is also triggered by various human activities, and therefore, methane and global warming link finds a place in the list of anthropogenic causes of global warming as well. Methane is released in the atmosphere as a result of two important human activities - mining and cattle rearing. When ground is dug during the process of mining, the methane trapped beneath the Earth's crust is released in the atmosphere. Other than methane sources in the ground, this gas is also present in cattle from where it is released in the form of manure. The fact that cattle rearing is an important component of agriculture makes the latter equally responsible for the occurrence of global warming.

The relation between global warming and agriculture is not just restricted to cattle rearing, but goes much beyond that. Land clearance for agricultural purpose also amounts to deforestation, and so does the activity of logging. The trees tend to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and lack of these trees due to excessive deforestation contributes to carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. This may come as a surprise for many, but rising population also has its significant share in human induced global warming. We release carbon dioxide when we breathe and when millions of people breathe, the amount of carbon dioxide dumped in the atmosphere is bound to be significant.

This list of global warming causes covered most of the prominent causes of this hazard, but then there also exist quite a few causes of global warming which contribute to this phenomenon indirectly. When we say that there are some simple ways to stop global warming we talk about finding solutions to these very problems. As in cases of the causes, even global warming solutions can be categorized into two groups - those which need administrative interference to be solved and those which we can undertake on our own, and do our bit to stop global warming and its repercussions.