What is Global Warming

Global warming can be defined as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth, including the surface air and oceans. As per studies conducted, it has been stated that the Earth's temperature has increased by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. This rise in temperature was profound during the industrial revolution, when emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increased. If this statistics continue in the coming future, then the weather pattern of the Earth will not be the same as it is today. Considering this, global warming is one of the major environmental issues today. Let's take a look at the causes and effects of global warming.

Causes of Global Warming

The causes of global warming can be discussed under two categories, namely, the natural causes and the man-made causes. Natural causes encompasses exploding of sunspots, solar output variations, volcanic eruptions and changes in the Earth's orbit. Considering these natural causes, many scientists are of the opinion that the Earth will have to experience global warming, even without the influence of industrial and human activities.

There is no doubt that greenhouse gases occur naturally and are responsible for warming the Earth to sustain life (greenhouse effect). However, excess amount of GHG has adverse effects; human activities like burning of fossil fuels contribute a lot to global warming. While burning fossil fuels, carbon dioxide, ozone and other gases are released, which in turn, traps the solar energy, leading to an increase in temperature. Power plants generate the highest GHG, while automobiles rank second. Another man-made cause of global warming is deforestation; with a decline in the number of trees, the amount of carbon dioxide getting absorbed will be less.

Effects of Global Warming

As more heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases, the overall effect of global warming is climatic change, which is evident from the melting of glaciers, rising of sea level, changing pattern of precipitation and drying of cloud forests. Eventually, the potential risks of global warming includes species extinction, disturbed food webs, coastal flooding, shrinkage of rainforests, increased drought, extreme weather conditions, increased disease vectors and change in crop yields. With these potential threats, there have been many issues regarding the responsibilities that should be taken up against global warming.

A major impact on global warming is the signing of Kyoto Protocol, an environmental treaty, on December 11, 1997 by many nations. The main objective of Kyoto protocol is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and sulfur hexafluoride. Under this protocol, the developed industrialized nations agreed to reduce the GHG by 5.2 percent in comparison to the emission of 1990.

An effective way of reducing GHG is to make the public aware about the pros and cons of global warming. Public should be encouraged to use renewable energy sources and conserve energy as much as possible. More sophisticated technologies should be developed so as to make cleaner cars and a better way to generate electricity. Only then, we will be able to minimize global warming and at the same time, save energy for future generations.