CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING

Greenhouse gases can retain in the atmosphere for a long period of time ranging from decades to million of years. Human preventing measures can't even mitigate its effect on the earth. Therefore, its effects can be prevailed on earth and that may harm whole of the human civilization.

1. Melting of polar ice caps
The most ongoing issue that is taking place globally is melting of the ice caps. It is a four pronged danger.
• Rise in sea level all over the world. It is estimated that if all the glaciers that exist today melt, then there will be increase in the sea level by 230 feet.
• Imbalance in the global ecosystem. The melting ice caps are fresh water and when they mix with the ocean water, desalinization of water takes place. It shuts down or increases the irregularity in the smooth functioning of ecosystem.
• Extinction of weaker species of animals. As evidenced by Darwin, only the fittest and the most adaptable species of animals will survive in the environment of increasing temperature and changing landscapes. Therefore, there is an extinction of those species which can’t adapt to the changing environment of the earth.
• The melting of ice caps allows much more heat to enter this atmosphere. Since ice caps are white in colour, they reflect most of the sunlight back to atmosphere. There are only seas to reflect and absorb the sunlight in absence of seas. Therefore, most of the sunlight enters into the earths atmosphere and is trapped, hereby rising the temperature of the earth.

2. Economic consequences
Global warming has an obvious effect on the human and environment. In addition to these, it has an equal effect on the economic sector of countries of the world. Money is spent to treat and control the diseases, billions of dollars is destroyed during hurricanes and again a lot of money is required to renovate all these. So, it is also a cause for increasing recession of the world.

3. Increase in probability of droughts and heat waves

Global warming may wet some areas of the earth. Nevertheless, other areas may have increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves. The most affected region due to this is the country Africa which has born the adverse effects and these have exacerbated its condition.

4. Warmer waters and more hurricanes
Global warming is accompanied by increase in the temperature and this results in more possibility of hurricanes as in 2004 and 2005.

5. Spread of diseases
As the temperature of the earth increases, the earth plunges into the threatening situation of global warming. As the northern hemisphere gets warmed up, disease carrying insects migrate to the north bringing diseases with them like plague and malaria. Sometimes, these diseases become epidemic and may place the whole human civilization in danger.

FOSSILS FUELS AS THE CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

For the first time in human history, people are the most responsible for the changing earth temperature. The dramatic increase in the use of fossils fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) by the human result in the increment of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and these gases cause the climate change.

The major sources of green house gases are factories which provides us with electricity, vehicles that help us for the movement and agriculture that are the primary source of food.

Positive impacts of global warming

First, look at the positive facet of global warming bfore analyzing its negative consequences.
1. It has proven to be beneficial to the crops. Crops need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. When there is increase in the amount of carbondioxide, it aids for the growth of crops.
2. At high northern latitude where there is longer winter period, winter will be less cold.
3. By using the technique of green house effect, we should not wait for the appropriate season to grow certain crops. Instead, every season will be equally appropriate for most of the crops. We can grow summer crops in the winter as well.
4. This technique has been beneficial to grow the desert plant in any areas of the wrl by maintaining the temperature and other conditions.

Negative impacts of green house effect

1. First, there is expansion of ocean water and increase in the ocean level due to the melting of ice caps.
2. Warming up of water means a higher rate of evaporation which results in greater amount of water vapor content in the atmosphere. Because the latent heat of condensation is the main energy source for the atmosphere’s circulation this leads to a more vigorous hydrological cycle.
3. In some areas, there may be heavy rainfall while in others there may be no rainfall. So, there is possibility of frequent and intense flood and droughts too.

Floods and droughts are the most devastating natural agents that may lead to death, misery and economic damage. It could be more devastating than any other impacts.

Action to mitigate climate change

Today, the issue of global warming has been a concern for all the nations of the world. Therefore, certain steps should be taken to reduce its effects. First of all, the emission of green house gases by the human activities must be reduced. For these, many technologies have been introduced which uses renewable resources like production of energy from the solar power, biomass, wind or water which can be used in various industries and these are independent of fossils fuels. This greatly reduces the emission of green house gases and also it facilitates the next generation with the required non renewable resources.
Next, removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to some extent can also help in the mitigation of global warming of the climate change. This can be done with the help of plants and that means afforestation in the barren areas can help to stop the rapid climate change in the earth.
Third is that, we should reduce the emissions of the methane gases by the leakage from mines and landfill sites. The government and other wold agencies must play a vital role in educating the people about the impacts of the unnecessary and excessive use of the non renewable resources as well as encouraging them to use the alternative ways or clean technologies that will help to save the environment