Global Warming And Climate Change

 Author: Waqas Rafiq

Global warming is when the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface experience more heat due to industrialization, deforestation, and other human activities. The effect of greenhouse gas emissions is called warming.

Human activities such as burning coal, natural gases, and oil produce a lot of heat leading to global warming. Such actions are causing problems in our environment causing serious changes in weather patterns, which has resulted in unpredictable climate conditions.

Climate change is the process by which glaciers and sea levels have been changing over recent decades. Ice loss is increasing which leads to sea level rise. This will affect humans who live in low-lying areas.

Causes of global warming

Global warming is caused by several factors including greenhouse gas emissions. To explain this we need to go through 6 main ways

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Humans release carbon dioxide

CO2 emission has always been part of man but it is now adding up in the atmosphere due increase in population. So it is an environmental pollutant. It gives out a harmful gas of CO2 that makes water less acidic. For example, greenhouse gasses contribute 3% of total human-generated CO2 to the atmosphere. However, this is not the only factor various others also contribute. There are many reasons for global warming

1. Methane – Methane gas is more dangerous than CO2 because it causes much faster warming. So it is no wonder that it is emitted at a high rate in spite of its poisonous nature. As the amount of human-generated methane increases so does its contribution.

2. Carbon Dioxide – This gas is produced from many sources like power plants, car engines, and burning wood. Human activity plays a crucial role in carbon dioxide emissions. Most people don’t realize the extent of this contribution. Also, most cars run with diesel fuel. Diesel engines are very polluting due to carbon emissions.

3. Natural Gas – Natural gas plays important role in controlling the earth’s temperature. But not all natural gas is greenhouse gas. In addition, almost 18% of total natural gas is used for heating. Natural gas is a non-renewable energy source so it cannot be reused or recycled. Instead, it can destroy. If there was a large amount of natural gas then global warming will be slower. Due to natural gas emissions, the temperature increases rapidly, and even after one year, the temperature drops below freezing. This makes us feel cold and sad. Because natural gas emits a huge amount of nitrous oxide. But it is non-carcinogenic and harmless but the small amount of natural gas should reduce the problem. According to many types of research, nitrous oxide can help in preventing further global warming.

4. Air Pollution – People think that air pollution is the main cause of smog. Actually, it is the second biggest reason behind the smog. Although it is quite hard to control Air Pollution, many steps can be taken. First, it needs to be reduced in any way possible. Second, if Air Pollution cannot be controlled, people need to be responsible for it and make their homes cleaner. Third, everyone should take active measures to prevent air pollution so they can enjoy a clean and pleasant environment. Finally, people should avoid using transport and use public transportation whenever possible. They will contribute significantly to stopping climate change. We also need to learn how air pollution affects us and what to do to solve the issue.

5. Oceans Acidification– Ocean acidification refers to the gradual weakening of seawater pH by approximately 0.8. It means that water that is salty becomes more acidic. This has happened because of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, ozone layer depletion, and greenhouse gasses. Many studies have been done regarding ocean acidification and some pieces of evidence from different researches show that it negatively affects ecosystems and biodiversity and may lead to severe damage. Therefore, if this effect is not monitored properly then it could result in huge damage.

6. Excess Energy Used by Industries – By industries use so much excess energy that can’t be utilized for anything else. This has happened in India because of rapid economic development and urbanization, but the production rate is rising. Now the country is facing environmental and social issues as well. Industrialized countries need huge amounts of energy to maintain their growth and industrial cities like India face a high density of factories. This leads to air pollution. On the other hand, industries use lots of fossil fuels. Thus, it is just not good to burn them either. That is why excessive and uncontrolled use of fossil fuels is considered a bad thing. Some governments already have started work on curbing excess energy use. Several steps are being made to decrease industrial energy, which will be helpful in making the economy more stable.

Conclusion

Global warming isn’t going to stop soon. You might think, it’s just going to stay a while longer but it’s going to continue for sure. Now the question is how fast will it happen and how much does it harm? Can we really predict what will happen in the next couple of years? But as I said, we will soon see changes in weather patterns and climate will be getting harder to control. So I hope you learned something new today! And till then, keep calm and be safe.