The world we live in is actually a fragile planet and the equilibrium that is maintained is because of earth’s protective nature and is becoming all too vulnerable due to man and his activities. Thus, posterity would have to face up against the consequences of global warming which their previous generation had unjustly created.
In a previous article, I have spoken about what causes global warming. The reports of sudden heat in some parts, melting of glaciers and subsequent increase in sea levels can be attributed to the global warming affect. Although to some extent scientists and scholars had played down the far reaching negative changes it has of late gathered momentum due to appearance of inexplicable diseases, sudden extinction of specie and disappearing ice covering.
Effects of, and What Causes Global Warming
Serious criticisms have surfaced from all quarters and in particular among philosophers, social scientists, environmentalists and writers as to whether we are living justly. The final verdict, they say, would arrive sooner than has been anticipated when the human race would question itself as to whether all this prosperity was worth this kind of tragedy.
- What Causes Global Warming
Global warming has recently been in news due to the fact that alarm bell has rang out from the world’s social and environmental scientists that all specie on earth are under threat due to the warming up of the planet. The earth through its natural protective ways has been able to maintain equilibrium all throughout its history, but now that equilibrium is being threatened by man and his activities.
In fact, the world is already experiencing some of the worst climates.
Undoubtedly, there is a serious mistake in our way of living and that this planet has its own limitation. It has now made us aware as to how fragile our environment is and if no action was taken to mitigate the effect then all specie including us humans would become extinct.
There are far more serious consequences of global warming than what we generally realize. This is because the earth is under great stress with both natural and man made emissions creating the destructive greenhouse effect.
How do the emissions occur?
Emissions, as stated above, can be natural and man made. In the case of natural emissions these have been present for millions of years in the form of burning of forests, volcanic explosion and other natural catastrophes. In the case with man made emissions they are artificially produced by man and his activities through industrialization and destruction of forests for construction activities and settlement purposes.
Forests tend to give the planet a balance by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing of oxygen. This effectively reduces the natural formation of carbon dioxide on the earth’s upper layers and thereby preventing green gas effect.
However, man made activities have dangerously tilted this balance. Humans have cut down forest land as well as started emitting more carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere. The green house effect is further enhanced by more of green house gases that the industries now emit in an uncontrollable way.
The most dangerous among all gases are the hydroflurocarbon (HFC), the perflurocarbon (PFC) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). These are released solely due to human activities like setting up industries where various process including chemical processes takes place. This is the direct fallout of human folly and consequences of global warming.
Apart from these there are huge emissions from burning of fossil fuels, wars and bombings and uses of deadly chemical and nuclear weapons. Some of the man made emissions like methane is released during landfill and livestock farming. Methane is also emitted during the production and transportation of fossil fuels.
As more heat in the atmosphere is trapped without being ejected out into the outer space there is far reaching changes in the environment. Already we are experiencing such changes in the form of climate changes, storms and erratic monsoons and untimely crop seasons.
Consequences of Global Warming
Whether we truly believe it or not there is already several degree of alteration in the climate patterns and the slow but steady melting of ice in the Artic and the Antarctic. These causes are due to the green house gas effect as scientists have proved. In many parts of the world vagaries of season have either flooded irrigated crop or seeds had not sprouted due to intense heat waves.
More calamities may occur if we did not rectify the serious consequences of our action. In several parts of the world mysterious illness and diseases have appeared to haunt the general public. Several international movements have spearheaded a major uprising against unchecked industrialization and the need for putting an effective cap into such emissions.
Carbon credits are a new way to tackle the loss of forest cover by countries having such large tracts of greenery. This is yet to see results although many skeptics are of the opinion that it would be another exchange like the commodity exchange without any visible improvement in industrialization activities.
However, there is unanimous opinion among all countries that if something is not done immediately then all hell will turn loose and the consequences of global warming will follow.
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