According to Macmillan English Dictionary for advanced learners, global warming refers to the slow increase in the temperature of the earth caused partly by greenhouse effect increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect has generally been caused by human activities that have led to production of greenhouse gases. The gasses have increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Industrial applications such as foam production, chemical manufacturing produce greenhouse gas emissions such as hydrofluorocarbons.
Global warming has adverse effects on the environment. The effects include widespread decrease in snow and ice extent, sea level rise, glacier retreat and extreme changes in climate. With the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, the earth’s temperature has greatly increased. This has led to great amounts of ice caps at the North Pole and South Pole to melt, letting all the fresh water flow into the ocean. This has eventually led to increase in sea levels. Parts of coastal lands submerged because of the increased of the sea level. According to research published in Nature, the low-lying coastal areas will flood and may get submerged. This means that a number of people might be displaced.
With the high temperatures, the melted ice evaporates and then condenses to form clouds. This then leads to a heavy down pour that may lead to floods. The recent flood across Kenya is as a good example of a result of climate change caused by global warming. In dry areas it is worse because the rate of evaporation is likely to threaten plant life because of the scarce water. This in turn leads to drought. Since plants will not do well in these areas the inhabitants will face a drop in food production since crops are not able to adapt to the extreme conditions.
The climatic changes have had a great impact on the plants and animal life. Since some plants and animals respond gradually to changes in climate, they have not been able to adapt to the changes. Some are reducing in number while others are becoming extinct. The forests are reducing in size because some species of trees are unable to withstand the conditions and are dying. The forest cover has generally reduced and controlling the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been a great challenge. Aquatic life has also been greatly affected by the climatic changes. Just like some tree species, some species of aquatic plants and animals have become extinct. Other aquatic animals are migrating to other areas. Human life has also faced a threat with the increased health hazards. The high temperatures have prompted to breakout of many illnesses Cancer being the most recent.
Global warming has caused more harm than good. Many countries across the globe are working on ways to control it. The effects of global warming clearly depict how life is at risk on the Earth. Without corrective measures being put in place it is likely that the situation may get out of hand. There is need for all the nations to implement The Kyoto Protocol so as to realize the benefits that would counter the rate of global warming.
References
Changnon, Stanley A.; Bell, Gerald D. (2000). El Niño, 1997–1998: The Climate Event of the Century. London: Oxford University Press.
Bello, David (2009). "Global Warming Reverses Long-Term Arctic Cooling". Scientific American. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
Kaufman, D.; Schneider, D.; McKay, N.; Ammann, C.; Bradley, R.; Briffa, K.; Miller, G.; Otto-Bliesner, B. et al. (2009). "Recent warming reverses long-term arctic cooling". Science 325 (5945): 1236–1239.
Weart, Spencer (2008). "The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Effect". The Discovery of Global Warming. American Institute of Physics. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
