Global warming and Climate Change 

climate change  Human activities like pollution and overpopulation are pushing the EARTH’S temperature and creating a change in our Environment like extreme weathers, floods, wild winds, and extra temperature and ultimately, triggering Global warming which results in climate change. So, what are the causes of global warming and the< effects of global warming?

Greenhouse effect phenomenon is the main cause of global warming.
The gases in the atmosphere like carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N02), water vapors (H20), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the greenhouse gases.

When sunlight enters the atmosphere of the Earth, some of it is absorbed in the stratosphere and within gases in our atmosphere, some rays reach the surface of the EARTH and some bounce back in to space, the greenhouse gases traps these returning rays of the sun and increase the temperature of the atmosphere causing greenhouse effect.
Global warming is an extra increase in the temperature of the Earth. 

Here are some things, you must know about global warming and climate change: 

1. Current global warming is occurring ten times faster than the ancient climate change.

 Me as a human being and an Environmental conscious person can clearly understand the causes of global warming and can see that there is a change in EARTH’s temperature and there is more extreme weather which is among the effects of Global warming.   Climate Change  To make my point clear, I have researched that.  

According to NASA:

 “There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.
Ice cores are drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Ancient evidence can also be found in tree rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks.  This ancient, or paleoclimate, evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming”. 

We can clearly see that there is a mass level change in our ecosystem and it an alarming situation for us if we care about our EARTH. 

2. Top 9 Scientific pieces of evidence of climate change (Global warming) 

As common people, we can talk and discuss global warming, causes of global warming and other things but we know these scientific facts and evidence about climate change which we solidify our discussions.  

A rise in the global temperature:

Since the 19th century, the average surface temperature of the Earth has risen about 0.9 degree Celsius. This is happening mostly from anthropogenic (men made activities) activities like releasing Co2 in the ecosystem etc.
2010-2016 was the warmest years ever recorded in the past 35 years.  

Continuous Warmth in Oceans:

Since 1969, there is a rise of 0.4 degree Celsius in the oceans, the top 700 meters of the ocean absorb this extra temperature. Warming oceans mean more frequent tsunamis.  

Ice sheets are shrinking:

According to the data of NASA:  

“The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass.  Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 119 billion tons during the same time period. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade”.   

Does this bother you? It bothers me.  

The Glacier Retreat:

Glaciers are running almost everywhere around the world-like the Alps, Himalaya, Alaska etc.  

Thinning of snow cover:

Snow is melting earlier and decreasing in the Northern hemisphere according to the NASA satellite observations.  

A rise in the sea level:

The is an 8-inch rise in the global sea level in the past century and this rate is twice in the last two decades.  

The decline in the Arctic sea ice:

The extent and the thickness of Arctic sea ice are declining rapidly since last 3 or 4 decades.  

The extreme events

Since 1965, the number of high-temperature events in the US is increasing while there is a decrease in the record of low-temperature events. There is also an increasing number of the increasing number of rainfalls in the US.  

Rapid acidification of oceans

The acidity of ocean surface has increased about 30% since the industrial revolution, this is mainly because of the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Oceans are absorbing more and more Co2 hence increasing the acidity level which results in harsh living conditions for aquatic life. 

3. Practically, how climate is changing  

We all have heard and seen the climate change and global warming in one form or another like floods, droughts, food shortage or anything else but how climate is practically changing? Global warming sources  

According to NASA: 

 “Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities”.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. According to the IPCC, the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change”.

IPCC is predicting global mean temperature above 1990 levels will produce good results in some regions and will harm other regions.
So basically, we are guessing that the climate will produce beneficial impacts on some regions, but we also know that it can severely harm some regions so as a whole, Global warming is like a virus in the Natural computer, we don’t know what will happen. 

4. What are the Men made Causes of Global Warming and Climate Change?  

Causes of global warming  I have excluded the natural causes Because I am focusing on anthropogenic (Men made) destruction regarding global warming, I will discuss some of the men made causes of global warming which is triggering global warming. 

Fossil fuels burning  

• Fossil fuels like oil and gas have been the primary fuel source in the past century, almost everything relating energy and heat was driven from fossil fuels like vehicles, power plants, generators      etc.
• The consequences of fossil fuels are enormous and human beings have suffered these consequences in the shape of global warming and climate change in a past century like “London Fog” and more recent forest fires in America etc.
• It is one of the major causes of global warming.
• When we burn fossil fuels, we release a great amount of Co2 in the atmosphere which is a major greenhouse gas and we are releasing this deadly gas for 100 years, think that how much we have released and how much we will release in the future.
• In my research, I have come to know that, Australia is the biggest producer of carbon dioxide if we compare it to the rest of the World.
• Their level of Co2 production is almost double than other developed countries. Australia produces their 73% of electricity from coal-burning power plants, 13% from gas and rest from the renewable energy.

Industrial waste and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)  

• I had to include chlorine related components and industrial waste in this list because industries are discharging their smoke in the atmosphere which contains Co2 and chlorine-related components.
• We all know that Co2 is one of the major causes of global warming, but chlorine is a silent assassin. 
• chlorofluorocarbons and related component attack ozone directly by breaking the chain of the ozone layer by breaking molecule of ozone after another. 
• One chlorine molecule can break 1000 molecules of ozone which means, more ULTRAVIOLET(UV) rays will enter into our atmosphere which is push the greenhouse effect hence increased the temperature of the Earth (Global warming).

The Deforestation 

Plants and trees play an important role in regulating the climate, they keep everything in balance because absorb Co2 and release oxygen.
We humans had to disrupt this natural cycle because we couldn’t stand the fact that vegetation is keeping everything in check and balance, so we cut plants and trees to build our plazas and cities on the top of forests and vegetation.
It is one of the primary causes of global warming.
According to WWF (Wildlife fund):

 “When vegetation is removed or burnt, the stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO2, contributing to global warming. Up to one-fifth of global greenhouse gas pollution comes from deforestation and forest degradation. Preventing deforestation as well as planting trees, through reforestation and afforestation, are important actions in the fight against global warming”. 

We are utilizing trees and plants in our agendas which results in global warming, on the other hand, we as humans can fix this by reforestation and self-awareness.  

Farming 

According to WWF: 

“Animals, livestock like sheep and cattle, produce methane, a greenhouse gas. When livestock grazed at a large-scale, as in Australia, the amount of methane produced is a big contributor to global warming. Some that farmers use also release nitrous oxide, which is another greenhouse gas. Australian farming contributes 16% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Using different stock feeds can help to reduce farming’s contribution to climate change”. 

This might seem crazy, but it is fact, keeping animals in one place in bulk will produce large amount methane which is a deadly greenhouse gas.
I discussed the evidence of global warming and the causes of global warming, now, let’s discuss the effects of global warming and climate change.

 5. Current effects of Global Warming 

Commonly, we know what global warming is and what are the effects of global warming and the causes of global warming and that climate change stuff, I researched some of the current effects of Global warming.
According to NASA: 

“Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted, and trees are flowering sooner.  Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves”.    

• Worldwide and especially at the North Pole, Ice is melting which includes mountains, glaciers, melting of ice sheet covers  in the Arctic sea, Greenland and in Antarctica.
• In the past 30 years, penguins have been affected by the ice melting and global warming the most, the number of penguins has been decreed from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000.
• There is a rise in sea level in past century which triggers more frequent Tsunamis and Wild waves overrunning bay areas, there are a lot of countries that are severely affected by the DISASTERS relating sea like Japan, Indonesia etc.
• Climate change is haunting above countries the most.

According to National Geographic:   

“Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas. Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average. Some invasive species are thriving. For example, spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees”.  

• More and more droughts in water scarcity areas and in the remote regions,
• Shortage of food due to a shortage of water and extreme temperature resisting some crops to grow.
• Fog and Photochemical smog which is highly dangerous and mostly seen in urban areas.
• Extreme ultraviolet rays of the sun entering more frequently due to ozone depletion.

6. The climate change will go through this century and beyond. 

The research is telling us that the change will continue to haunt us throughout the century and the scary part is, it will not stop. 

The rising temperature, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, more extreme weather, and disasters will not stop until we do something about it. 

According to a researched data of NASA’s Global Climate Change: 

“Global climate is likely to continue to change over this century and beyond. The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally, and how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to those emissions”. 

Can we just sit back and think about the causes of global warming or just putting causes of global warming on hold and think about our actions? 

7. These effects of global warming will happen in the future.

 I have researched and came up with some effects of global warming that will happen in the future or will continue.  

A continuous rise in the temperature

Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA  

Due to global warming and conditions that are favoring global warming the rise in temperature will be frequent in the future.  

The frost-free and growing season will lengthen

According to NASA’s Global climate change data: 

“The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is likely to lengthen. In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are projected across most of the U.S. by the end of the century, with slightly smaller increases in the northern Great Plains”.   

 

 Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA  

The largest increases in the frost-free season (more than eight weeks) are projected for the western U.S., particularly in high elevation and coastal areas.
The increases will be considerably smaller if heat-trapping gas emissions are reduced”.  

There will be changes in precipitation patterns

Effects of global warming are clearly visible, precipitation patterns in some areas of US have increased and had significantly decreased in some areas since 1900.
The Northern United States is facing more precipitation in summer and winters while there is a decrease in the southern United States.  

 

Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA 

 Sometimes change is good but I don’t want any change regarding climate and our living conditions.  

According to NASA’s projection of future climate over the U.S. suggest that the recent heavy precipitation trends will continue.

More heat waves and droughts

Droughts and heat waves in the southwest region of the U.S and other parts of the world will likely to increase in future and it will be more intense while cold waves are will be less intense.  

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Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA  

According to Global Climate Change DATA OF NASA: 

“Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U.S. in summer.
By the end of this century, what have been once-in-20-year extreme heat days (one-day events) are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation”.  

Hurricanes will become strong and more intense

North Atlantic’s hurricanes intensity, duration, and frequency are rising as well as the frequency of the strongest hurricanes (category 4 and 5) are increasing since the 1980s. 

 

Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA   

Men made activities are contributing to this situation, as the climate continues to warm, more intense hurricanes will form in this region.   

By the year 2100, seas level will 1-4 feet

Since 1980, global sea level has risen by 8 inches.
This rise will likely to reach 1-4 feet by the year 2100.  This is the result of that added water from melting of glaciers caused by the global warming and human contribution,
In the next several decades, the storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions.  

 

Future effects of global warming-image Source taken from NASA  

The scary thing is that the sea levels will continue to rise beyond 2100 because the men made activities will not stop and global warming may or may not be that much strong.
But it will be there, and climate change will trigger sea level rise.
Imagine how much damage it can cause to the areas closer to sea or Cities built on Islands.  

The Arctic will become Ice-free

According to NASA:

“the Arctic Ocean is likely to become ice-free in summer before mid-century”

Just imagine, no ice in Arctic regions, all the ice will be meeting seas and will raise its level. melting the Arctic  How much sad and scary is that to think that our earth will become Hairless (ice-free), we will no more get cold days like before and no more snowfall, no more snowman, no more Christmas. Well, climate change is a serious thing, isn’t it? Does that bother you?   

8. What should we do to prevent it?

 we consuming more plastic, more fossil fuels, more items that are releasing C02 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
It’s time to reduce our consumption and plant some greenery, we don’t have completely stop consuming because as human beings we have to look after our selves and use the things that are made to benefits us. we just have to minimize the usage, 

A. Reduce the usage of fossil fuels 

Fossil fuels are main contributors to the greenhouse effect hence pushing global warming hence the climate change. We should reduce the use of fossil fuels like:  

• Use public transport rather than using individual cars
• Switch our solar energy rather than an oil-driven generator in emergencies
• Power plants are running on fossil fuels for decades.
• change will not happen in overnight, but we can use natural gas instead of coal (dirtiest fossil fuel) which is a little cleaner version. 
• We as common people don’t own a power plant obviously but we can convey our message to the people who are responsible for coal-burning power plants by emphasizing our claim.

B. Minimize the usage of wooden furniture and home decor 

How many trees we are cutting on a daily basis to make our furniture, the number will astonish anyone. I am not asking anyone to stop using wood, I am just saying to minimize the usage and plant equal amount or twice the trees equivalent to your furniture. we can at least do that to pay back to our Earth.
Correct me if I am wrong but we are pushing climate change just to make out homes eye pleasing.

 C. Use renewable energy    

renewable energy  Renewable energy has been a game changer in the modern era, use solar power, wind energy, hydro and biomass to produce our own electricity heat and gas is far better than fossil fuels. We can produce our indemnity power in our homes from solar and wind, we can make our own gas from Biomass, we can even generate warm water from solar water heaters, so why shouldn’t use renewable energy.
We can’t just completely switch from fossils to renewable, but we can make a smooth transition with the passage of time, by doing that, we can minima the Co2 production from fossil fuels and reduce the CARBON FOOTPRINTS. 

D. STOP the plastic bags 

I know that plastic bags are not the primary source of the greenhouse effect as they do not directly produce CO2 but when we burn them or melt them, they generate a ridiculous amount of Co2 and Chlorofluorocarbons.
The main reason for not to use or minimize the usage of plastic bags or related products is saving aquatic life and our oceans. each year hundreds of thousand aquatic animals die because of strangling or eating or swallowing plastic product, our seas are polluted and even our lakes.
Beaches are full of plastic components. It baffles me sometimes to think how much we are consuming and not paying our dues!
Nature can sometimes be harsh, but we humans are the main contributors to global warming, we contribute in the causes of global warming.

And the effects of global warming are severe, its time to step up and latest contribute a grain in the sand. 

OUR EARTH IS OUR MOTHER, WE HAVE TO SAVE OUR MOTHER FROM DYING.

REFRENCES 

[1]         https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/climate/causes-of-global-warming#gs.faFFDPg 

[2]         https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ 

[3]         https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/