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Global Warming
Global Warming
Scientists have three ways to measure global warming. Since 1960, they’ve used
satellites. For data since 1880, they also have reliable weather monitoring
stations.
For data going back a million years, they drill ice cores from glaciers. These
cores reveal the amount of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes for each age.
Scientists can calculate the average temperatures from those samples.
Paleontologists can also roughly measure the earth’s temperature from fossil
records. The closest comparison is the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum.
It was the era between the end of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals. Over
5,000 years, between 4 trillion and 7 trillion tons of carbon were released. The
difference is that humans have released the same levels of carbon over
hundreds, not thousands, of years.
The temperature rose between 5 C and 8 C, but it took place over thousands of
years. At current rates, it will rise by 5 C in just 400 years.
The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also triggered global warming. Its impact
vaporized limestone and incinerated forests. So much carbon dioxide was
released that it took 100,000 years for the Earth's climate to return to normal.
All these measurements tell the same story – the temperature is rising faster than
at any other time in the Earth's history.
Not only is the temperature rising quickly, but it’s accelerating. Two-thirds of the
increase happened after 1974. The 10 warmest years since 1880 have all
occurred since 1998, with nine occurring since 2009.
The colder zones are warming even faster than temperate or equatorial zones. In
the past 60 years, Alaska has warmed by 1.7 C or 3.06 F. That's twice as fast as
the rest of the United States.
Global warming causes climate change. That's created more extreme weather,
health risks, a rise in the sea level, and higher food costs. If global warming
exceeds 2 C, it will create climate destabilization. Melting icecaps and thawing
tundra will create a feedback loop that leads to a permanent hothouse Earth.
Causes
Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases trap the Sun's heat radiation and reflect it back to earth. In
April 2019, the C02 level was 411 parts per million.
In 1850, the CO2 level was 278 parts per million. Since then, humans have
burned colossal amounts of plant-based fuels such as gasoline, oil, and coal.
That releases the C02 the plants had absorbed during their lifetimes.
The last time CO2 levels were this high was in the Pliocene era. Sea levels were
66 feet higher, there were trees growing at the South Pole, and the temperature
was between 3 C and 4 C higher than today. It takes time for temperatures to
rise in response to greenhouse gases. It's like turning on the burner to heat the
coffee. Until greenhouse gases are reduced, the temperature will continue to
climb until it’s 4 C higher.
Despite what some say, sunspots do not cause global warming. Neither does El
Nino, which is instead worsening because of global warming. In past
millennia, warming was caused by shifts in the earth's orbit. That hasn’t
happened this time.
Why isn't the sea level that high now? Warming has happened so fast that the ice
hasn't had time to fully melt. It's like putting an ice cube in hot coffee, it doesn't
melt instantly. Over thousands of years, ice will continue to melt unless the
temperature is reduced.
Global warming is already having major effects in four main areas: extreme
weather, health risks, sea level rise, and food inflation. Between 2007 and 2017,
it’s cost the U.S. government $350 billion.
Extreme Weather
In July 2018, heat waves set new temperature records all over the world. Climate
scientists were shocked by their severity.
Droughts in North Africa and South America is killing crops and drying up water
sources. This is creating a global security threat, as people migrate to survive.
Disengaged youth are particularly vulnerable to radicalization. The California
drought raised nut and fruit prices. Midwest drought killed off corn crops, raising
the price of beef Pests have weakened forests, allowing more destructive
wildfires.
Health Risks
Global warming contributes to 150,000 deaths each year. It climbs to 12.6 million
deaths if you add the impact of pollution and extreme weather. By 2030, that
number will double.
One in every nine people faces hunger caused by crop failure. Heat-related
deaths alone kill 650 Americans each year.
Health care costs are higher for 50 million asthma and allergy sufferers. Plants
now produce more pollen, including larger and more allergenic "super pollen.”
Between 1995 and 2015, the pollen season has increased by 25 days in some
areas of the country. By 2040, pollen counts will double by 2040. Stanford
University professor Mark Jacobson estimated that 20,000 people die from air
pollution for every 1 C rise in global temperatures.
Disease-carrying pests are spreading, carrying West Nile virus, malaria, and
even bubonic plague. Over the past 12 years, mosquito, flea, and tick-borne
illnesses have tripled to 640,000. Lyme disease is now in all 50 states with a 20-
fold increase in Maine.
Flooded sewage systems have caused higher rates of hepatitis C, SARS, and
hantavirus. Research in Siberia discovered that some of the permafrost doesn't
refreeze in the winter. It could be a source of diseases that have been frozen for
millennia.
In 2016, winter sea ice fell to a record low. That has led to rising sea
levels and flooding of coastal cities.
In February 2017, North Pole temperatures rose 45 F above normal. The Bering
Strait was ice-free. The absence of sea ice contributes to "Arctic
Amplification." The dark water absorbs the sun's radiation and further heats the
ocean.
In Antarctica, glaciers have been losing their mass at an "unusually rapid" rate.
Between 1992 and 1996, the Pine Island Glacier lost thickness at a rate of 1.6
meters per year. That’s 42 times faster than the rate for the last 4,700 years. In
2015, the continent lost 183 gigatons of ice. That's 36 gigatons more than it lost
in 2008.
Food Inflation
North American and European wheat, corn, and rice crops lose up to 25% for
each 1 C increase. Global warming increases damage to crops from insects,
drought, and heat.
As the oceans warm, they hold less oxygen. Since the 1950s, these "dead
zones" have expanded by 4.5 million square kilometers. As a result, many
popular species of fish stay near the oxygen-rich surface or head north. Shellfish
and coral reef inhabitants can’t move. Oceans are also absorbing carbon dioxide,
making them more acidic. That’s killed off half of the world’s coral reefs in the last
30 years.
It’s also become more expensive to drill for oil in Alaska's North Slope. The
equipment, buildings, and pipelines are designed to operate on the frozen
ground. When it thaws, this equipment doesn’t work well.
Impact of 2 C Warming
If man doesn’t cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, the average temperature
will reach 2 C in 2037. Even if the world stopped emitting gases immediately, the
temperature will hit that level by 2100. There is already enough greenhouse gas
in the atmosphere to make that happen.
Temperature increases would not be spread evenly. The Arctic would warm by 6
C. Around 85% of the ground in Alaska is permanently frozen year-round. When
it thaws, the waterlogged ground becomes soft and collapses. By 2025,
the Arctic would be ice-free during the summer. Russia plans to use the faster
Arctic route to export liquefied natural gas from northwestern Siberia to
China. President Putin forecast that Russia plans to ship 80 million tons along
that route by 2025. But he, and others who think they will benefit from climate
change, are ignoring all the other perils they will face.
At that temperature, 98% of coral reefs would die off. That would cost the global
economy $1 trillion each year. The reefs support the livelihoods of 500 million
people in 50 nations. It also supports many other marine species. Without coral
reefs, most of them would go extinct.
In 1975, Professor William Nordhaus first warned about the economic impact of
global warming. He predicted that doubling carbon dioxide, as we have, would
increase temperatures by 2 C.
Hothouse Earth
A 2 C increase would risk hitting a tipping point that would trigger "hothouse
Earth". A large portion of the polar ice caps would melt, increasing sea levels.
Droughts, deforestation, and warming oceans would release massive amounts of
natural sources of greenhouse gases. This would create a feedback loop that
could raise the temperature by 5 C in the long-term
Warmer oceans could shift the North Atlantic current away from Europe. Most of
Europe is north of the U.S. state of Maine. Without the warm waters of the
current, Europe would become as cold as Newfoundland.
Impact of a 4 C Increase
By 2100, the World Bank said the temperature will rise by 4 C if nothing is done.
Global GDP would decline by more than 30%.
The U.S. National Climate Assessment said the temperature would rise 5.5 C, or
10 F, by 2071. The Arctic temperature would rise by 10 C or 18 F. The sea level
would rise one foot per decade, too fast to allow humans to build anew. Once the
sea level rises 10 feet, it would flood 12.3 million people.
California and the Great Plains would experience a new, permanent Dust Bowl.
Some areas would experience 131 F heat waves. Wildfires would burn 64 times
as much as they did in 2018.
It will lead to the worst famine since World War II. At least 20 million people will
starve to death or die of dehydration.
A global investor's group warned it would cost it members $23 trillion in global
economic losses. The total damage would exceed $600 trillion, double the total
wealth of everyone on the planet. That would shrink the global economy by 20%
from what it is today. But GDP would be the least of everyone’s problems.
If you want to support efforts to reduce global warming, there are some simple
steps you can take today. Cut your heating bill by living in a small house and
ensuring it has good insulation. Buy Energy Star home appliances. Eat less
meat. Purchase more local products to cut down on emissions from shipping.
Turn off lights and unplug appliances when not in use.
The way you drive and maintain your car can significantly improve mileage. Keep
the tires inflated, change the air filter, accelerate slowly after a stop, and drive
under 60 miles per hour. That will reduce your emission of greenhouse gases.
The April 9, 2007, article in the economist, "Mean Machine," offers more great
tips for being an environmentally aware car owner.
You can also become carbon neutral. The United Nations program Climate
Neutral Now allows you to offset all the carbon you've emitted by purchasing
credits. It helps you calculate your specific carbon footprint. These credits fund
green initiatives throughout the world. You can select the specific project that
interests you. You can also plant trees. Donations to Eden Reforestation plants
trees in Madagascar. That gives the people income, rehabilitates the habitat, and
save lemurs and other species from extinction.
If you want to get more ambitious, you can sue the government. On April 9, 2018,
the Colombian Supreme Court ruled that the government must create a plan to
combat climate change. The plan must also address deforestation in the
Amazon. The Supreme Court referred to the Amazon as an “entity subject of
rights.” It gives the river the same rights as a human being. An international
human rights organization, Dejusticia, was responsible for the lawsuit creating
the ruling.
Abstract-Many researchers, engineers and environmentalists are expressing deep concerns about
changes in the overall
climate of the planet. Fossil fuels are being continuously used to produce electricity. The burning
of these fuels produces
gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides which lead to global warming.
Deforestation is also leading to
warmer temperatures. The hazard of global warming is continuously causing major damage to
the Earth's environment.
Most people are still unaware of global warming and do not consider it to be a big problem in
years to come. What most
people do not understand is that global warming is currently happening, and we are already
experiencing some of its
withering effects. It is and will severely affect ecosystems and disturb ecological balance.
Because of the treacherous
effects of global warming, some solutions must be devised. The paper introduces global
warming, elaborates its causes and
hazards and presents some solutions to solve this hot issue. Above all, alternative energy
sources (solar, wind, hydro,
geothermal, bio mass) need to be seriously pursued. Finding and using renewable sources of
energy is one of the methods
to combat the ever increasing global warming effectively.
Keywords: Climate, fossil fuels, deforestation, global warming, alternative energy sources
IX. Conclusion
The scientific and environmental community is on
the same page regarding the bitter reality of global
warming and the involvement of human factor in it.
The paper discussed here has only dented the surface of
what is a very intricate line of scientific and engineering
exploration. Global warming is a big hazard and
appropriate measures must be taken to tackle this
serious problem. This problem is not only causing
trouble to the human beings but also to animals and
plants. Melting of polar ice caps will lead to floods
which can cause mayhem everywhere. Rise of sea
levels will devastate agricultural and fishing activities.
To embark upon these problems, some remedial steps
must be timely taken which include but are not limited
to the use of renewable sources of energy and stopping
deforestation. Innovative solutions must be brought
forward to end this hazard once and foreve