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global warming is a term that refers to the increase of temperature near the earth's surface caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases. It is interesting to note that this phenomenon was first observed in the mid 18th and 19th century during the industrial revolution in developed countries. This rapid industrialization, which used heavy machinery utilizing fossil fuels all added to the huge build-up of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

In science we learn that, in an ideal setting, short wave light from the sun enters through the thermal blanket (i.e. the greenhouse gases) which is made up of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. The short wave light is reflected by the earth as infrared radiation back to the atmosphere. Only a fraction is retained by the thermal blanket and is returned to the surface to sustain an environment where plants grow and where human and animals live.

Unfortunately, due to mans neglect, the accumulation of greenhouse gases eventually reached massive and irreversible proportions. This leads to the damage of the earth's ozone layer. The ozone layer is our planet's shield against harmful UV rays emanating from the sun.

When industries started booming, the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels, chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC for air-conditioners, aerosol propellants, etc.), forest fires during the dry seasons, oil-field fires during the Iraqi war in the 1990s, rapid deforestations in south America and Asia or even methane produced by cattle are all instrumental to the increase of greenhouse gases. This scenario will raise global temperature from 1.44 degrees to a worrying 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100, as reported by the Worlds Inter-government Panel on Climate Change. This may not seem like much of a difference in temperature changes but unless concerted global effort is initiated immediately to avert the ill effects of global warming, the earth will experience a disaster of immense proportions.

Continued rise in temperature which will in turn cause the polar ice caps to melt. sea water will rise considerably and inundate the low-lying areas all over the world, erasing habitable lands. Entire islands could be wiped of the map. This could lead to the extinction of species due to the loss of natural habitats and further erratic climatic behavior. The sad thing is that the polar ice caps has already begun melting, 30 years ahead of the projections made by experts in the field.

Copyright 2007
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Learn more about global warming
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posted by 46124  # 4:50 AM