Global Warming and its Effects Essay

There is no doubt that our world has been warming up. Eleven out of the past twelve years, that is, 1995 to 2006, have been ranked among the twelve â€Å"warmest years since 1850 (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4,† 2007). † Humans did not keep systematic records of temperature before 1850; nevertheless, scientists are confident that there is something terribly wrong with the steady increase of global surface temperature between 1995 and 2006. The evidence of global warming includes the shrinking of beautiful mountain glaciers in many parts of the world; thawing of permafrost; the early breakup of lake as well as river ice; lengthening of growing seasons (especially mid to high latitude); shifting of animal, insect and plant ranges; early flowering of trees; early emergence of insects and egg laying of birds; changes in ocean currents as well as patterns of precipitation; and the increasing lifetimes and intensities of tropical storms in several regions of the globe (â€Å"Climate Change 2007,† 2007). Seeing that the poorest people of the world are rather dependent on a hospitable as well as stable climate for their crop growing needs in addition to the gathering of natural resources, it is vital to understand climate change before attempting to manage it. Poor people are reliant on the monsoon seasons, for example, but climate change is about to turn their lives around. Moreover, it is the poorest people of the world that are most vulnerable to the destruction caused by natural disasters. The Asian tsunami of 2004 provides evidence of this phenomenon. Increase in drought frequency in Africa is another reason why policymakers around the globe must consider decisions that would have a long-term impact on humanity. Other examples of the destruction caused by climate change to the poor communities in particular include the effects of Katrina in the United States and the heat wave that was experienced by Europeans in 2003. As these examples reveal, poor people in rich societies are also vulnerable to the devastating effects of global warming (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Additionally, the effects of global warming are expected to vary across the globe. According to a publication of the United Nations Environment Programme: While the Earth’s climate has varied throughout the prehistoric ages, the last few decades have witnessed a global climate disruption that is unprecedented over the recent millennia, a period of relative climatic stability during which civilization emerged. Some regions, particularly the Arctic, will be more affected by climate change than others closer to the equator. In many regions, the agricultural sector will be particularly affected. The combination of high temperatures and decreased soil moisture projected for parts of Africa will be particularly hard to adapt to (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). The publication of the UNEP, â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4,† also describes the main responsibility that human beings must assume for global warming: that, in fact, humans have placed great pressure on the climate system with increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas that is mainly responsible for climate change appears to be carbon dioxide, primarily originating from the consumption of fossil fuels. But, other gases are similarly responsible for climate change. According to the report: â€Å"Since the dawn of the industrial age, the concentrations of these gases have been steadily increasing in the atmosphere (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). † Overly excited about their achievements during and after the golden Industrial Age, human beings did not realize that materialism and greed could even be responsible for ending their existence on Earth in the near future. Indeed, if climate change is not managed through effective, global environmental policies at present, huge natural disasters may very well finish off all life on our planet. As it is, global warming is accompanied by spells of really high temperatures that are known to destroy life through heat stress in addition to air pollution. In June 2003, Europe experienced such a spell. It raised temperatures twenty to thirty percent higher than the average temperatures during summer. What is more, the spell covered a huge portion of the European continent, from Germany to Italy, and from the north of Spain to Czech Republic. With social as well as economic impacts, besides its environmental impacts, the heat wave presented heavy losses to the European continent. In point of fact, thirty thousand European people lost their lives during June 2003. Forestry and agricultural production were impaired; forests were burned; crop cycles were disrupted; nuclear reactors cooled by water from rivers had to be closed; demand for electricity could not be met; and the stability of rocks was affected (â€Å"Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave in Europe,† 2004). Europe had experienced significant development during the Industrial Age, although it did not have any power over the heat wave of 2003. More importantly, perhaps, it is evident that the European Union would now play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The heat wave of 2003 served as a warning for the entire continent to begin taking serious action against greenhouse gas emissions, while enjoying the fruits of the Industrial Age even in the twenty first century (â€Å"Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave†). As bad as the European heat wave of 2003 was, there is no way for it to compete with the rising average temperatures in the Arctic. In fact, temperatures in the Arctic are â€Å"rising almost twice as rapidly as in the rest of the world (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). † Sea ice and glaciers in the Arctic are presently melting, while the permafrost temperatures are rising. In Siberia and Alaska, permafrost is also melting. This is expected to release methane into the Earth’s atmosphere from the frozen hydrates. Scientists are aware that fifty million years back, a large amount of methane was released into the Earth’s atmosphere. Temperatures around that time must have risen approximately five to seven Celsius. Additionally, scientists have determined that it took approximately one hundred and forty thousand years for the atmosphere to return to its normal state after the initial release of methane (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Perhaps, therefore, the effects of global warming would remain with us for a very long period of time. Our future generations would have to suffer because of the excessive greenhouse gas emissions that our generation has been held responsible for. Other effects of global warming include increased changes in precipitation around the world. While wet regions are experiencing more rain, the dry areas of our world are turning more arid than before. In addition, regions like Africa with â€Å"the lowest contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions† are projected to suffer most due to these changes (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). As a matter of fact, water scarcity is projected to become a dangerous problem for the African people in the days to come (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Global warming is also increasing â€Å"intense tropical cyclone activity,† especially in the North Atlantic (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). This has been going on since 1970, and is definitely associated with increases in the surface temperatures of tropical seas. Furthermore, there is evidence of increased tropical cyclone activity in certain regions of the world where it is difficult to gather high quality data. In any case, over the past thirty five years the number of Class 4 and 5, high intense storms, has almost doubled. These storms are now occurring in virtually all ocean basins. Of a certainty, our world would warm up even more because of this activity in the deep (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). It is time, therefore, for all countries of the world to seriously consider the kinds of policies that could reverse the damage caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Humans have no control over unknown natural powers that may be causing climate change. Even so, they instinctively know the route they must take so as to help all living beings on the planet. The UNEP publication, â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4† refers to our world as a â€Å"one planet economy,† where all resources must be shared. So even though the Africans did not pollute the environment as much as the Americans and the Europeans during the Industrial Age, they must suffer because they did not even consider advising the Americans and the Europeans to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, they were in no position to advise the polluters. Global warming has been showing its severe effects only now – a time when the world seems to have accepted the idea that life on Earth may end pretty soon if human beings do not stop harming the environment. References Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basics. (2007, Feb 5). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://ipcc-wg1. ucar. edu/wg1/docs/WG1AR4_SPM_Approved_05Feb. pdf. Global Environmental Outlook 4: Environment for Development. (2007). United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://www. unep. org/geo/geo4. Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave in Europe. (2004, Mar). United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://www. grid. unep. ch/product/publication/download/ew_heat_wave. en. pdf.