Factors Contributing To Global Warming Environmental Sciences Essay

In the 21st century, negative environmental and economical effects have been experienced: due to global warming. Global warming is defined as warming of Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere; which tends to intensify with an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Basically global warming is exactly what it sounds like; the warming of earth’s temperature. Global warming is increasing very rapidly, everyone has to take action against it; by considering how it occurs, how it impacts the normal personal life of people, and how it can be prevented. However, it is very important for everyone to know how they contribute to the causes of global warming.

In the present day life global warming is caused in many ways, but the most important is air pollution. Firstly, carbon dioxide and other harmful gases: from power plants, are released into air which causes the toxicity of the air to increase. Nuclear power plants; which are old and unchecked can increase the carbon dioxide by 35% in year 2030. At the same time most of the power plants in North America emits carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury pollution (Cleaner power plants, 2007). Half of the gases that are emitted from these power plants are dangerous to everyone. Second cause for increasing in global warming is carbon dioxide from vehicles. Burning the petroleum products to run automotive transport vehicles cause pollutants like SO2, CO, CO2 which are being released into air. In the year 2003 North America had over 236 million vehicles which is responsible for nearly half of all greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles globally (Bureau of Transportation Statics, 2009). Furthermore, air pollution is also caused by smoking cigarettes. When someone smokes the nicotine chemical flows into the air which cause air pollution. According to Vince (2004) of New Scientist air pollution emitted by cigarettes is 10 times greater than diesel car exhaust. Most people are responsible for the air pollution, which contributes to global warming.

Another cause of increasing in global warming is use of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into atmosphere. Vehicles are the highest forms of fossil fuels use. For every one million gallons of gasoline consumed by vehicles releases approximately 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide into atmosphere (Gable, n,d.(1)). Also the use of fossil fuels in power plants releases lots of toxic gases. In fact that human destroy the environment to obtain these fossil fuels and burn them releasing masses of carbon dioxide into atmosphere. It is also said that power generation plants accounts for about one quarter of total emissions of carbon dioxide (Carbon dioxide Emissions, 2007 (2)). Finally households hold a huge stock in contributing to the effects of global warming. House hold appliance that burn fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, as fuel produces carbon dioxide leads to global warming. In 2003, the average household produced 12.4 tons of carbon dioxide from its household operations.(Hinkle Charitable, n.d.(10)), and even the construction and operation of residential units is the cause of 40% of all CO2 (“Greenhouse gases”, 2008). As one can see, everyone is responsible for increasing is global warming, everyone has to become more aware of the detrimental effects their lifestyle has on the rapidly increasing rate of global warming.

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Due to global warming, world is experiencing extreme changes in climate. There is no doubt that the earth climate is constantly changing. Some people feel that it is part of the normal cycle of events on this planet. Yet, most scientists agree that there are drastic changes occurring that are due to unnatural global warming. It is said that the average surface temperature may rise between 2o to 6o Celsius, by the end of 21st century (Riebeek, 2010(3)). Consequently, because of the changing weather pattern, there has been an increase in droughts throughout the world. Years are becoming drier in recent decades due to global warming.  This is caused by the heat that is building up around the earth’s surface. For instance: There will be an increase in drought in the next 100 years, that will threaten millions of lives and take over half of the land surface on the planet.(Douglas, 2006 (4)). A big enough rise of global temperatures would eventually melt the world’s glaciers, and indeed a retreat of mountain glaciers since the 19th century was apparent in some regions. That would release enough water to raise the sea level a bit. Also there has been an increase in floods because of raise in sea level. It is said that nearly 81 people died and 1.03 $ billion has been damaged in the flood in the year 1954 (Public Safety Canada, 2007(5)). Therefore, the effects of global warming cannot be denied; the increasing temperatures, extreme weather patterns and climate change are all visibly connected to global warming.

Besides temperature, global warming has been linked to an increase in water problems. Water is habitant for several species. First, the depletion in ozone layer causes ultraviolet rays to fall directly on land and water without filter by ozone layer. When ultraviolet rays fall on water, those rays kill many organism such as plankton. For example, the penetration of increased amount of uv radiation has caused great health problems of marine plankton, which are density populate the top 2 meters of ocean water (Sparling, 2001). Secondly, the most important problem to the environment is due to acid rains. Acid rains affect the life on land as well as in water. It is worse in water than on land because organism that live in water need water to survive. When the water gets polluted due to acid rains then these organism can’t survive in those conditions. For example hundreds of lakes in the adirondacls have acidity levels indicative of chemical conditions unsuitable for the survival of sensitive fish species (“Surface water,” 1999)(13). Third important effect of global warming on water is increase in ocean acidification due to carbon dioxide that is being released into ocean. As the greater amount of carbon dioxide is being released into ocean makes it more acidic then its normal level. As ocean acidity increases, phytoplankton is reduced. This results in less ocean plants able to uptake greenhouse gases. For example increased ocean acidity threatens marine life such as plankton, carols and shell fish, which may become extinct later this century form chemical effects of carbon dioxide (Lindell, 2008 (14)).

Since we have helped the environment to increase global warming there is only few ways to slow global warming. Firstly, global warming can be reduced by using public transport rather than personal vehicles. When people begin to make use of public transport instead of making use of their private vehicles, there will be a great reduction in the amount of energy supply that is being used.  For instance, public transport in US saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of co2 annually (West, n.d.(6)). Secondly, global warming can also be reduced by using new cars instead of old cars, “If someone buy a new car that gets 10 more miles per gallon then their old car, the amount of co2 reduced realized in one year will be about 2500 pounds. The new hybrid cars using efficient gas electric engines, can cut global warming pollution by 30% or more” (Seaman 2009)(7). Further more global warming can be prevented by reducing the amount of electrical power being consumed by everyone. This is a very critical problem because everyone has a dependency on electricity. That’s why this problem can’t be solved but somehow it can be reduced by switching to energy saving light such as florescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. For each CFL bulb replacement, one can lower the energy bill and keep nearly 700 pounds of co2 out of the air over the bulb’s lifetime (Seaman, 2009).

Using the Natural source of energy is also the best way to reduce global warming. Firstly, by keeping wind turbines in places that are always windy to produce electricity because they don’t produce any pollution or green house gases. Some people say that wind energy is one form of energy that is rapidly improving and growing, “use of wind energy reduces the environmental impact of generating electricity because it requires no fuel and does not produce pollution or green house gases” (“Natural Resources Canada,” 2009)(8). Secondly, every country can use solar photovoltaic energy. It will help to reduce the amount of green house gases, For instant “photovoltaic technology has become a favoured form of renewable energy technology due to a number of social and economic factors including the need to reduce green house gas emission, deregulators and the restructuring of electric power generating companies(“Natural Resources Canada,” 2010)(9). Thirdly, the most used form of energy, hydro energy, is one of the best options for replacing highly polluting and very costly diesel generation that currently provides electric energy in remote communities. For example a hydroelectric power plant doesn’t emit any pollutants such as carbon dioxide or sulphur dioxide given off by fossil fuel fired power plants. In this respect, hydropower is better than burning coal, oil or natural gas to produce electricity, as it does not contribute to global warming or acid rain(citation 11). These are the some of the natural resource which can help to reduce global warming.

In conclusion, everyone is responsible for an increase in global warming by destruction of forest and polluting the world. In addition to this everyone’s dependency on fossil fuels also contributed to the increasing rate of global warming. It is also due to increasing temperatures that everyone’s life is being affected due to air pollution. Finally, there are the environmental effects that global warming has brought; increased temperature, climate change and raising sea levels have all contributed to the effect of global warming. Therefore, everyone must acknowledge their contribution and the overwhelming evidence that global warming is occurring. Only then everyone will move toward to save the earth.