Global warming is making headlines, turning into an ever-increasing threat to our world’s fragile environment. Those in favor of global warming’s existence deem it to be an existential crisis, while others contest its existence or the severity of its impending outcomes. Given the ever-growing body of evidence, the controversy surrounding this phenomenon warrants closer examination.
This phenomenon is closely linked to human activities, especially burning of fossil fuels, generating electricity and changes in land use, such as deforestation which results in the emissions of greenhouse gasses. As a result, these gasseswarm the planet, resulting in the loss of glaciers, changes in the climate, melting of polar ice caps, rising of sea levels and the extinction of species. It has been reported by the World Meteorological Organisation that 2020 is on track to become one of the three warmest years on record. Furthermore, a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 compared to pre-industrial times.
One of the most visible impacts of global warming is the rising sea levels due to melting of polar ice caps. As polar ice caps and glaciers melt, the water flows into the oceans, drastically raising the water levels. As a result, coastal areas are facing the challenge of coastal erosion, flooding and destruction of habitats and ecosystems. Not only will this prove detrimental to local communities, sea levels are also predicted to rise dramatically in the future, engulfing some of the world’s most populated and vulnerable islands.
On the other hand, global warming may present some potential benefits in certain parts of the world. It has been suggested that rising temperatures are increasing the area in which short-term crops such as wheat and maize can be grown, thus leading to an increase in food production. Furthermore, in Scandinavia, higher temperatures have enabled indigenous species to flourish, bringing with it a chance of recovery for the region’s fragile ecosystems.
Nevertheless, the potential merits of global warming hold no comparison to the drastic consequences that have already been observed, such as increasing droughts, more frequent and severe heat waves, intense storms and increased wildfire activity. These challenges further lend credence to the prevalence of global warming as a pressing issue.
It is evident that global warming poses an eminent hazard to the way in which we live our lives, and is impacting the environment in which we live. To mitigate this largely human-induced existential crisis, we must thus explore and implement both renewable energy sources and creative means of emission reduction. It is with this in mind that we must seek to reduce our carbon footprints, for ultimately, the future of our planet lies within the responsibility of each individual.
Does Global Warming
