As individuals become more informed and knowledgeable about environmental issues, the debate around global warming has only grown. The worst effects of human-induced global warming are already being felt. Fleeting weather events, irregular climate patterns, faster melting of glaciers, severe droughts, flooding, heat waves, more extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels, and mass species extinction are all now pervasive realities.
A major cause of this climate change is the greenhouse effect which occurs naturally, trapping radiation to keep the world warm at a livable temperature. Human activity is contributing to this effect with activities such as burning fossil fuels, operational industrial processes, and deforestation. All of these activities increase the concentration of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere, trapping more and more heat, resulting in higher global temperatures. A diminishing ozone layer further amplifies this effect.
Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, reportedly account for over 70% of global warming. Agricultural practices, such as the intensive use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, produce nitrogen oxide, another potent greenhouse gas. Other factors include the inefficient use of energy, leading to higher energy consumption and burning of fossil fuels, increasing pollutant levels. More recently, the transportation sector has been seen as a major contributor, with planes, jets, cars, and other forms of transportation producing large volumes of greenhouse gases.
Global warming is having a major effect on the world. Melting ice and receding glaciers are already leading to extreme weather conditions, reduced rain, desertification, changing growing seasons, water and air pollution, and acid rain. This will have a direct impact on food production in the long-term, leading to food insecurity and poverty.
It is, therefore, clear that global warming is a real and pressing problem that must be addressed without delay. The world has to move away from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind or tidal power. Governments across the world need to come together to ensure that internationally agreed emissions reductions targets are met. The transportation sector has to move towards electric vehicles and stricter regulations need to be instituted for operational industrial practices. Recycling and conservation of resources need to be prioritized, and the world’s population has to be educated about the causes and consequences of global warming if we are to stem the tide of this looming environmental disaster.
