Global warming is not a future issue. Effects of global warming on the environment are happening as we speak.
Increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are altering the Earth’s climate, which is already having a significant impact on the environment.
Glaciers and ice sheets are melting, lake and river ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming earlier.
Sea ice loss, rapid sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves are just a few of the effects of global climate change that scientists have long anticipated will happen.
“Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.”
– Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Droughts, wildfires, and excessive rainfall are a few examples of changes that are occurring more quickly than previously thought by scientists.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body of the UN tasked with evaluating the science surrounding climate change, asserts that the observed changes in our planet’s climate are unprecedented in human history and that some of these changes will be irreversible throughout the next hundreds to thousands of years.
Scientists are very confident that the rise in global temperatures, which is mostly caused by greenhouse gases produced by human activity, will last for many decades.
Table of Contents
What is Global Warming?
“Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature generally due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.“
The phenomenon of a slow rise in temperature close to the earth’s surface is known as global warming. Over the last century or two, this tendency has been noted.
Global warming is the gradual warming of the Earth’s surface that has been seen since the pre-industrial era (between 1850 and 1900) and is attributed to human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, which raises the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This phrase should not be used in place of “climate change.”
Human activities are thought to have contributed to an increase in Earth’s average global temperature of about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the pre-industrial era.
This temperature increase is currently happening at a rate of more than 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.
Without a doubt, human activity since the 1950s has contributed to the current warming trend, which has been accelerating at an unheard-of rate for millennia.
The earth’s climate pattern has been altered by this alteration. Although the idea of global warming is still up for debate, scientists have presented evidence to support the idea that the earth’s temperature is steadily increasing.
Global warming has several causes that are harmful to people, plants, and animals. These factors could be a result of human activity or could be natural.
Understanding the harmful effects of global warming is crucial for tackling the problems.
Causes of Global Warming
The main contributors to global warming are as follows:
Man-made global warming causes include
The primary source of oxygen plants. They maintain environmental balance by absorbing carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen.
For a variety of domestic and commercial uses, forests are being destroyed. This has caused an imbalance in the environment, which has resulted in global warming.
2. Use of Vehicles
Even over extremely short distances, using a car produces a variety of gaseous pollutants.
When fossil fuels are burned in vehicles, a lot of carbon dioxide and other poisons are released into the atmosphere, raising the temperature.
3. Chlorofluorocarbon
Humans have been introducing CFCs into the environment through the excessive use of air conditioners and freezers, which has an impact on the ozone layer in the atmosphere.
The ozone layer shields the surface of the earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. By causing the ozone layer to thin and make space for ultraviolet light, CFCs have raised the earth’s temperature.
4. Industrial Development
The onset of industrialization has resulted in a dramatic rise in the earth’s temperature. The earth’s temperature is rising as a result of the manufacturers’ damaging emissions.
According to a 2013 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global temperature rose by 0.9 degrees Celsius between 1880 and 2012.
When compared to the pre-industrial mean temperature, the rise is 1.1 degrees Celsius.
5. Agriculture
Carbon dioxide and methane gas are produced during several farming processes. These raise the earth’s temperature by increasing the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
More individuals breathing equals more people in the population. As a result, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global warming, rises.
Natural causes of global warming include
1. Volcanoes
One of the main natural causes of global warming is volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions release smoke and ash into the sky, which has an impact on the climate.
2. Water Vapour
One sort of greenhouse gas is water vapor. As the earth’s temperature rises, more water evaporation from water bodies occurs and stays in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
3. Melting Permafrost
Under the surface of the Earth, there is permafrost, which is frozen soil that has been trapped in ambient gases for a long time. It can be found in glaciers.
The gases are released back into the atmosphere as the permafrost melts, raising the temperature of the planet.
4. Forest Blazes
Forest fires and blazes produce a lot of smoke that contains carbon. Global warming results from the release of these gases into the atmosphere, which raises the earth’s temperature.
Effects of Global Warming on the Environment
The main implications of global warming are as follows:
1. Temperature Increase
The temperature of the world has increased dramatically as a result of global warming. The earth’s temperature has risen by 1 degree since 1880.
As a result, there has been an increase in glacier melting, which has raised the sea level. The consequences for coastal areas could be catastrophic.
2. Threat to the Ecosystem
Coral reefs have been impacted by global warming, which may result in the extinction of plants and animals. The fragility of coral reefs has gotten worse as a result of the rise in global temperatures.
3. Climate Change
Climate conditions have changed as a result of global warming. The cause of this climatic mismatch is global warming.
Changes in rainfall patterns, more severe droughts, frequent heat waves, flooding, and other extreme weather make it harder for farmers to graze cattle and cultivate crops, which reduces the amount of food available and raises the price of food.
4. Disease Spread
Heat and humidity patterns alter as a result of global warming. This has caused the movement of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
5. High Mortality Rates
The average death toll typically rises due to an increase in floods, tsunamis, and other natural calamities. Additionally, such occurrences may lead to the spread of diseases that may endanger human life.
6. Loss of Natural Habitat
Numerous plants and animals lose their habitats as a result of worldwide climate change. The creatures in this situation are forced to leave their native habitat, and many of them even go extinct.
This is another significant effect of climate change on biodiversity.
7. Increased Sea Levels
Globally, rising ocean temperatures are melting ice caps and glaciers. Our oceans now contain more water due to melted ice.
Warmer temperatures also cause the water’s mass to expand, raising sea levels and endangering low-lying islands and coastal cities.
8. Acidification and Warming of the Oceans
More than the air, the oceans have so far absorbed the majority of the extra heat and carbon dioxide (CO2), making the waters warmer and more acidic.
Stronger storms and coral reef bleaching are both caused by warming ocean waters. Shellfish are in danger as ocean acidity increases, this also includes the microscopic crustaceans, without which the marine food webs would be destroyed.
Sadly, those who have contributed the least to the issue and the poorest and most vulnerable countries will be among those most severely affected by global warming.
Our neighbors in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, such as Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vietnam, and the Philippines, are some of the nations most at risk.
9. Species Extinction
Due to climate change, one in every six species is in danger of going extinct. When faced with climate change, plants, animals, and birds have two alternatives for surviving: migrate or adapt.
It’s frequently impossible for a species to adapt quickly enough to keep up with its changing environment given the rate of climate change we are presently witnessing. And moving is getting more and harder as more habitat is destroyed.
10. Damage to Homes
Homes will sustain more damage from extreme weather events including bushfires, storms, floods, cyclones, and coastal erosion, which will also result in higher insurance costs.
Conclusion
The effects of global warming on the environment is commonly seen in our everyday life and it’s biting hard leading to more deaths by the year. But, we can still take actions that would lead us to a better and more sustainable future.
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A passion-driven environmentalist by heart. Lead content writer at EnvironmentGo.
I strive to educate the public about the environment and its problems.
It has always been about nature, we ought to protect not destroy.