We are facing a global climate crisis. It is deepening. We are entering a period of consequences. Al Gore , 2005
Many researchers , scientists , and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the earth. They have warned that the earth’s temperature has changed a lot and has affected many living and non living things. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as “global warming “.
Is Global Warming real ? There is evidence of global warming all around us. Global warming is defined as an increased in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The process of Global Warming works by the sun’s light waves entering the earth’s atmosphere and heating up the earth which is then reradiated back into outer space in the form of infrared rays. Under normal conditions , these infrared waves are trapped by the thickening of the earth’s atmosphere. This thickening occurs due to the huge quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are added to the atmosphere every minute. Greenhouse gases are like CO2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and halocarbons. Some are naturally occurring , and some are caused by humans burning fossil fuels. Some greenhouse gases are a good thing. However under current conditions , the concentration of greenhouse gases is increasing and this is causing the temperature of our earth to rise dangerously. This is the basic idea of how global warming is happening.
Humans activities contribute to climate change by causing changes in Earth’s atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases, aerosols and cloudiness. The largest known contribution comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. Human activities result in emissions of four principal greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane(CH4), nitrous oxide(N2O) and the halocarbons(a group of gases containing fluorine , chlorine and bromine). . These gases accumulate in the atmosphere, causing concentrations to increase with time. Carbon dioxide has increased from fossil fuel use in transportation . Deforestation releases CO2 and reduces its uptake by plants,. Carobon dioxide is also released in natural processes such as the decay of plant matter. Methane has increased as a result of human activities related to agriculture , natural gas distribution and landfills . Nitruos oxide is also emitted by human activities such as fertiliser use and fossil fuel burning. Natrual