Environmental Issues

Global warming can be defined as the process whereby there is increase in the average temperature of the earths atmosphere largely because of various anthropogenic causes. Anthropogenic causes are those that are attributed to human activities. However, there are also some natural causes which may be insignificant when compared to the anthropogenic ones. Global warming can also be referred to as the worldwide warming or the rise in temperature. The increase in temperature triggers a sequence of events which in return causes destruction to the planet (Naik, 2009). Global warming will cause a lot of harm than good on earth and its effect are so evidence in that it cause rise in sea level, destruction of water resources as well as negative impact on agriculture and human health.

Global warming has become a major concern to the whole world today. As days goes by, things are deteriorating with respect to the surface temperature and subsequent drastic climate variation. To a great extent this is caused by the green house effect which goes hand in hand with global warming. The green house effect is caused by emission of green house gases like methane and carbon dioxide which normally prevent the outgoing radiation of the sun from getting back into space (Marian, 2009).
  Methane gas results from bacteria breaking down organic matters under oxygen starved conditions. There are different heat-trapping abilities for different greenhouse gases with some trapping more heat than others. For example a molecule of methane gas produces more warmth into the atmosphere (20 times the warming) than a molecule of carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide is usually 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide among other gases and thus scientists study all the greenhouse gases comparing them with the equivalent amount ofcarbon dioxide (National Geographic Society, 2010).

Causes of global warming
The causes of global warming are classified into two natural and man made. The natural causes includes the change of global climate over the years where by the temperatures are rising day after day. The climate has continued to change over the centuries and the scientists have proven that the natural rotation of the sun has created changes due to the intensity of sunlight as the sun move closer to the earths surface (Ignatova, 2009).

The green house effect is also one of the major causes of global warming. It comes as a result of the building up of gases in the atmosphere which absorbs heat along wave lengths interacted radiation before they are lost in space. The radiation of heat to the space helps to maintain a constant average temperature. This is whereby the green house gases like the carbon dioxide and methane absorbs a part of this heat energy and then radiates it back to the surface of the planet and thus effectively trapping it to the lower atmosphere. The reflecting back of heat energy by the atmosphere is what is called the green house effect (Abrahamson, 1989).

The process explained above raises the temperature of the atmosphere near the earth surface which in turn raises the sea level causing increased evaporation and precipitation. The effect leads to the formation of global cloud cover and thereby altering the distribution of climate across the service and the planet (Abrahamson, 1989).

Another natural cause of global warming is the vaporizer emission of volcanic eruption which causes the blocking of sunlight and the end result becomes short term cooling of areas of the earth surface. As a result of these volcanic eruptions, there is a certain percentage of carbon monoxide emitted and this is also believed to cause greater damage. Increased volcanic activity ends up causing more land slides and also having more impacts that goes beyond the sites where volcanoes are normally situated. They usually release sulphur clouds into the atmosphere and even affect the air travel (Telegraphic Media Group, 2010).

One of the man made cause of global warming is the burning of fossils. 40 of the carbon dioxide emissions come from burning of fossils like in power plants where electricity is generated. In addition, a third of the carbon dioxide also results from burning of gasoline in internal-combustion engines of cars, buses, motorcycles, recreation vehicles, trucks among others. Methane gas is also released during the processing and preparation of fossil fuels (Oilprice, 2010).

It is evident that there is a lot of pollution in the world today that is attributed to the burning of fossils. When these fossils are burned, they produce carbon dioxide just as indicated in the above and this is one of the green house gases that trap heat in the atmosphere thus contributing to global warming. When the causes of global warming are investigated, a great percentage is attributed to anthropogenic causes which are as a result of increased population. As the population continues to increase, this means more requirements like transport, food, electricity among others which eventually leads to global warming (Naik, 2009).

On the other hand, deforestation also causes global warming. It is said to be the second most prolific cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide influx. It is responsible for nearly a quarter of all carbon emissions that goes into the atmosphere. Nearly thirty four million acres of land get their trees cut down and sometimes burned worldwide each year. This process of deforestation is dangerous because it does not only give a provision for production of carbon dioxide but also wipes out the most effective cleanser of carbon dioxide offered by trees and other plants by consuming it (carbon dioxide) and producing pure oxygen which is a by-product of photosynthesis (OilPrice, 2010).

The effects of global warming
There are many effects that results from global warming. Some are beneficial while others of great losses though losses outweigh the benefits. One of the effects of global warming is the rise in sea level which comes from the melting of polar ice caps. This later causes severe flooding, harbors, erode beaches and cliffs in many countries. Such will perhaps break up barriers islands leading to intrusion of salt water into drinking water supplies and destroy coastal wetlands and fisheries which depends upon them (Abrahamson, 1989). Many experts are predicting that by the year 2030 or 2100, there will be floods in 15 of Egypt, and 12 of Bangladesh. They also predict that that the Maldives in the Indian Ocean will almost completely disappear (Marian, 2009).

The rising sea level will also lead to greater storms and more damage from the hurricanes. The number of these hurricanes will perhaps increase as well as their destructive forces leading to economic losses in many countries (Abrahamson, 1989). Effects of hurricanes may also become more frequent as the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean rises. This is according to the historical weather data and computer simulation. Hurricanes are also contributed by very heavy rains. The researchers have also stated that the intensity of hurricanes increases by 5 for every one degree Celsius rise in temperature. If this trend continues, then the storms will just become more intense and thus causing more destruction (Naik, 2009).

Secondly, there are also effects on agriculture. These includes the destruction of grain, vegetables and animal agriculture, fiber production and many other activities that depend on the in-stream river flows like the electricity, fuel production, urban water uses, large transport and agricultural irrigation. Others that would still be affected include settlement patterns, coastal development and all forest related industries (Abrahamson, 1989).

In addition, global warming results to increased weeds as a result of frequent heavy rains, harmful insects and shortage of food. Some investigations conducted by Nagoya University and National Institute for Environmental Studies showed a prediction of rice production increasing slightly in some countries, but in some others like India and China, the production of wheat and corn will decrease drastically by 2100 due to the impact of global warming on agriculture. This will have serious impact on countries like Japan which are dependent on other countries for production of food (APEC, 2100).

The impact of global warming is evident in Japan in that the production of rice which is their staple food and also wheat in some areas has gone down. It amazing in that while the production of rice in some regions goes up, wheat production goes down. Global warming will trigger frequent natural disasters like harmful weeds coming up and harmful insects from the tropical and subtropical zones which will then spread to the temperate zone and finally damage the harvests (APEC, 2001).

On the other hand, global warming has effects on health and disease. People today are infected by many new diseases that were really unheard of in the last centuries. Bacteria are known to be more effective and also to multiply very fast in warm temperatures compared to cold temperatures. When there is an increased temperature, there are possibilities of increased microbes that cause these diseases (Marian, 2009). Climate change is the main factor contributing to human health problems and this leads to loss of many lives.

In addition, global warming causes the rise of infectious diseases since the insects transmitting these diseases will tend to adapt to cold and hot conditions. Global warming also causes problems to people suffering from cardiovascular diseases due to increased temperatures. Some people are also known to die of heatstroke and others suffering from respiratory problems due to increased temperatures. In addition increase in temperatures also causes the concentration of ozone in the lower atmosphere. Ozone is said to be a harmful pollutant that causes respiratory problems as well as damaging lung tissues and this ends up causing more complication for people with asthma (Dsilva, 2000-2009).
         
Melting of glacier ice also results to loss of habitat for various animal species living in such places where there is melting of glacier. The melting of ice has also become a great concern since they are important sources of fresh water through out the world. This also contributes to submerging of low lying areas. This is due to melting of glacier that causes the rise in sea level which continues to increase therefore threatening the low lying areas. This is a serious threat to large cities lying at the coast (Naik, 2009).

Global warming also has had impact on some animals and plants in that it destroys or shifts their habitats to such places as mountainous areas. Global warming also affects hibernation, breeding and migration pattern of animals. Hibernation and egg laying or animal birth is now happening earlier per decade. This can be referred as an unhealthy pattern because the young ones are born with defects. There are also cases of stillbirth being experienced. The issue of the insects laying the eggs earlier is one of the reasons why insects like butterflies and small birds are disappearing in North America. In addition, many animals and birds travel long distances to warmer climate for breeding purposes (Rajeev, 2009).

Conclusion
Global warming has today become a major concern world wide as it has caused more harm than good. Human activities have contributed a great deal in global warming compared to natural causes. However, we cannot overlook the natural causes too they have also contributed to global warming up to a certain percentage. The effects of the same are so severe, causing a lot of destruction like volcanic eruption, flooding, drought, destroying plants and animal habitats among others. Therefore the world should work harder so as to curb global warming where possible so as to prevent the damage caused by global warming world wide.