Climate Change and global warming effects

Climate Change and global warming effects

Climate Change

Climate change has been closely associated with global warming, which is the rise in the atmospheric temperature. Climate change has been attributed to human activities such as the use of fossils, which increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The presence of human activity has been prudent by burning oil and coal, which emit greenhouse into the atmosphere. The release of greenhouses gases has caused an increase in the earth’s temperature as the reflected rays from the surface are not released into the outer space. Even though carbon dioxide occurs naturally, an increase in its concentration through human civilization increases the heat trapped on earth. The temperatures have increased by 2oF during the 20th century, which is unusual (Berry, Sánchez-Arcilla Conejo, Betts, and Harrison, 2017). The rise in temperature has had various effects on the ecosystems and life on earth.

Global warming has had various effects, such as the formation of acid rain and persistent droughts. The land has degraded over time through soil erosion. A rise in temperatures increases the heat on the earth’s surface, causing the soil to lose its moisture. The land has lost its nutrients through erosion and frequent flooding, decreasing its ability to support growth. Plants are adapted to various soil conditions such as the plants that grow on the wetter or drier conditions (Li et al., 2019). The loss of soil moisture affects the plants that grow in more humid regions since they can’t cope with the dry environment. The soil loses plants and vegetation, causing desertification and drought. Agricultural destruction leads to the loss of food and prolonged famines (Parry, 2019). The presence of greenhouse gases has led to the depletion of the ozone layer. The layer protects the earth from infrared radiation, which is extremely hazardous to life. The rise in heatwaves and intense temperature causes droughts (Li et al., 2019)

As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the atmosphere increases its energy as more light is absorbed on to the earth’s surface. Precipitation rises with higher atmospheric power expanding the amount of rainfall. Extreme rain causes extreme floods, which are more severe and frequent (Berry, Sánchez-Arcilla Conejo, Betts, and Harrison, 2017). Many countries have experienced an increase in floods occurring, which damages plants and causes destruction. The tropical cyclone has occurred more frequently and its intensity in the warmer regions. The strength of tornados has also increased due to the warming climate.

The sea level is expected to rise with 1-4 feet due to the increase as the temperatures rise. The atmospheric temperature has led to a rise in the heat, which is absorbed into the ocean (Gupta, 2019). Water expands as it gets warmer, raising the sea level. The glacier sheets have melted, contributing to the rise in the sea level. The climate changes such as warming up of the ocean, changing current and wind, and the warming atmosphere has led to the depletion of the glaciers. According to Gupta (2019), losing even the small sheets of ice causes the sea level to rise. The climate in the Arctic regions has increased by 5oC, and the sea ice cover has rapidly decreased. The ice plays a vital role in regulating global temperature.

Climate change has been a global concern, and efforts to reduce the emission of the air pollutants have been taken. Climate change has had many direct and indirect effects that could destroy life on earth. Voluntary activities and the establishment of appropriate measures and policies have been taken to reduce emissions. The existing systems should be decarbonized, and many new ones should be developed with green technology. People have adopted eco-friendly systems to ensure that the concentration of greenhouse gases is reduced. The heat-trapping gases should be removed from the atmosphere to reduce the effect of the projected impacts.

References

Berry, P., Sánchez-Arcilla Conejo, A., Betts, R., & Harrison, P. A. (2017). High-end climate change in Europe: impacts, vulnerability and adaptation.

Gupta, A. (2019). Climate Change and Global Warming: A Critical Analysis. National Journal of Environmental Law, 1(2), 37-41.

Li, Y., Xie, Z., Qin, Y., Xia, H., Zheng, Z., Zhang, L., ..& Liu, Z. (2019). Drought Under Global Warming and Climate Change: An Empirical Study of the Loess Plateau. Sustainability, 11(5), 1281.

Parry, M. L. (2019). Climate change and world agriculture. Routledge.

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