A Guide to Global Warming

By Carl Ganser

Temperature change is a normal occurrence that is happening in the planet that we live in, but the varying temperature patterns seen lately has been linked to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, more simply known as Global Warming. Even though there were changes in the temperatures in the early ages of our planet, it was considered to be normal. But, the evolution of industries and factories in the early 1900’s has brought a wide change in the temperature patterns that are causing a lot of concern to the researches and scientists. The main factor attributing to global warming is the emission of polluting gases like carbon dioxide, methane etc into the atmosphere. By definition, Global warming is the increase in the average temperature that gradually warms the Earth’s atmosphere.

Global warming is a phenomenon that has been on the rise all these years. But, in the last century, the rise in the temperature levels has been alarming. The studies that have been conducted to find out the increase in the atmospheric temperature have been attributed to the greenhouse gas concentrations, volcanoes and solar variations. The increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere will cause severe climatic changes and weather condition changes.

The main cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is well known that every tree takes in carbon dioxide from the air during its growing process and it gives out carbon dioxide when it dies or the wood decays. In the last decade, many trees have been felled and woods burnt and these acts have further added to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The effects of global warming are even more alarming. If no action is taken to prevent or subsidies the effect of global warming, it will prove to be catastrophic. Already a few facts have come out regarding the ill effects of global warming on this planet. The Kilimanjaro glaciers have been melting so rapidly that the mountain lost a quarter of its ice from 2000 to 2006. There have been reports that the glaciers in the Andes Mountains are also melting rapidly. The massive melting of these glaciers is evidence that the world is getting too warm too fast.

The following are the facts about the effects of global warming on this planet - average surface temperature has increased by about 0.6 C over the past 100 years; sea level has risen by 10 to 20 cm over the past 100 years; increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide of about 75% annually due to the burning of fossils, while 25% is attributed to changes in the land use like deforestation, overgrazing and over cultivation; precipitation has increased in some land areas and deceased in other areas; increase in the droughts in areas like Asia and Africa; major flooding in different areas and more recently Tsunami that caused havoc to life and property in many parts of the world.

The major cause for this global warming to occur on this Earth is considered to be man made and its effects can only be drastically reduced or erased from this planet, if each and every one of us drives ourselves to this common cause. Global warming in this planet can be significantly reduced if we reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other polluting gases into the atmosphere, stopping deforestation and starting re-forestation, minimal use of non renewable energy and using renewable energy sources in your homes and offices.

Global Warming is very real, and its here. Many of us still are ignorant of the crashing effects of climate change and global warming, visit the Global Warming Pages for more info at http://globalwarmingpages.com