Energy consumption and the environment


The Danger Of Global Warming

Global warming is described as the apparentdroughts, killer heat waves, killer
rise in the average normal temperature of thehurricanes, and super tornados. Still other
planets atmostphere and its seas in theresults would be unpredictable yields,
immediate past decades. This takes intomelting of glaciers, drying up of streams
consideration its progression in the years toespecially during summer, extinction of
come.certain species and more violent strains of
diseases. While it is true that global
In the 1900s, the average temperature nearwarming undoubtedly affects the frequency and
the lowermost layer of the earths atmospheredegree of the aforementioned incidences; it
increased by A±0.2 A°Celsius or 0.4is, on the other hand, also difficult to
A°Fahrenheit. Most scientists studyingblame these undesirable turn of events to
climate change opine that this 50 years ofglobal warming. Most projections cover the
observed global warming can be blamed onperiod till 2100; warming and the consequent
human activities.The main cause of waming isrise in sea level is seen to go on beyond
the marked rise in the concentration ofthen as carbon dioxide has a relatively long
greenhouse gases or GHGs like carbon dioxideatmospheric  lifetime.
(CO2), which aggravates the greenhouse effect
by warming the surface of the earth and theClimate change, which is the more general
lower portion of the atmosphere. Destructivedescription of global warming, could also
activities like the burning of fossil fuels,refer to global cooling as what transpired
land denudation and other agriculturalduring the ice ages. Global warming happens
practices contribute to the proliferation ofnaturally, but is more associated with human
these  greenhouse  gases.neglect and abuse. However, most researches
and write ups referring to global warming are
Projections made by the Intergovernmentaldone  in  the  context  of  human  influence.
Panel on Climate Change or IPCC reveal that
global temperatures should increase from 2.0For the past 400,000 years, accumulation of
- 5.8 A°C or from 2.5 -10.5carbon dioxide from start of the Industrial
A°F between 1990 and 2100. This wideRevolution, has altered the Earth's pathway
range seems uncertain, the exact value cannotaround the Sun, or Milankovith cycles as it
be pinpointed as it is highly improbable tois known. Major changes in the climate system
predict the level of future emissions ofcan either occur naturally or be caused by
greenhouse gases (no one knows how muchexternal factors, outside of human or
fossil fuel would be left then). Moreover,non-human influence. This includes
climate sensitivity cannot also be predicted.developments in solar movements and
alignment, emissions from volcanic eruptions,
Higher global temperatures bring aboutdeviation in the earth's pathway or orbital
drastic changes which include a rise in seaforcing and the formation of greenhouse
level, as well as the volume and the erraticgases. Scientists who study climate changes
pattern of rainfall. These changes canagree that the earth's temperature has indeed
increase the danger of extreme weatherrisen alarmingly.
conditions, eg. raging floods, extended



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