Global Warming Essay Sample

Introduction

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Some areas in Asia have experienced several cases of heat waves that have led to several deaths. From the beginning of April 2016, an immense heat wave began spreading in various parts of Southern Asia such that the levels of temperature are being recorded on a frequent basis. An approximate number of one hundred people died in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia because of the heat strokes. India experienced more than three hundred cases of death because of the strokes. The heat waves or strokes are associated with global warming and hence an issue that has raised a global concern on how to control it (Gupta, 2016). It is worth noting that global warming is transforming the world especially in weather patterns such that they are becoming unpredictable. Scientists assert that the earth is bound to experience new climate patterns because of the significant changes in temperature, increase in sea levels and also the irregular duration of seasons. The changes will affect the balance in the ecosystem such that the supply of basic things such as fresh water, food, clean air and stable living conditions will be affected. The resulting outcome becomes unbearable such that it becomes difficult to maintain stability whereby risks of suffering from poverty and famine will increase (Ritter, 2009). Global warming is an issue that requires immediate action because of its effects and the controversial issues affiliated with it.

Effects of Global Warming

Global warming can be described as the rise in temperature on the surface of the earth such that there are shifts in weather patterns or climatic conditions. The main aspect that is associated with the condition is the output of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere whereby they exhibit a high potential of absorbing heat from the sun such that through radiation, the heat bounces back to the surface of the earth and hence resulting in the warming (Ritter, 2009). The greenhouse gasses or the GHG have the capacity to take in infrared radiation that allows them to hold too much heat in the atmosphere. The greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide as per the reports by the Environmental Protection Agency. Simply put, the entrapment of heat in the atmosphere results in the greenhouse effect which later leads to the occurrence of global warming.

Global warming is a subject of concern in regards to the management of the ecosystem. The main issue associated with the condition is the destruction of the Ozone layer. The Ozone layer acts as a protector of the earth’s surface from the sun’s heat rays. The increase in temperature implies that there would be a rise in sea levels because of the melting of polar ice caps (Leiserowitz et.al, 2013).

Studies show that an increase in sea level will affect most areas along the coasts in terms of soil erosion and displacement of people because of the large mass of water. Also, the melting of snow implies that most areas will be at risk of experiencing drought because of water shortage. It is worth noting that the over the past years, there have been cases of forest fires that are caused by sun rays (Leiserowitz et.al, 2013). The fires have resulted in the movement of animals to other areas in such of habitats. Furthermore, the forest fires result in the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hence contributing greatly in warming up of the earth’s atmosphere; chances are that the persistence in global warming will further damage the habitats of both plants and animals in addition to causing an extinction of species.

Global warming is already causing death to people whereby some localities in Asia have experienced heat waves that have resulted in many deaths. The countries in South Asia are keeping records of temperature levels because of the heat waves; with Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia being the most affected regions. According to scientists, if efforts to control global warming are not put up, the chances are that the existence of human life might be greatly affected. Other sectors that are currently affected and will be affected greatly in the future include the fishing and the agricultural sectors. The industries highly depend on weather conditions and hence any change will highly impact the involved production processes. Since the industries support life in terms of food and habitat, it becomes inevitable that any effect on them will result in immense problems on the survival of living things. Global warming also provides favorable conditions for the production and development of pathogens. The pathogens result in a prevalence of diseases, and hence lack of control of global warming may result in an increase in the spread of diseases.

Issues associated with Global Warming

There tends to be a contention between science and media when it comes to informing people about the effects of global warming (McCright & Dunlap 2011). The media is perceived to bring about a lot of confusion on information on global warming. When natural calamities occur, with good examples floods, tornados, and earthquakes, media stations tend to put emphasis on the presence of global warming whereby they illustrate the damages associated with the calamities. However, when the calamities are at bay, the media also keeps away from information concerning global warming. Information regarding global warming was initially obtained from scientists. However, the issue has become significant in the political world such that the politicians have become the source of information (McCright & Dunlap 2011). For example, during the recent presidential campaigns in the U.S., the candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had different perspectives on global warming. While Hillary perceived it to be a danger, Trump viewed as inexistent and hence bringing a conflict of interest among their supporters on the real dangers of global warming. In this example, the politicians have replaced the role of scientists on informing people on the effects of global warming. The different perspectives presented by politicians and scientists have resulted in uncertainty among the public through the media.

Another aspect that brings about contradicting information regarding global warming is the internet. A lot of information regarding global warming is present online whereby various people present various viewpoints on the issue. Some perceive it as a serious problem while others perceive it as a condition that is less worrying. Some sources such as blogs tend to attract publicity by using information that captures the interest of people rather than showing the facts regarding global warming (Mori et.al, 2010). Furthermore, some sources lack credibility such that they present false information instead of what is actually taking place in the earth’s atmosphere. Also, the vast information present on the internet regarding the issue makes people choose sources basing in the web design of an article such that the credibility of an article is no longer taken into consideration. In other words, the information found on the internet is not always credible.

Global warming also tends to bring a lot of controversy in the scientific society. While some scientists attest to the view that the accumulation of greenhouse gasses result in global warming, there is conflict on how global warming takes place. Scientists attest to the fact that man contributes greatly to global warming. According to studies from various meteorological stations, the levels of earth’s temperature have increased over the past two decades. To back-up the evidence from the meteorological analysis, the ice cores have also been studied by scientists in regards to the levels of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere per annum. From their analysis, the hypothesis is that there is a correlation between the increase in temperature and the increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since two decades ago. The relationship has what made a good number of scientists abide by the fact that carbon dioxide results in global warming (Mori et.al, 2010).

Most of the carbon dioxide come from anthropogenic activities whereby a man tries to make life easier through technological advancement and putting up more settlements due to population growth. However, some view the analogy of anthropogenic activities with skepticism as they perceive global warming as a natural process and hence cannot be controlled. They claim that some information on global warming is falsified and that the data used in the analysis leaves out other areas on the earth’s surface. They attribute the increase in temperature with the ‘heat island effect’ whereby the increase in temperature is associated with urban development. Furthermore, the fact that natural aspects are left out during the prediction of climate changes makes it illogical to attribute the occurrence of global warming on man; especially due to the fact that natural factors are quite complex and hence difficult to predict (Mori et.al, 2010).

It is worth mentioning that global warming tends to have positive implications. One of the positive aspects is that an increase in temperature will result in an extended period of the growth of plants in various areas (Mori et.al, 2010). In other words, the cold season will be shorter when compared to the season with high temperatures such that the high levels of carbon dioxide will increase the growing capacity of plants. Therefore, food will be plenty to support both man and animals. The transport sector will also experience an advantage from global warming as cases regarding jams due to storms, and snow will be reduced and hence resulting in a smooth flow of traffic. In other words, global warming can be of merit. Nonetheless, global warming is real and needs to be maintained before further damages take place. The ecosystem is at the threat of being interfered with because of the drastic change in weather patterns. Despite the debates on the causes of global warming, the fact remains that solutions need to be developed in order to prevent further damage.

Conclusion

In synopsis, global warming is an issue that requires immediate action because of its effects and the controversial issues affiliated with it. Global warming can be described as the rise in temperature on the surface of the earth such that there are shifts in weather patterns or climatic conditions. It becomes imperative to identify strategies that can be used in controlling the climate changes such that more damages are not done in future.

References

Gupta, M. (2016). Extreme Heat Wave kill 300 across South Asia with hottest month still ahead. Rt.com. https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F341437-extreme-heat-wave-asia%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF3moe76vxLAzuiyepaLctk1VpixQ

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E. W., Roser-Renouf, C., Feinberg, G., & Howe, P. (2013). Climate Change in the American Mind: Americans' Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in April 2013. Available at SSRN 2298705.

McCright, A. M., & Dunlap, R. E. (2011). The politicization of climate change and polarization in the American public's views of global warming, 2001–2010. The Sociological Quarterly, 52(2), 155-194.

Mori, N., Yasuda, T., Mase, H., Tom, T., & Oku, Y. (2010). Projection of extreme wave climate change under global warming. Hydrological Research Letters, 4, 15-19.

Ritter, S.K. (2009). Global Warming and Climate Change. Chemical and Engineering News, 87(51), 11-21.