The melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers produce negative effects on environment and humans, including habitat destruction and disruption of animal lives. The ice glaciers are slowly melting over time resulting a rise of sea-level. The cause for the sea-level increasing is global warming. The planet’s heat is increasing slowly over time creating the ice glaciers to melt more and more. The global warming is increasing the sea-level resulting more dangerous storms, and causing extinction to certain species. By being harmless to the environment and eco friendly, Global Warming can be reduced.
The benefits of being eco friendly are saving money, decreasing harm, and living in a safe environment. The first benefit is saving money. By being harmless to the environment, global warming can be reduced because Power Plants, the source of electricity, releases carbon dioxide, which damages our ozone layer. According to Steve Conner’s article “Melting Glaciers Are Caused by Man-made Global Warming”, there is a lag response of several decades which means that we are only seeing a fraction of the total anthropogenic effects on melting glaciers that we will eventually see as a result of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now (Conner 2).
There are many ways people can save money by being harmless and eco friendly. Many stores sell eco friendly products such as energy saving light bulbs, which use less energy than a normal light bulb and cost less. Another way of being eco friendly save people money is by basically using less energy with the same potential of a normal product, but for a cheaper cost. By using less energy we are protecting our environment by not releasing as much carbon dioxide caused by power plants, and at the same time people are saving money. The second benefit is decreasing harm. Global warming is a silent murderer.
The global warming causes the deadly storms attacking many countries around the world. By being eco friendly we are protecting the planet, which over time will be decreasing all the harm caused by global warming. According to national geographic’s article that is called “Global Climate Change, Melting Glaciers” by Daniel Glick, in the past decade scientists have documented record-high average annual surface temperatures and have been observing other signs of change all over the planet: in the distribution of ice, and in the salinity, levels, and temperatures of the oceans” (Glick 1).
The deaths of skin cancer caused by global warming will decrease. The deadly storms caused by the rise of sea-level will decrease. The extinction of certain species affected by the melting of the ice glaciers will decrease. In general all the harm being caused by global warming will decrease by being eco friendly. “The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. ” (National Geographic 3pg). Over the last century temperature increased by more than 0. 8°C.
Changes in temperature had been noticed in many countries all around the world, as the result there are more intense rain in rainfalls, and frequent heat waves. All of these changes are evidence that the temperature in rising and puts a huge impact on humans lives and causes glaciers melting and effects the sea levels. What are the causes of global warming? According to NASA, the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the “greenhouse effect” — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space (“Climate change causes 1).
The global warming is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which acts as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet. As we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for energy or cut down and burn forests to create pastures and plantations, carbon accumulates and overloads our atmosphere. Certain waste management and agricultural practices aggravate the problem by releasing other potent global warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide.
Other question many people may have is; what is water vapor and how is it related to global warming? Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, but it is more often than not a result of climate changes rather than man-made emissions. Water or moisture on the Earth’s surface absorbs heat from the sun and the surroundings. When enough heat has been absorbed, some of the liquid’s molecules may have enough energy to escape from the liquid and begin to rise into the atmosphere as a vapor.
As the vapor rises higher and higher, the temperature of the surrounding air becomes lower and lower. Eventually, the vapor loses enough heat to the surrounding air to allow it to turn back into a liquid. Earth’s gravitational pull then causes the liquid to “fall” back down, completing the cycle. This cycle is also called a “positive feedback loop. ” Water vapor is more difficult to measure than the other greenhouse gases and scientists are uncertain as to the exact part that it plays in global warming. Scientists believe there is a correlation between the ncrease of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and the increase of water vapor (“Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad 3).
Global warming is becoming a major problem as we move to the twenty first century and beyond. When more greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide and methane are released, they trap heat rays and keep them in our atmosphere. This causes an increase in temperature. Increases in temperature can do a lot of damage, even in small increases. Only a few degrees change ended the ice age thousands of years ago.
Another warming like that can have huge environmental effects. Changes in temperature will upset water cycles. Some areas will get more precipitation, some will get less. A warming of a few degrees would cause glaciers and sea ice to melt. This would lead to ocean levels rising and would damage coastal cities and islands. It would also cause a disruption in different species living in the ocean and increase the levels of some disease, especially ones carried by mosquitoes, which thrive in warm climates. In order to stop global warming, much has to be done.
Although it is very difficult to reverse once the process is started, global warming has to be stopped if we want to live like we are now. Emission of fossil fuels by humans is a big factor in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Controlling these emissions is one of the first of many steps that we must take in order to combat global warming. If it is not controlled, problems such as rise in sea levels, more killer storms, massive crop failures, widespread extinction of species, along with others, will definitely disrupt our living patterns (Early Warning Signs of Global Warming: Glaciers Melting 2).
