Oh No ! Global Warming

Global warming is likely to continue for centuries, and it is already too late to stop some of the serious consequences it will bring. As human activity is the main cause of the rising temperature, there is still hope in slowing the effect of global warming and to lessen many of its severe consequence. Most importantly we must act quickly and everybody has to play a part in saving this world for the future generation.

Temperatures are expected to increase by 3.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 and chances are the increase could be far worse if we sit and wait for it to happen. Many experts believe this phenomenon is a risk which is too great to ignore. Rising temperatures will alter global weather patterns that have a direct effect on water supplies and agriculture. Desserts will expand, the frequency and severity of droughts and deadly heat waves will increase, and snow will melt in most areas except on mountain peaks.

Sea levels are expected to rise and this will mean more floods. Heavier rainfalls and hurricanes will become more frequent in some areas. Continual global warming will also lead to a rise in many diseases that are already deadly to humans. Floods will contaminate water supplies, giving rise to infectious diseases. Rising temperatures increase the range and breeding grounds of mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects exposing more people to malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever.

Reports by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say that human activity has been a major contributor to climate change since the Industrial Revolution which began around 1750. Greenhouse gases have increased significantly over the past year 250 years as a direct result of human activities. The increase in carbon dioxide is due primarily to the use of fossils fuels, such as oil and coal, and changes in land use, such as cutting down trees to make way for farming, housing and other development. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere change the pH balance of seawater, making it more acidic. This threatens the marine food chain. Increase in methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture.

Adapted from : environment.about.com