Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are the gases that hold the radiation of the sun from reflecting back. Examples are; water vapour, carbon(iv)oxide (CO2), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (NO2). The ecosystem was balanced by but due to the activities of man, there have been an imbalance in the ecosystem.

Causes of Global Warming

Deforestation is a human activity that affect carbon and oxygen cycles, and also leads to loss of habitat. The increased demand of forest resources like timber and inadvertent removal of forest trees in unsustainable manner for farming have led to drastic reduction of the world’s forest. This act increases the atmospheric carbon (iv) oxide and leads to increase in retention of the sun’s radiant (heat) energy.

Increased combustion of fossil fuel also increases the carbon(iv)oxide in the atmosphere. This results in warming of earth’s atmosphere which is disastrous to ecosystem.

Industrialization and urbanization have continually led to degradation of the environment.

The decay waste materials from industries and wastes of urbanization remove more oxygen from the atmosphere and increase the content of carbon (iv) oxide in the atmosphere.

Moreover, the rush to acquire appliances that function with hazardous gases contributes immensely to global warming. Therefore there should replacement for this dangerous gases. Example is the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), which is a coolant used in refrigerators and air conditioners. This CFC is a gas that traps the sun’s radiant (heat) energy, and this radiant energy is harmful to the ecosystem.

EFFECT OF GLOBAL WARMING

The rise in the temperature of the atmosphere due to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have many effects on the ecosystem which are as follows:

FOOD PRODUCTION: there is low yield of food crops and loss of crop area of about 50% due to the radiant energy in the atmosphere. The crops find the (growing) surviving condition infavourable and so many of the crops wither away.

BIODIVERSITY: Change in global/climatic condition due to global warming lead to altered condition of existence and many organisms which cannot adopt to the environment will die. This lead to reduction in biodiversity in the ecosystem.

Also in this warm (greenhouse effect) condition of the atmosphere, the polar ice melts leading to the expansion of the oceans and seas. This expansion can cause flooding in coastal regions, which brings about coastal erosion. Then the coastal aquifer is contaminated by saline (salt water).

EXTREMES OF WEATHER: With global warming, there is prolonged drought with adverse effect on the ecosystem and man. That is, with continuous global warming the sea’s temperature increases cause hurricanes and typhoons of greater intensity.