Few topics raise such heated debate as that of global warming. Is it real or not? Even though global warming is recognized by national science academics of every major industrial country, many people will simply scoff at the very idea. So, what exactly is global warming?
Global warming is defined by Wikipedia (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming ) as the continuing rise in average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. This is thought to occur due to the increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, therefore, producing the “greenhouse effect.”
This leads us to the question, what is the greenhouse effect? The greenhouse effect is “a process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm the planet’s lower atmosphere and surface.” (Thank you again, Wikipedia.) It is believed that activities done by humans since the time of the Industrial Revolution have greatly contributed to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions. Such activities, to name a few, would be deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels.
You may ask, what are the effects of global warming? Global warming causes sea levels to rise, glaciers to retreat and creates changes to the amount and patterns of precipitation. It can result in more extreme weather, occurring more frequently, bringing such events as heat waves and droughts, which can eventually lead to the extinction of certain species.Take the beautiful creature, the polar bear. It is causing the polar ice caps to melt, which results in ice shelves thinning and becoming increasingly farther away from seals, the polar bear’s main food source. If this continues, eventually polar bears will no longer have access to food, which over time would result in their extinction. If there was any one photograph which would have convinced me of the truth of global warming, had I not already believed it was true, it would be this isolated photo I saw of a majestic polar bear standing on literal thin ice, which looked as if it would collapse with its weight at any given moment, keeping him from reaching his food source.Talk about stark reality staring you in the face. I was moved by that photograph, and wish I had access to it to include it with this article.
I am a firm believer in the statement that global warming is fact. I have experienced things in my lifetime that have convinced me the planet’s climate is not the same as it was when I was a child. Being in my early 40s now, as a child, no one ever had to wear sun block unless you were swimming or out on the water fishing. I rarely ever sunburned, even with no sunscreen protection. If any day ever reached temperatures of ninety degrees, or above, it was a really big deal. Our local weather report and utility company had a little ‘weather elf’ character who would come on television to warn you of a “condition 90″ day. Warnings and information about precautions to be taken on such a hot day were given. Now, it seems almost any summer day here in the Midwest is 90 degrees or above, and no one even bats an eyelash. I cannot even leave the house these days without slathering at least a 15 SPF sunscreen on myself, or I fry. I also notice that the seasons do not seem to be as distinct as when I was younger, with variances in the weather for each distinct season, and that weather patterns have become more bizarre and random, with not a lot of predictability. It really doesn’t take a degree in meteorology to notice these differences.
There is much evidence to support that global warming is a factual occurrence. All over the globe, the average air and ocean temperatures have increased, there is widespread melting of snow and ice and the level of the seas has risen.
So what are our options for dealing with global warming? One option is to attempt to adapt to the effects. Another option is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. There is a proposal for geoengineering that removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reflects incoming solar radiation back to space.
I have to wonder what the future of our planet holds if the greenhouse effect continues at the same pace or becomes worse. There is much information available online regarding global warming if you are interested in this topic. The Wikipedia link given above shares a lot of information in much greater detail than this article. Read up and decide for yourself. Is global warming fact or fiction?