Global Warming

Definition
Global warming is the significant increase in the Earth's climatic temperature over a
relatively short period of time as a result of the activities of humans.
In specific terms, an increase of 1 or more degrees Celsius in a period of one hundred to two
hundred years would be considered global warming. Over the course of a single century, an
increase of even 0.4 degrees Celsius would be significant.

Weather vs Climate
Weather is local and short-term. If it rains in Mumbai next Tuesday, that's weather.
Climate is long-term and doesn't relate to one small location. The climate of an area is the
average weather conditions in a regionover a long period of time. If the part of the world
you live in has cold winters with lots of snow, that would be part of the climate for the
region you live in. The winters there have been cold and snowy for as long as weather has
been recorded, so we know generally what to expect.
It's important to understand that when we talk about climate being long-term, we mean
really long-term. Even a few hundred years is pretty short-term when it comes to climate. In
fact, changes in climate sometimes take tens of thousands of years. That means if you
happen to have a winter that isn't as cold as usual, with not very much snow -- or even two
or three such winters in a row -- that isn't a change in climate. That's just an anomaly -- an
event that falls outside of the usual statistical range but doesn't represent any permanent,
long-term change.
It's also important to understand that even small changes in climate can have major effects.
When scientists talk about "the Ice Age," you probably envision the world frozen, covered
with snow and suffering from frigid temperatures. In fact, during the last ice age (ice ages
recur roughly every 50,000 to 100,000 years), the earth's average temperature was only 5
Celsius degrees cooler than modern temperature averages.

It can take the Earth thousands of years to warm up or cool down just 1 degree when it
happens naturally. In addition to recurring ice-age cycles, the Earth's climate can change
due to volcanic activity, differences in plant life, changes in the amount of radiation from
the sun, and natural changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere.
Global Warming Statistics
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of over 2,500 scientists
from countries across the world, convened in Paris in February, 2007 to compare and
advance climate research.
The scientists determined that the Earth has warmed .6 degrees Celsius between 1901 and
2000. When the timeframe is advanced by five years, from 1906 to 2006, the scientists
found that the temperature increase was .74 degrees Celsius.
Other observations from the IPCC include:
• Of the last 12 years, 11 have ranked among the warmest years since 1850.

• The warming trend of the last 50 years is nearly double that of the last 100 years,
meaning that the rate of warming is increasing.

• The ocean's temperature has increased at least to depths of 3,000 meters (over
9,800 feet); the ocean absorbs more than 80 percent of all heat added to the climate
system.

• Glaciers and snow cover have decreased in regions both in the Northern and
Southern hemispheres, which has contributed to the rise of sea levels.

• Average Arctic temperatures increased by nearly twice the global average rate over
the last 100 years.

• The area covered by frozen ground in the Arctic has decreased by approximately 7
percent since 1900, with seasonal decreases of up to 15 percent.

• Precipitation has increased in eastern regions of the Americas, northern Europe and
parts of Asia; other regions such as the Mediterranean and southern Africa have
experienced drying trends.

• Westerly winds have been growing stronger.

• Droughts are more intense, have lasted longer and covered larger areas than in the
past.

• There have been significant changes in extreme temperatures -- hot days and heat
waves have become more frequent while cold days and nights have become less
frequent.

• While scientists have not observed an increase in the number of tropical storms,
they have observed an increase in the intensity of such storms in the Atlantic
correlated with a rise in ocean surface temperatures.
Causes

Global warming is caused by an increase in the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is not a bad thing by itself -- it's what allows Earth to stay warm enough for
life to survive.

The Greenhouse Effect:

When the sun's rays hit the Earth's atmosphere and the surface of the Earth, approximately 70
percent of the energy stays on the planet, absorbed by land, oceans, plants and other things. The
other 30 percent is reflected into space by clouds, snow fields and other reflective surfaces. But
even the 70 percent that gets through doesn't stay on earth forever (otherwise the Earth would
become a blazing fireball). The Earth's oceans and land masses eventually radiate heat back out.
Some of this heat makes it into space. The rest of it ends up getting absorbed when it hits certain
things in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane gas and water vapor. After these
components in our atmosphere absorb all this heat, they emit energy (also in the form of heat). The
heat that doesn't make it out through Earth's atmosphere keeps the planet warmer than it is in outer
space, because more energy is coming in through the atmosphere than is going out. This is all part
of the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm.

Greenhouse Gases:

The greenhouse effect happens because of certain naturally occurring substances in the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been pouring huge amounts of those
substances into the air.

1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) :

Today, human activities are pumping huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere considered the
primary factor in global warming, because carbon dioxide absorbs infrared radiation. Most of the
energy that escapes Earth's atmosphere comes in this form, so extra CO2 means more energy
absorption and an overall increase in the planet's temperature.

2. Methane:
Methane is a combustible gas, and it is the main component of natural gas. Methane occurs
naturally through the decomposition of organic material.Methane can absorb and emit twenty
times more heat than CO2.
Man-made processes produce methane in several ways:
• By extracting it from coal
• From large herds of livestock (i.e., digestive gases)
• From the bacteria in rice paddies
• Decomposition of garbage in landfills

3. Nitrous oxide (NO2) :

This is another important greenhouse gas. Although the amounts being released by human
activities are not as great as the amounts of CO2, nitrous oxide absorbs much more energy than
CO2 (about 270 times as much)
The use of large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer on crops releases nitrous oxide in great quantities,
and it is also a by-product of combustion.
The Worldwatch Institute reports that carbon
emissions worldwide have increased from about 1
billion tons in 1900 to about 7 billion tons in 1995.
The Institute also notes that the average surface
temperature of Earth has gone from 14.5 degrees
C in 1860 to 15.3 degrees C in 1980.
The IPCC says that the pre-industrial amount of
CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere was about 280 parts
per million (ppm), meaning that for every million
molecules of dry air, 280 of them were CO2. In
contrast, 2005 levels of CO2 were measured at
379 ppm [Source: IPCC].
EFFECTS
Major threats:

1. Polar ice caps melting: The ice caps melting is a four-pronged danger.
First, it will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps,
glaciers, and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center,
if all glaciers melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Luckily, that’s not
going to happen all in one go! But sea levels will rise.
Second, melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The ice caps
are fresh water, and when they melt they will desalinate the ocean, or in plain English
- make it less salty. The desalinization of the gulf current will "screw up" ocean
currents, which regulate temperatures. The stream shutdown or irregularity would
cool the area around north-east America and Western Europe. Luckily, that will slow
some of the other effects of global warming in that area!
Third,temperature rises and changing landscapes in the artic circle will endanger
several species of animals. Only the most adaptable will survive.
Fourth, global warming could snowball with the ice caps gone. Ice caps are white,
and reflect sunlight, much of which is relected back into space, further cooling Earth.
If the ice caps melt, the only reflector is the ocean. Darker colors absorb sunlight,
further warming the Earth.

2. Economic consequences: Most of the effects of anthropogenic global warming

won’t be good.And these effects spell one thing for the countries of the world:
economic consequences. Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage, diseases
cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these.

3. Increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves: Although some
areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer
serious droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with more severe
droughts also expected in Europe. Water is already a dangerously rare commodity in
Africa, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global
warming will exacerbate the conditions and could lead to conflicts and war.

4. Warmer waters and more hurricanes: As the temperature of oceans rises, so will the
probability of more frequent and stronger hurricanes. We saw in this in 2004 and
2005.

5. Spread of disease: As northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate

north, bringing plague and disease with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in
some countries thanks to global warming, malaria has not been fully eradicated.
PREVENTION
Basically, all boils down to this: Don't use as much of the stuff that creates greenhouse
gases. On a local level, you can help by using less energy. The electricity that operates many
of the devices in our homes comes from a power plant, and most power plants burn fossil
fuels to generate that power. Turn off lights when they're not in use. Take shorter showers to
use less hot water. Use a fan instead of an air conditioner on a warm day.
Here are some other specific ways you can help decrease greenhouse-gas emissions:
• Make sure your car is properly tuned up. This allows it to run more efficiently and
generate fewer harmful gases.

• Walk or ride your bike if possible, or carpool on your way to work. Cars burn
fossil fuel, so smaller, more fuel-efficient cars emit less CO2, particularly hybrid
cars.

• Turn lights and other appliances off when you're not using them. Even though a
light bulb doesn't generate greenhouse gas, the power plant that generates the
electricity used by the light bulb probably does. Switch from incandescent light
bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, which use less energy and last longer.

• Recycle. Garbage that doesn't get recycled ends up in a landfill, generating

methane. Recycled goods also require less energy to produce than products made
from scratch.

• Plant trees and other plants where you can. Plants take carbon dioxide out of the
air and release oxygen.

• Don't burn garbage. This releases carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons into the
atmosphere.

To really stem the emission of greenhouse gases, we need to develop non-fossil fuel energy
sources.Hydro-electric power, solar power, hydrogen engines and fuel cells could all create
big cuts in greenhouse gases if they were to become more common.

At the international level, the Kyoto treaty was written to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse
gas emissions worldwide. Thirty-five industrialized nations have committed to reducing
their output of those gases to varying degrees. Unfortunately, the United States, the world's
primary producer of greenhouse gases, did not sign the treaty.
 Impacts of Global Warming

India:

• Coral reefs, known as rain forests of the sea, are a source of food security and livelihood options for
hundreds of millions people, coastal defence and tourist hotspots. The Gulf of Mannar (GoM) is one
of the four important coral reefs in India.
The effect of global climate change is always a threat to the corals, as they are very sensitive, and
also to the fish population associated with reefs. The impact of climate change is clearly visible.
Coral bleaching was observed when the average surface water temperature was between 29.1
degree Celsius and 33 degree Celsius in Mandapam; 29.3 degree Celsius and 33.1 Celsius in
Keezhakkari ; and 29.3 degree Celsius to 33.6 degree Celsius in Tuticorin
The overall percentage of coral bleaching is 10.6 on the Mandapam coast, while it is 7.5 and 9.3 on
Keezhakkarai and Tuticorin coast.

• Global warming eroding Goa beaches- Governor

Nearly 10 percent of Goa beaches such as Calangute, Candolim and Baga are being eroded by the
rising sea.

• Effect on apple cultivation

Kullu Valley, Himachal Prades experienced a number of crop failures in the last 15 years
Apple belt has moved 30 kilometers [northwards] over the last 50 years.
Apple growers, attributed poor production to reduced snowfall and its changed timing.

• Ganga under threat..

Himalayan source of the Ganga is drying up at a rate of 40 yards a year, nearly twice as fast as two
decades ago, and some of these glaciers might disappear by 2030.
In the dry summer months, the Gangotri glacier provides up to 70 percent of the water of the Ganga.
According to a UN climate report, the shrinking glaciers also threaten Asia’s supply of fresh water.

• Impact on Coastal Orissa

The Satavaya region,was once a cluster of seven villages.
Only two out of the seven villages exist, the other five villages have been submerged.
The Coastal villages have been affected by cyclone and floods killing more than 30,000 people.
The sea has ingressed to about 1.5 km into Satavaya and 2.5 km into Kanakpur. Satavaya has also
lost 56% of its mangrove vegetation.
 Global Impacts :

• Climate change experts are of the view that global warming predictions are correct and the
world weather crisis that is causing floods in Pakistan, wildfires in Russia and landslides in
China is evidence of that.
The torrential rains have affected almost 14 million people in Pakistan, making it a more
serious humanitarian disaster than the South Asian tsunami and recent earthquakes in
Jammu and Kashmir and Haiti combined.

• The largest glacier on Mount Kenya has lost 92% of its mass.

• Sea levels have risen by 10 - 25 cm.

• The thickness of sea ice in the arctic has decreased by 40%.

• The Baltimore oriole is shifting northward and may soon disappear entirely from the
Baltimore area.

References

Wikipedia
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The Hindu (newspaper)
New Indian Express
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