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Introduction

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's


near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.

The global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ±
0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 years ending in 2005. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes "most of the
observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th
century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic
greenhouse gas concentrations" via the greenhouse effect. Natural
phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a
small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling
effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at
least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the
national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While
individual scientists have voiced disagreement with some findings of the
IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change
agree with the IPCC's main conclusions.

Climate model projections summarized by the IPCC indicate that average


global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to
11.5 °F) during the 21st century. The range of values results from the use of
differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as models with
differing climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to
2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a
thousand years even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. The delay in
reaching equilibrium is a result of the large heat capacity of the oceans.

Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise and is expected to
increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount
and pattern of precipitation. Other effects of global warming include changes
in agricultural yields, trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and
increases in the ranges of disease vectors

Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in


the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to
region around the globe. Most national governments have signed and ratified
the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is
ongoing political and public
The picture showing consequences of green house effect
debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or
reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences.

Cause of global warming

Almost 100% of the observed temperature increase over the last 50 years
has been due to the increase in the atmosphere of greenhouse gas
concentrations like water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and ozone.
Greenhouse gases are those gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect
(see below). The largest contributing source of greenhouse gas is the burning
of fossil fuels leading to the emission of carbon dioxide.

(1)The greenhouse effect

When sunlight reaches Earth's surface some is absorbed and warms the
earth and most of the rest is radiated back to the atmosphere at a longer
wavelength than the sun light. Some of these longer wavelengths are
absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere before they are lost to
space. The absorption of this longwave radiant energy warms the
atmosphere. These greenhouse gases act like a mirror and reflect back to the
Earth some of the heat energy which would otherwise be lost to space. The
reflecting back of heat energy by the atmosphere is called the "greenhouse
effect".

The major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about
36-70% of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds); carbon
dioxide CO2, which causes 9-26%; methane, which causes 4-9%, and ozone,
which causes 3-7%. It is not possible to state that a certain gas causes a
certain percentage of the greenhouse effect, because the influences of the
various gases are not additive. Other greenhouse gases include, but are not
limited to, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons.
From which sectors do the major greenhouse gas emissions come from? The lower
part of the picture shows the sources individually for the gases carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide, respectively.
Global warming caused by greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (see above) act like a mirror and reflect
back to the Earth a part of the heat radiation, which would otherwise be lost
to space. The higher the concentration of green house gases like carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere, the more heat energy is being reflected back to
the Earth. The emission of carbon dioxide into the environment mainly from
burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas, petrol, kerosene, etc.) has been increased
dramatically over the past 50 years, see graph below.

Cause for global warming: Carbon dioxide emissions in million tons per year over the
last 200 years.

The increase of greenhouse gas concentration (mainly carbon dioxide) led to


a substantial warming of the earth and the sea, called global warming. In
other words: The increase in the man-made emission of greenhouse gases is
the cause for global warming. For the effects of global warming see below.
Industries are the major source of green house gases
(2)Pollution

Pollution is the introduction by man into the environment of contaminants


that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or
damage the environment. Pollution can be in the form of chemical
substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants can be
naturally occurring substances or energies, but are considered contaminants
when in excess of natural levels. Pollution is often categorized into point
source and nonpoint source pollution.

Sources and causes

Motor vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution. China,
United States, Russia, Mexico, and Japan are the world leaders in air
pollution emissions; however, Canada is the number two country, ranked per
capita. Principal stationary pollution sources include chemical plants, coal-
fired power plants, oil refineries, petrochemical plants, nuclear waste disposal
activity, incinerators, large livestock farms (dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.),
PVC factories, metals production factories, plastics factories, and other heavy
industry.

Some of the more common soil contaminants are chlorinated hydrocarbons


(CFH), heavy metals (such as chromium, cadmium--found in rechargeable
batteries, and lead--found in lead paint, aviation fuel and still in some
countries, gasoline), MTBE, zinc, arsenic and benzene. Ordinary municipal
landfills are the source of many chemical substances entering the soil
environment (and often groundwater), emanating from the wide variety of
refuse accepted, especially substances illegally discarded there, or from pre-
1970 landfills that may have been subject to little control in the U.S. or EU.
There have also been some unusual releases of polychlorinat dibenzodioxins,
commonly called dioxins for simplicity, such as TCDD

Pollution can also be the consequence of a natural disaster. For example,


hurricanes often involve water contamination from sewage, and
petrochemical spills from ruptured boats or automobiles. Larger scale and
environmental damage is not uncommon when coastal oil rigs or refineries
are involved. Some sources of pollution, such as nuclear power plants or oil
tankers, can produce widespread and potentially hazardous releases when
accidents occur.

In the case of noise pollution the dominant source class is the motor vehicle,
producing about ninety percent of all unwanted noise worldwide.
Effects

Ecosystems

• Sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which
reduces the pH value of soil.
• Soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect
other organisms in the food web.
• Smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants
to carry out photosynthesis.
• Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce
biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules
(allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an
environment, often reducing native species competitiveness.
• Biomagnification describes a situation where toxins may be pass
through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in
the process.
Deforestation is a major setback for the global warming solution approaches

This map shows where deforestation is at its peak in the world with so much focus
on the Amazon Region it is also best to know that some places in Europe, Asia, and
Mexico also contribute.
Deforestation

Environmental issues effect every life on this planet from the smallest
parasite to the human race. The reason for this is simple. A single disruption
in the Earth?s delicate balance can mean certain destruction of the very place
that cradles the lives of many species. What is not so simple is finding
alternatives to the now dangerous and confronting acts of planet degradation
that have been afflicted on the planet over recent years. One such issue that
requires consideration is deforestation. Trees have been or are being cut
down at increasingly high rates. If this is not stopped many unfavorable side
effects could result.

Why Trees Matter


To understand why deforestation is such a pressing and urgent issue, forests
must first be given credit for what they bring to global ecosystems and the
quality of life that all species maintain. Tropical Rainforests presently give a
place to call home for 50% - 90% of all organisms, 90% of our relatives, the
primates, and 50 million creatures that can live no place but the rich
rainforests (World Rainforest Movement 16). Not only are other species at
risk, but the human race also benefits from what the trees give. From
something as minor as the spices that indulge food to life giving medicines,
the rainforests amplify and save lives. According to the World Rainforest
Movement, 25% of medicines come from the forests (28). This is a number
that does not do justice to all the cures that have yet to be discovered or
that have been destroyed. The forests give life, not only to other species, but
they help to prolong the human race. The forests have global implications not
just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that
species breath by trapping carbon and other particles produced by pollution.
Trees determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As more water gets
put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block
out the sun?s heat. Trees are what cool and regulates the earth?s climate in
conjunction with other such valuable services as preventing erosion,
landslides, and making the most infertile soil rich with life. Mother earth has
given much responsibility to trees.
Effects

Deforestation presents multiple societal and environmental problems. The


immediate and long-term consequences of global deforestation are almost
certain to jeopardize life on Earth, as we know it. Some of these
consequences include: loss of biodiversity; the destruction of forest-based-
societies; and climatic disruption.

Climate Change
Although all consequences of deforestation are potentially serious, perhaps
the most serious consequence is that of climate change due to the loss of
trees. Earth has an atmosphere which contains a variety of gases, all in a
delicate balance, to ensure life on Earth. One of these gases in Earth?s
atmosphere is carbon dioxide; a gas which helps moderate heat loss to outer
space. Insulating gases such as carbon dioxide are called "greenhouse gasses
because their function is much like that of the glass in a greenhouse: they
allow solar heat into the system, but discourage its escape" (GFF 3). Other
greenhouse gases include methane, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and
ozone. If there are additional greenhouse gases, there will be a gradual
increase in temperature on Earth?s surface. This could lead to changes in
weather patterns, sea levels, and other cycles in nature that directly affect
life on Earth (GFF 3).
The process of greenhouse gas increase is quite simple. Carbon dioxide levels
increase for a number of reasons; but one of the main factors contributing to
the increase of carbon levels is decay of woody material. The only way to
help moderate the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is through
plant life. Alive plants and trees absorb the carbon dioxide from decaying
plants and trees. With a decrease in trees and plant life (due to
deforestation) it is much harder to moderate these levels. Ultimately, the
amount of carbon will increase due to a lack of plant life present to keep the
carbon dioxide levels in check. This whole process leads to an "albedo effect
which reflects more heat and light back into the atmosphere than would be
the case if the sun shone on green trees?" (Dudley 23). The bottom line is
that the increase in the carbon level and other greenhouse gas levels into the
atmosphere leads to an increase in temperature, and eventually a change in
climate and weather.

Conclusion

So where can we go from here? There is no one easy solution as


deforestation is caused by many things. One option is decreasing the need
for the amount of products that are harvested from the rainforests. If all
countries, especially developed ones, enforced programs that used recycling,
the need for disposable products would be diminished and the loggers would
not have a business.
Forest fires are a mojor sight in the summers in areas having dense forest cover
Effects of global warming

(1)Forest fires

A wildfire, also known as a wildland fire, forest fire, brush fire, vegetation
fire, grass fire, peat fire, bushfire (in Australasia), or hill fire, is an
uncontrolled fire often occurring in wildlan areas, but which can also
consume houses or agricultural resources. Common causes include lightning,
human carelessness, arson, volcano eruption, and pyroclastic cloud from
active volcano. Heat waves, droughts, and cyclical climate changes such as El
Niño can also have a dramatic effect on the risk of wildfires.

The word "wildfire" was once a synonym for Greek fire as well as a word for
any furious or destructive conflagration. According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, the earliest known usages are specifically for lightning-caused
conflagrations. The modern usage may have arisen in part from people
misunderstanding the expression "spread like wildfire".

Atmospheric effects

Most of the Earth's weather and air pollution reside in the troposphere, the
part of the atmosphere that extends from the surface of the planet to a
height of between 8 and 13 kilometers. A severe thunderstorm or
pyrocumulonimbus in the area of a large wildfire can have its vertical lift
enhanced to boost smoke, soot and other particles as high as the lower
stratosphere (Wang, 2003).

Previously, it was thought that most particles in the stratosphere came from
volcanoes or were generated by high-flying aircraft. Collection of air samples
from the stratosphere in 2003 led to detection of carbon monoxide and other
gases related to combustion at a level 30 times higher than can be accounted
for by commercial aircraft.

Satellite observation of smoke plumes from wildfires revealed that the


plumes could be traced intact for distances exceeding 5,000 kilometers. This
observation suggests that the plumes were in the stratosphere above
weather conditions that would have brought the plume back to earth.

Atmospheric models suggest that these concentrations of sooty particles


could increase absorption of incoming solar radiation during winter months
by as much as 15%

The massive forest fire in Indonesia (1997/1998) released approx. 2.57


gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere (source: Nature magazine,
Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate in the Antarctica and arctic regions
November 2002). During 1997-1998, the total amount of Carbon Dioxide
released to the atmosphere was 6 gigatonnes. Most of the Carbon Dioxide
gas is released by the continuous underground smoldering fire on the bogs.

(2)Glaciers Melting

The swift retreat of these great ice streams is helping to raise ocean levels
and is threatening significant changes in human, animal, and plant life—some
good, but mostly bad.

Like a canary in a coal mine, the dwindling of the glaciers is visible evidence
that the earth really is getting hotter.

"Receding and wasting glaciers are a chief telltale sign that global climate
change is real and accelerating," said Jeffrey Kargel, a glacier expert with the
U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Most of Earth's 160,000 glaciers have been slowly shrinking and thinning for
more than a century as the climate warms up from both natural causes and
human activity.

But scientists say the melt rate has accelerated dramatically since the mid-
1990s, which was the hottest decade in a thousand years, according to data
from ancient ice cores and tree rings.

A glacier in the Peruvian Andes, Qori Kalis, is losing as much ice in one week
as it used to surrender in a year, according to Lonnie Thompson, a geologist
at the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University in Columbus.

"You can literally sit there and watch it retreat," Thompson told a meeting of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"As the Peruvian ice fields disappear, sources of irrigation and hydroelectric
power will dry up," he said. Other consequences include a more rapid rise in
sea levels, speeding the flooding or even destruction of low-lying islands and
coastal areas.

Glaciers are shrinking not only in area but also in thickness. In Alaska, they
are losing an average of 6 feet (1.8 meters) of thickness a year, Anthony
Arendt, a glaciologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, reported last
month in the journal Science. That's more than twice the annual rate
observed from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.
By the middle of this century, the Rockies, the Cascades, and Glacier
National Park will have lost almost all their ice, Kargel predicted.

(3)Temperature changes

Two millennia of mean surface temperatures according to different


reconstructions, each smoothed on a decadal scale. The unsmoothed, annual
value for 2004 is also plotted for reference.

Global temperatures on both land and sea have increased by 0.75 °C


(1.35 °F) relative to the period 1860–1900, according to the instrumental
temperature record. This measured temperature increase is not significantly
affected by the urban heat island effect. Since 1979, land temperatures have
increased about twice as fast as ocean temperatures (0.25 °C per decade
against 0.13 °C per decade). Temperatures in the lower troposphere have
increased between 0.12 and 0.22 °C (0.22 and 0.4 °F) per decade since
1979, according to satellite temperature measurements. Temperature is
believed to have been relatively stable over the one or two thousand years
before 1850, with possibly regional fluctuations such as the Medieval Warm
Period or the Little Ice Age.

Sea temperatures increase more slowly than those on land both because of
the larger effective heat capacity of the oceans and because the ocean can
lose heat by evaporation more readily than the land. The Northern
Hemisphere has more land than the Southern Hemisphere, so it warms
faster. The Northern Hemisphere also has extensive areas of seasonal snow
and sea-ice cover subject to the ice-albedo feedback. More greenhouse gases
are emitted in the Northern than Southern Hemisphere, but this does not
contribute to the difference in warming because the major greenhouse gases
persist long enough to mix between hemispheres.

Based on estimates by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2005


was the warmest year since reliable, widespread instrumental measurements
became available in the late 1800s, exceeding the previous record set in
1998 by a few hundredths of a degree. Estimates prepared by the World
Meteorological Organization and the Climatic Research Unit concluded that
2005 was the second warmest year, behind 1998. Temperatures in 1998
were unusually warm because the strongest El Niño in the past century
occurred during that year.

Anthropogenic emissions of other pollutant—notably sulfate aerosols—can


exert a cooling effect by increasing the reflection of incoming sunlight. This
partially accounts for the cooling seen in the temperature record in the
middle of the twentieth century, though the cooling may also be due in part
to natural variability. James Hansen and colleagues have proposed that the
effects of the products of fossil fuel combustion—CO2 and aerosols—have
largely offset one another, so that warming in recent decades has been
driven mainly by non-CO2 greenhouse gases

Paleoclimatologist William Ruddiman has argued that human influence on the


global climate began around 8,000 years ago with the start of forest clearing
to provide land for agriculture and 5,000 years ago with the start of Asian
rice irrigation. Ruddiman's interpretation of the historical record, with respect
to the methane data, has been disputed.

(4)Climatic issues

A variety of issues are often raised in relation to global warming. One is


ocean acidification. Increased atmospheric CO2 increases the amount of CO2
dissolved in the oceans. CO2 dissolved in the ocean reacts with water to form
carbonic acid, resulting in acidification. Ocean surface pH is estimated to
have decreased from 8.25 near the beginning of the industrial era to 8.14 by
2004, and is projected to decrease by a further 0.14 to 0.5 units by 2100 as
the ocean absorbs more CO2. Since organisms and ecosystems are adapted
to a narrow range of pH, this raises extinction concerns, directly driven by
increased atmospheric CO2, that could disrupt food web and impact human
societies that depend on marine ecosystem services.

Global dimming, the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct


irradiance at the Earth's surface, may have partially mitigated global
warming in the late twentieth century. From 1960 to 1990 human-caused
aerosols likely precipitated this effect. Scientists have stated with 66–90%
confidence that the effects of human-caused aerosols, along with volcanic
activity, have offset some of the global warming, and that greenhouse gases
would have resulted in more warming than observed if not for these dimming
agents.

Ozone depletion, the steady decline in the total amount of ozone in Earth's
stratosphere, is frequently
Prevent Global Warming

(1)Reduce CO2 Emissions

The Government should strongly promote measures relating to both energy


supply and demand, such as the drastic achievement of energy saving in the
industry, commercial/residential, and transport sectors; the accelerated
introduction of new renewable energies and nuclear power generation with
strict nuclear safety measures; and ensuring conformity with long-term
outlook for energy supply and demand to reduce CO2 emissions.

The Government should strive to improve energy appliances through


introducing the Top Runners Approach to establish fuel efficiency targets for
automobiles and energy efficiency standards for household electrical products
and office appliances. The Top Runners Approach aims to establish energy
efficiency standards that meet or exceed the best energy efficiency
specifications for a product in an industry. Energy efficiency and conservation
at factories and commercial facilities should also be promoted under the
revised Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy (announced on 5 June
1998).

(2)Limit Emissions of other Greenhouse Gases

Advisory Councils for Ministers will regularly assess the status of


implementation and ensure the feasibility of action plans that have been
developed by related business organizations to limit the emissions of CFC
alternatives (HFC, PFC and SF6) and to quantify emissions targets. These
action plans should also include measures to prevent the leakage of HFC etc.
during the production and installation processes; measures for the recovery,
recycling, and disposal of refrigerants from discarded air conditioners and
other equipment; measures for the efficient use of these gases; and
measures for the recovery, recycling, and disposal of gases produced during
the manufacturing semiconductors. In addition, industrial sectors that have
not developed action plans should be encouraged to do so and to publicly
announce the plans during fiscal 1998.
(3)Developing Alternative Materials

The development of new alternative materials to replace the current CFCs


alternatives many applications in many areas and should be promoted.

More specifically, new alternatives for refrigerants, cleaners, and foaming


agents should be developed. Research should be conducted to develop
alternatives for PFCs that are used in semiconductor production. Alternatives
for SF6, which is used to produce and clean electronic devices, should be
developed. Furthermore, recovery and disposal facilities for HFC-23, a by-
product of industrial processes, should also be developed.

In addition, systems for recovery, recycling, and disposal of HFCs should be


developed based on systems for the recovery and disposal of CFCs.

Methane emissions should be reduced by introducing measures to decrease


emissions caused by waste in landfills (reducing total waste going to landfills
from 13% in fiscal 1996 to 9% by 2002) and measures to reduce emissions
from the agriculture industry by improving farm land management and
establishing technology to reduce methane emissions from livestock raising.

Reduction of nitrous oxide emissions should be through measures to reduce


emissions from industrial processes by about 90% from fiscal 1990 levels by
2010. In addition, nitrous oxide emissions can be reduced by incinerating
waste materials, waste water sludge, etc. at high-temperature incineration
facilities.

(4)Kyoto Protocol

Japan will strive to implement the following measures in the short term to
meet the 6% reduction targets for Japan as stated in the Kyoto Protocol.

A report published in November 1997 by the Joint Conference of Relevant


Advisory Councils on Domestic Measures Addressing the Global Warming
Issue specifies a 2.5% reduction for CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide
emissions to be achieved through the steadfast promotion of measures that
relate both to energy supply and demand focus on promoting energy saving,
the introduction of new energy and construction of nuclear power plants with
rigid nuclear safety measures, the introduction of innovative technologies,
and the acceleration of the efforts of each social actor.
Emissions of CFC alternatives (HFC, PFC and SF6) will be limited to an
increase of about 2%.

Target emissions may be reduced by 0.3% because of carbon dioxide


removed by carbon sinks created through afforestation and reforestation
efforts, as specified in the Kyoto Protocol. As it is also estimated that around
the year 2010 the amount of net removal by sinks of Japan's forests, etc.,
will be about 3.7%, Japan will strive in international negotiations to secure
the necessary additional removal by sinks. Japan will work to ensure the
application of appropriate methodologies to achieve this goal by obtaining a
consensus of the Conference of the Parties.

Efforts should be made to utilize the international mechanisms introduced in


the Kyoto Protocol, e.g. emissions trading, joint implementation of projects
among developed countries, and the Clean Development Mechanism whereby
developed and developing countries reduce emissions jointly.
Conclusion
Global warming is the menace for mankind and the mother nature.

Something should be done to overcome this problem ,soon enough, before it


takes over and destroy this beautiful planet.

No one can turn his face to this challenge and we students are required to
take up the initiative.

So let us wake up and rise to the occasion…………..!

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