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The history of the Earth has seen immense variability in the surface temperature. Once it was a hot mass of gases, then it cooled down and underwent drastic changes in the last 4 billion years. The average surface temperature continues to change naturally but at a very slow rate.
However, we humans have messed things up with our greed and unsustainable development. The onset of the industrial revolution or more specifically, the uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests, has led to an unusually rapid increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature in the last century. This phenomenon is termed global warming and the effects caused by this are often referred to as climate change.
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What are the causes of Global Warming?
Every planet, including Earth, receives its heat and energy from the Sun. About 75% of this solar radiation is bounced back by the clouds and the ice, while the remaining 25% is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and oceans.
This heats the surface and it ultimately starts to radiate the absorbed energy back into space. But, gases like Co2 and methane obstruct this process by absorbing this radiation and radiating it back to the surface, making the Earth a typical ‘Greenhouse’.
Life, as we know it on the Earth, is highly dependent on this greenhouse effect, as, without it, the Earth’s average temperature would be -18° C instead of 15° C. However, due to an increase in the burning of fossil fuels, reduction of forest cover, and growth of the meat industry, the greenhouse gases have increased exponentially in the last 250 years.
Due to this, excess heat is being trapped inside the atmosphere and is constantly being sent back to the Earth’s surface, leading to an unusually rapid increase in temperature or, in short, Global Warming.
Effects of Global Warming
The major effects of Global Warming are climate change and rising sea levels. Climate change can be defined as the change in weather conditions like the late arrival of the winter season or sudden change of seasons.
Due to these extreme changes, there are abnormal occurrences of hurricanes, cyclones, heatwaves, and forest fires. In the last few years, we have witnessed some extreme forest fires like the Australian forest fires of 2020, which affected millions of people and killed thousands of animals. With the passage of each year, the number of such extreme abnormal weather conditions is increasing and is drastically affecting the wildlife.
Another effect of Global Warming is the melting of the glaciers and icebergs, leading to a rise in sea level at an alarming rate. The Earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.9° C in the last century, and it continues to rise, with experts claiming an increase of 2° to 6° C by the end of the 21st century. This is causing the Arctic to melt, threatening the existence of hundreds of species.
Conclusion
The irresponsible behaviour of man has caused substantial damage to nature, leading to several drastic problems. One of those is Global Warming, which is the current major topic of debate around the globe. The effects of global warming cannot be undone; however, they still can be controlled by moving toward the idea of sustainable development.
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