Global warming is an alarming issue within humanity today and is worsening every day. Many of us argue that there isn’t enough awareness spread about its consequences by the media, leaving its danger concealed. Scientists warn that if this generation fails to find an escape or improve the situation, it will have a detrimental impact on future generations.
WHAT CAUSES GLOBAL WARMING?
- Burning of fossil fuels: Now, this is one of the most contributing factors when it comes to global warming. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable energy source that will eventually run out. Fossil fuels are made from hydrocarbons, meaning when they’re burnt, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that contributes to the greenhouse effect. This is from vehicles, although within the aviation industry manufacturers are beginning to install more eco-friendly planes such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which burns fuel more efficiently.
- Population increase: Earth inhabits 7.8 billion people and is projected to grow even more in the next couple of decades. The more people using vehicles and traveling, meaning more significant emissions of carbon dioxide.
- Livestock and cattle: further contribute to global warming, as cows fart, they release the chemical methane which is also another one of the greenhouse gases alongside carbon dioxide and it accounts for 9% of our CO2 emissions.
- Deforestation: When there is less tree’s then less carbon dioxide can be absorbed by tree’s; they act as a carbon sink. This means that there is less carbon dioxide being used in photosynthesis therefore less oxygen produced from the process of eliminating carbon dioxide. Deforestation is a serious issue in the Amazon rainforest where large acres of land are lost every single day.
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The greenhouse effect is the idea that when the sun radiates electromagnetic radiation towards the Earth, the Earth will absorb it as humanity need’s warmth in order to survive. However, as the Earth absorbs that radiation it radiates infrared radiation off of the Earth’s surface. As Greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide and Methane build up in the atmosphere some of that IR radiation will be absorbed and re-emitted in all directions including back to Earth, instead of it being emitted into space, causing the Earth to warm up even more and leads towards global warming.
