How The �Greenhouse’ Effect Promotes Global Warming And Discusses The Impacts Of Global Warming

This essay gives an explanation on how the �Greenhouse’ effect promotes global warming and discusses the impacts of global warming. The three main areas to be explored are the relationship between �Greenhouse’ effect and global warming, the consequences of global warming with evidence and the argument against addressing global warming. The final section will provide suggestions that would overcome the impact of global warming.

�Greenhouse’ effect

вЂ?Greenhouse’ effect plays an important role on encouraging the generation of global warming. Therefore, this essay will provide the definition of вЂ?Greenhouse’ effect. Different kinds of atmospheric gases comprise the вЂ?Greenhouse’ effect, these вЂ?Greenhouse’ gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, ozone and other gases. Some of the energy released from the Earth’s surface is absorbed by these вЂ?Greenhouse’ gases, which prevents the energy from being lost to space. Hence, the lower atmosphere traps some of the energy and keeps the Earth’s surface warm (Karl, T. R. and Trenberth, K. E., 2003). вЂ?Greenhouse’ effect is essential to life on Earth since it maintains the long term annual average temperature of the Earth’s surface at approximately 32Ð'Ñ"C. However, if the average temperature of the Earth’s surface raises, the situation will be adverse.

�Greenhouse’ effect Promotes Global Warming

вЂ?Greenhouse’ gases exist naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. Nevertheless they are increasing due to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity generation and industrial production, which emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In the recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), more than 2,000 scientists agreed that global warming is explicit and is highly certain that humans are the cause (Marianne, L., 2007). Atmospheric carbon dioxide has boosted from 300 to 380 parts per million by human activities and the global вЂ?greenhouse’ gas emission trends are upward which the average Earth temperature has raised approximately 0.7Ð'Ñ"C over the past decade. As a result, emission of these excess вЂ?greenhouse’ gases promotes global warming (National Climatic Data Center, 2006).

”Climate change is a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism” Sir David King, the UK Government's chief scientific adviser said.

(BBC, 2004)

Consequences of Global Warming

As more heat is trapped in the air, more heat will be available for evaporation which leads to accelerated land-surface drying and more atmospheric water vapour. The former one increases the occurrence and severity of droughts while the latter one increases the risk of heavy precipitation events. On top of that, a surface warming will melt part of the snow and ice areas on Earth and pushes the sea levels to rise. The level of present anthropogenic change will be enormously large compared to that of natural changes. It is estimated that the 90% possible interval for warming from 1990 to 2100 is 1.7Ð'Ñ"C to 4.9Ð'Ñ"C where there is absence of climate alleviation policies (Karl, T. R. and Trenberth, K. E., 2003).

Apart from the impacts mentioned above, global warming will affect humans’ health indirectly. IPCC mentioned that “warming could lead to an overall reduction of cereal production potential in North America and in Southern Europe” (IPCC, 1990, in McMichael, A.J., 1993:5). In other words, poor countries will possibly suffer from starvation and malnutrition while the situation in the poorest countries will worsen. Furthermore, the loss of species will be resulted as well. Considering wild plants are the essential source of useful