RELATED SEARCHES
Sponsored Global Warming Results:
The Effects Of Global Warming
By:
Published: August 18, 2006
Most climate experts agree that global warming is occurring and that human activity is a large contributing factor. There is the argument that today's increase in temperatures is a result of natural warming trends that have occurred in the past. However, those warming trends took place at a gradual rate whereas evidence has shown that todays warming patterns are occurring at a much faster rate.
More and more evidence shows that the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting build up of greenhouse gases are influencing the current warming trend. There is the popular sentiment that seeing is believing. It won't be long before the majority of the world will be able to see the effects of global warming on a global scale.
The planet is already being altered physically. Numerous research studies have shown increasing melting of the planets ice and snow. Snow is starting to melt on mountain tops around the world. Most of the permafrost in the cold regions of the world are beginning to thaw. Arctic sea ice, ice shelves, and glaciers are thinning and melting resulting in the rising of sea levels. Rising sea levels in turn lead not only to erosion of the sea coasts, but also to contamination of freshwater supplies as well as increasing salt levels in the soil which affects crop supplies.
It's not just the world's land and water resources that will be affected by global warming. The majority of the world's ecosystems will also be altered by rising temperatures caused by global warming. Many of the world's plant and animal species will not be able to cope and adapt to the changes rising temperatures will make on their environments. As a result, many species will be forced to migrate and inhabit different habitats which will lead to overcrowding and more competition for food. This in turn will also lead to more species becoming extinct.
Human beings will also be severely effected by global warming. Rising temperatures will continue to affect water currents which will lead to an increase in severe weather such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods. Rising sea levels and changes in climate will cause disruptions in food supply and water supplies. Higher temperatures will also increase the range of infectious diseases such as Malaria.
The problem is that many developed nations in North America and Western Europe do not recognize global warming as a global issue. These industrial nations are the main contributors to global warming as they burn the largest amount of fossil fuels. It is developing nations such as India, China, and nations within Africa and Asia that will be the most affected. The populations within these nations are already near the poverty level. They lack the resources to effectively deal with severe weather, viable crop land, dwindling water supplies, and increase in diseases that global warming can cause. As a result, more and more of these nations are acting together to get the richer nations to cut their fossil fuel emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, enforced in February 2005, requires 150 nations to lower their carbon dioxide emissions. Developing nations are required to reduce emissions over a gradual period of time while richer countries are required to reduce their emission more quickly.
The United States, the world's most powerful nation, chose not to participate in the treaty. In order to reduce the effects of global warming, nations like the United States need to take more of an active interest and action. These nations have the power to initiate change at a much faster rate. Changes that need to be initiate are reductions in carbon dioxide emission and switching to alternative sources of energy. Richer nations should support research into finding alternative energy sources beyond that of nuclear power , wind, and solar energy. These nations need to invest in finding the areas where the world is most vulnerable and work to prepare for the possible problems that could arise. These nations also need to prepare their populations for adaptation. Use of hybrid vehicles, recycling, public transportation, and using products that do not contain oil are a few ways people can adapt. Global warming is rapidly changing the world we live in and humans need to learn how to change with it.
Related Articles
The planet is already being altered physically. Numerous research studies have shown increasing melting of the planets ice and snow. Snow is starting to melt on mountain tops around the world. Most of the permafrost in the cold regions of the world are beginning to thaw. Arctic sea ice, ice shelves, and glaciers are thinning and melting resulting in the rising of sea levels. Rising sea levels in turn lead not only to erosion of the sea coasts, but also to contamination of freshwater supplies as well as increasing salt levels in the soil which affects crop supplies.
It's not just the world's land and water resources that will be affected by global warming. The majority of the world's ecosystems will also be altered by rising temperatures caused by global warming. Many of the world's plant and animal species will not be able to cope and adapt to the changes rising temperatures will make on their environments. As a result, many species will be forced to migrate and inhabit different habitats which will lead to overcrowding and more competition for food. This in turn will also lead to more species becoming extinct.
Human beings will also be severely effected by global warming. Rising temperatures will continue to affect water currents which will lead to an increase in severe weather such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods. Rising sea levels and changes in climate will cause disruptions in food supply and water supplies. Higher temperatures will also increase the range of infectious diseases such as Malaria.
The problem is that many developed nations in North America and Western Europe do not recognize global warming as a global issue. These industrial nations are the main contributors to global warming as they burn the largest amount of fossil fuels. It is developing nations such as India, China, and nations within Africa and Asia that will be the most affected. The populations within these nations are already near the poverty level. They lack the resources to effectively deal with severe weather, viable crop land, dwindling water supplies, and increase in diseases that global warming can cause. As a result, more and more of these nations are acting together to get the richer nations to cut their fossil fuel emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, enforced in February 2005, requires 150 nations to lower their carbon dioxide emissions. Developing nations are required to reduce emissions over a gradual period of time while richer countries are required to reduce their emission more quickly.
The United States, the world's most powerful nation, chose not to participate in the treaty. In order to reduce the effects of global warming, nations like the United States need to take more of an active interest and action. These nations have the power to initiate change at a much faster rate. Changes that need to be initiate are reductions in carbon dioxide emission and switching to alternative sources of energy. Richer nations should support research into finding alternative energy sources beyond that of nuclear power , wind, and solar energy. These nations need to invest in finding the areas where the world is most vulnerable and work to prepare for the possible problems that could arise. These nations also need to prepare their populations for adaptation. Use of hybrid vehicles, recycling, public transportation, and using products that do not contain oil are a few ways people can adapt. Global warming is rapidly changing the world we live in and humans need to learn how to change with it.
