Sunday, October 19, 2008

Global Warming : A path towards the End



We wonder do fishes talk the way we talk. Do they gossip? Many will laugh but this is the truth. The cartoonist has shown his worries very intelligently. The way this GLOBAL WARMING is increasing, days are not too far when sea level rise and we all will drown. Now a day every body is talking about GLOBAL WARMING, but we wonder what exactly Global Warming is? Greenhouse gases trap some of the sun’s energy within our atmosphere and increase the temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and this is termed as Global Warming. When solar energy passes through the atmosphere, is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and warms it up. Greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CFC present in the air absorb some of the reflected heat energy. Human actions gradually increase concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and lead to global warming. This accelerated process has a number of dangerous impacts.

CO2 and CFC are already present in the atmosphere in a proportion so that Sun rays does not affect earth’s climate but when human become over ambitious and starts processes which will imbalance the atmosphere and increases such greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are different actions which cause in increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

First and the most important is ‘Deforestation’. Deforestation means to cut green forest of trees. This process reduces fertile land which causes food crisis. In Nigeria 250000 hectares of fertile land becomes Desert. This 250000 hectares is equal to the size of a Luxembourg. UN report says that in future 30 to 50% of the fertile land will become Desert which will create huge food crisis. Even today we fell heat of food crisis. Second largest wheat producing country Australia is facing this heat and its largest wheat producing land is under a biggest drought of recent times in Australia. This Deforestation not only brings Drought but it also creates flood situation. Trees play the biggest role in stopping water and deciding its boundary. But as there are no trees water does not stop and the average rate of floods has been increased.

Agriculture too plays a big role in global warming. Agriculture is a huge source of methane and nitrous oxide. To grow foods human have started creating an environment for food so that corps will come easily but it helped in increasing Greenhouse gases.
Report says one quarter of all man-made CO2 emissions is transportation related. Today in this fast world everybody needs faster means of transportation and which cause more and more vehicles on the road because of this large amount of CO2 is being emitted in the atmosphere. 750 million cars worldwide emit a total of approx. 2.25 billion tons of CO2 each year. Oh this is huge. Even industrialization is responsible for more than half of all CO2 emission. Largest quantities of CO2 emitted by energy producers and energy intensive industries.

All this causes high temperature world wide and which causes melting of glaciers. Since the early 1960s mountain glaciers around the world have experienced an estimated loss of over 4000 cubic kilometers of water. Projection says 4 degree rise in average global temperatures would cause nearly all of the world’s glaciers to melt, resulting in rising sea level which causes storm and floods. Globally, the annual number of strong storms doubled from around 8 in early 1970 to 18 and it is still increasing. In 3 months US has face 3 storms. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the 6th largest hurricane on record and caused 60 billion US Dollars in damage.

So should we stop agriculture? Should we stop industrialization and using any vehicle? Answer to this is No, but at the same time we should follow some strict rules to reduce greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. While farming wean use organic farming which does not produce greenhouse gases. While driving vehicles we should use gases instead of petrol and diesel which emits less amount of CO2 and even we can green fuel. Even for industries we can use new technologies which reduce CO2 emission by 30 to 50%.

For this government should encourage industries to use such new technology. Even government should try to educate people about Global Warming and its ill effects and with that they should teach people how they can help in reducing emission of CO2 in atmosphere.

UN and some government have started taking steps towards reducing CO2 emission by educating a younger generation not to use age old methods which emits more amount of CO2. EU ahs started giving carbon credits to the industries which reduces their CO2 emission. And these industries can help other industry in lowering CO2 emission. This CARBON CREDIT is very helpful in lowering CO2 emission in industries.

With this note I will appeal everybody to use green products which help in reducing CO2 emission and plant at least one tree it will help the nature and ultimately it will help you and your next generation.