Global Warming: Understanding Its Effects on Our Environment - Essay Sample

Introduction

Global warming is the gradual and persistent increase in the atmospheric temperature, which is attributed to greenhouse gasses. The greenhouse effect results from increased Chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants that are produced into the air from multiple sources (Leggett 5). The effect that the contaminants have is an increase in the global temperatures. Knowledge about global warming is essential because of the adverse effects it has on the environment. The effect of global warming is shown by higher temperatures, increasing at an alarming rate recently. The issue of global warming is interesting because there are parties which support the idea that global warming is a real issue, and has effects on the environment, while others oppose the idea (McCright et al. 2).

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Global warming has led to an interesting debate, because the problem is of great importance to the environment, yet there is no unity to curb it. In this study, there will be a highlight of the causes and effects of global warming. It will be the focus of the study, which will show evidence of what leads to global warming, and what its effects are. The research will advance knowledge in this field in various ways. It will highlight the causes of global warming, as shown by experts in various areas of expertise. Furthermore, it will propose activities in terms of remedies, which can be implemented to reduce or eliminate the effects associated with global warming. The study will be limited to information that is available regarding global warming in Australia.

Literature Review

(Nordell 6) reports that one of the leading causes of global warming is thermo pollution. The degradation of water, which is as a result of the water being abnormally heated, is what describes thermo pollution. One of the most common ways of thermo pollution is through the use of water by factories as a coolant, then realizing it into water bodies. When the water is heated to a specific temperature and released into the atmosphere, it causes a gradual increase in atmospheric temperatures. The temperature rise is what leads to global warming through thermo pollution. Furthermore, the use of nonrenewable energy in industry is the other factor that is related to thermo pollution, hence increasing global warming (Nordel 3). Through the use of nonrenewable fuels, there is the heating up of machines, which are cooled by water. When the eater is released into water bodies, it leads to an increase in the temperature of water bodies and the temperature in the long run. Hence, that contributes to global warming in the long run.

(Adger et al. 7) states that Land use is the other activity that leads to global warming. The use of land in agriculture leads to deforestation, hence reducing the number of trees. Trees play a vital role in the carbon cycle, and their elimination disrupts the cycle, as there is more carbon dioxide ion the air. Disruption of the carbon cycle has the effect of leading to global warming in the long run. Furthermore, in the farming undertaking, there is the use of machinery, most of which run using nonrenewable energy (Adger et al. 10). When the gasses produced by the machinery are released into the atmosphere, there is a gradual increase in its temperatures. With increased deforestation and farming activities worldwide, there is the disruption of the carbon cycle and emission of greenhouse gases. Over time, there has been an increase in the need for food worldwide, which necessitates the clearance of forests to make way for farmland. The emission of greenhouse gasses from farming hence increases, leading to more global warming.

(Anwar et al. 7) highlights the effect that climate change, caused by global warming, has on the rain-fed whet of south-eastern Australia. Based on the International Panel on Climate Change low, mid and high daily climatic scenarios were developed, which predicted weather patterns. The basis was the effect that global warming was having on the local climate. Global warming is responsible for the change in normal weather patterns, which resulted in unfavorable weather for the cultivation of wheat. The scenarios had their basis on various emission scenarios of the 21st century, whereby there was an analysis of the scenarios that would influence the emissions (Anwar et al. 4). There was a consistent trend in the amount of rainfall, which was accompanied by an increased carbon dioxide concentration in the region. Furthermore, based on the analysis, there was the projection of an increase in the region's temperatures. Thus, it is evident that there would be a trend of ever-increasing temperatures, coupled with higher levels of carbon dioxide. That is all the definition of an increase in global warming in the region, which had the effect of causing a decline in the amount of rainfall. The reduction in the amount of rainfall would then lead to a reduced yield from the crops being cultivated in the long run.

(Laurance 14) highlights the role that global warming is playing in the extinction of some amphibian species in Eastern Australia. Most of the species in the region thrive within a defined set of climatic conditions. When the temperatures, carbon dioxide or humidity level largely fluctuates, it has the effect of endangering the life of the organisms. There is the revelation that most of the fungal and pathogen extinctions occurred immediately before the recorded change in temperature patterns in Eastern Australia. As a result of increasing temperatures resulting from global warming, the species became extinct. Up to 14 species of frogs became extinct, a trend which can be identified with an increase in the local temperatures, under which the frogs could not survive(Laurance 5) There was the detection of a negative effect on the number of some species to slight temperature changes, as low as 0.0 degrees. Thus, it was concluded that high temperatures, as a result of global warming, have the effect of leading to the extinction of some amphibian species in Eastern Australia.

Based on the analysis above, it can be concluded that there are various causes of global warming in Australia. That is not limited to modern farming techniques, deforestation, industrialization, and emissions. The effects of global warming , on the other hand, are diverse, which include higher temperatures, melting of ice in polar areas, extinction of some animal species and a general change in normal weather patterns. The effects of global warming are negative, which are in terms of undesirable effects on the weather and survival of organisms. The effects of global warming are not limited to Australia, but the entire world, where the same effects can be experienced, when an analysis of weather patterns is conducted. Thus, that raises the necessity of putting in place measures to curb the factors that cause global warming. In the long run, there will be fewer factors that lead to global warming, hence reducing the effects associated with it.

Adger et al. "Land Use And The Causes Of Global Warming." John Wiley & Sons, 1994. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19940607094

Anwar, Muhuddin Rajin, et al. "Climate change impact on rainfed wheat in south-eastern Australia." Field crops research 104.1-3 (2007): 139-147. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378429007001219

Leggett, Jeremy. "Global Warming: The Greenpeace Report." Oxford University Press, 1990. https://tamug-ir.tdl.org/handle/1969.3/25303

Laurance, William F. "Global warming and amphibian extinctions in eastern Australia." Austral Ecology 33.1 (2008): 1-9.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01812.x

McCright et al. "Challenging global warming as a social problem: An analysis of the conservative movement's counter-claims." Social problems 47.4 (2000): 499-522. https://academic.oup.com/socpro/article/47/4/499/1678313

Nordell, Bo. "Thermal Pollution Causes Global Warming." Global and planetary change 38.3-4 (2003): 305-312. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818103001139