Thought on Environment Day – Global Warming

By Akil Vijay DSouza, Moodubelle/Bangalore
Bellevision MediaNetwork

Bangalore, 05 June 2010: Recently, I was watching UTV Bindass reality show “D3 Commando”. In that show, if somebody makes a mistake (knowingly or unknowingly), everybody including the person who committed the mistake have to pay for it. A day will come soon when all of us (or our next generations) need to face very difficult times unless we are not enough cautious right now. I am not talking about the reality show instead “Global Warming”.

Already people might have started realizing a drastic increase in the environmental temperature. Being in Bangalore (known for cold weather) for the last 3 years, I really experienced the temperature changes (around 3 – 4 degrees). So on this Environment Day (June 5) it is very much necessary to all of us to understand what this Global Warming is all about. Global warming refers to climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere. Global warming can have many different causes, but it is most commonly associated with human interference, specifically the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapor, and fluorinated gases, act like a greenhouse around the earth. This means that they let the heat from the Sun into the atmosphere, but do not allow the heat to escape back into space. The more greenhouse gases there are, the larger the percentage of heat that is trapped inside the earth’s atmosphere. The earth could not exist in its present state (that is, with life) without the presence of some naturally occurring greenhouse gases, such as CO2, CH4, and water vapor. Without any greenhouse gases no heat would be trapped in atmosphere, so the earth would be extremely cold.

Naturally occurring greenhouse gases (not fluorinated gases) are good in naturally occurring amounts; it’s when people start contributing excessive amounts of them that greenhouse gases become a problem. With excessive greenhouse gas buildup, the earth’s atmosphere warms to unnatural temperatures which causes, among other things, sea level to rise. Global warming also causes sea surface temperatures to rise, precipitation patterns to change, etc..

Man-made Causes for Global Warming

Man-made causes probably do the most damage. There are many man-made causes. I would like to mention a few of them. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Pollution comes in many shapes and sizes. Burning fossil fuels is one thing that causes pollution. Fossil fuels are fuels made of organic matter such as coal, or oil. When fossil fuels are burned they give off a green house gas called CO2. Also mining coal and oil allows methane to escape.

Another major man-made cause of Global Warming is population. More people mean more food, and more methods of transportation, right? That means more methane because there will be more burning of fossil fuels. Another problem with the increasing population is transportation. More people mean more cars and more cars means more pollution.

Effects of Global Warming

Global warming will have serious impacts on the environment and on society. I would like to mention a few of them. Higher temperatures will cause melting of ice in south and north poles. This will accelerate the rise of sea level. The speed at which global warming is expected to occur in the 21st century is faster than most plant and animal species will be able to cope with. Some will adapt but others will suffer and may become extinct. Rising sea levels may pollute fresh groundwater supplies with salt water.

Most aquatic animal and plant species are highly sensitive to salinity levels in their water. As sea levels rise, they flood low-lying freshwater marshes and lakes, making them partially saline. This can kill and damage many native species. As northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north, bringing plague and disease with them. As the temperature of oceans rises, so will the probability of more frequent and stronger hurricanes. Although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious droughts and heat waves.

What can I do to slow down or stop Global Warming?

• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
• Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
• Do not leave appliances on standby
• Cover your pots while cooking
• Recycle your organic waste
• Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
• Reduce waste
• Plant a tree
• Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transport wherever possible
• Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
• Fly less
• Encourage the switch to renewable energy
• Protect and conserve forests.

For an individual, I think planting a tree (of course taking care of the planted tree) is the easiest and best way to slow down or stop Global Warming (Atleast 1 tree per person per year). Before things become even worst, each and every one of us should find the answers for the following questions:

If not Earth – Where?

If not Now – When?

If not Me and You – Who?

 Also Watch Video : 5 June World Environment Day