Global Warming magazine article

Investigate the main causes of climate change and evaluate the possible solutions.

Alsha Patel

Monday, March 10, 2014 Alsha Patel – s16522 What is Climate Change?

Monday, March 10, 2014 Alsha Patel - s16522

Global Warming and the Green House Effect

Climate change is a natural process in which over a long period of time the earth’s average atmospheric temperature changes. It is a significant variation in the average state of the climate. This change is any multi-decadal or longer alteration in one or more physical, chemical and/or biological components of the climate system.

Climate Change is easily identified in weather conditions by acknowledging changes in temperature, precipitation, winds and other similar indicators that suggest variability. Climate variability can then be defined as changes that occur on shorter time periods.

Over the past few centuries’ humans have played an immense part in speeding up this process by releasing large amounts of green house gasses into the atmosphere. This is done by burning lots of fossil fuels in order to produce energy.

Greenhouse gasses act like a blanket over the earth trapping heat from escaping the atmosphere eventually resulting the planet to warm. This phenomenon is commonly known as the “greenhouse effect”. This effect plays a huge role in global warming which is one of the major participants in climate change.

In the last 100 years or so the earths average temperature went up by 1.4°F and is anticipated to rise another 2°F to 11°F over the next century. This drastic change in the atmosphere and will have major effects.

Global Warming is the earth’s temperature gradually rising. Although it is a natural process many other factors add to enhance it. The green house gasses on the earth act as a protective layer preventing our planet from getting too hot and maintaining a regular temperature. However the burning of fossil fuels result in the production of vast amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These gasses add to the ozone layer (greenhouse layer) and make it thicker. This still allows solar radiation to enter the earth’s atmosphere however reduces the amount that then escapes. Over a long period of time the climate on earth gets warmer as less heat can escape and this situation continues to get worse with the increasing production of greenhouse gasses.

This change in our climate may result in dramatic effects on the environment such as the melting of ice cape and other extreme weather patterns.

Monday, March 10, 2014 Alsha Patel – s16522

Causes

9. Air pollution

Greenhouse effect is the process in which the atmosphere of the Earth trap some of the heat coming from the sun, making the Earth warm but due to burning fuels, cutting trees, the concentration of heat on Earth is increased to abnormal levels making greenhouse effect as one of the major causes of global warming. Carbon Dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide are the greenhouse gases which helps to keep the Earth warm. It is a natural phenomenon that takes place with the adequate concentrations of the greenhouse gases. But when the concentration of these gases rises, they disturb the climatic conditions, making the Earth more warm. These gases are not able to escape, which is the cause of worldwide increase in temperature. So the balance of carbon dioxide and other gases should be maintained so that it does not become the major reason of global warming.

10. Greenhouse effect

The ozone layer is the layer outside atmosphere which protects the surface of the Earth from the harmful Ultra-‐violet and infrared radiations causing dangerous diseases like skin cancer. Ozone layer depletion is also one of the causes of global warming; entering of harmful gases which helps in heating up the Earth but the other greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, that helps in heating up and also tears up the ozone layer making an “Ozone Hole”. Mostly the CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) damages the ozone layer. So the ozone layer depletes due to these gases which allow the UV radiations to enter the Earth making the Earth more warm than normal and affects the temperature leading to global warming. It is interesting to note that ‘Ozone Holes’ are created mainly on the poles which is the reason of melting glaciers, increase in the water level of the sea and of course significant rise in temperature.

8. Depletion of Ozone layer

The harmful gases emitted from the vehicles and factories and the greenhouse gases cause pollution in the air and these gases get captured in the atmosphere. The smoke, gather up in the atmosphere forming clouds full of harmful gases which later on fall as acid rain which destroys the buildings and also lead to many dangerous diseases like cancer, skin burns and the death of plants. Plants provide us with the oxygen and if they die, the level of carbon dioxide will increase in the atmosphere which is a harmful gas. These gases also emit heat which increases the temperature of the Earth (following the same pattern as in the above paragraph) and causes global warming.

There are many causes as to why climate change takes place. The majority of these are ways in which carbon dioxide is emitted to the ozone layer. It is important that people recognize why the climate changes in order to know what action could be taken towards it. On the right there is a countdown showing the top ten main causes of global warming and climate change.

Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere absorb and re-reradiate heat from the earth to bring out the green house effect. Adding more CO2 to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels may upset the natural balance. As the earth warms a little due to the increased CO2 in the atmosphere, a little more water evaporates from the sea. This further increases global warming.

Methane Methane is released from paddy fields, farm animals and natural gas fields. Its concentration is increasing at about 1.2 percent each year.

Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide is released as a result of the use of nitrogenous fertilizers.

Chlorofluorocarbons Chlorofluorocarbons more commonly known as CFG’s have been reduced and will cease altogether because of it’s damaging effect on the ozone layer.

Chemical Causes:


Volcanic eruptions is also one of the major reason of global warming. These eruptions contain dust particles and gases like sulphur dioxide which stay in the atmosphere for years and block the sunlight from reaching the surface of the Earth making it cool. These dust particles affects the balance of the atmosphere and becomes a contributing factor of global warming. Though volcanic eruptions cannot be controlled but efforts can be made to decrease the sulphur dioxide levels.

7. Volcanic Eruptions

5. Deforestation

Melting of the glaciers is a natural phenomena. Large mountains of ice melt due to warmer temperature of the Earth so that new ice can accumulate. These ice mountains helps to equalize the temperature by beating up the heat. But there is excess melting of the ice due to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases contribute to the melting of the ice at faster rate which leads to increased sea levels and eventually floods. If the temperature kept on rising then there is a chance that glaciers might disappear which will lead to flooding of earth and destruction of land resources.

6. Melting Of Glaciers

More and more industries and factories are set up in this modern world to meet the needs of human beings. These big factories need large amount of fuels like coal, petroleum for power and electricity required by the machines to work. Burning of these fuels releases large amount of carbon dioxide which absorbs the harmful radiations from the sun making it warm, hence global warming. The smoke that is produced from these factories is mixed with the air, making it harmful for breathing. As written earlier developing countries are the major contributors towards this.

4. Industrial Advancements

Plants give us oxygen which is the most important thing for our survival. They undergo a process of photosynthesis in which they give out oxygen and take carbon dioxide. Plants consume the air, sunlight and the carbon dioxide we breathe out to make food and oxygen. So if trees are cut, plants will not produce oxygen and the concentration of carbon dioxide will increase. Increase of carbon dioxide in the air is harmful for human beings and also disturbs the water cycle and hence the total imbalance of our ecosystem. So being one of the greenhouse gases it will lead to global warming. It’s very much like not parking your car under a tree, the car gets excessively heated up, making it uncomfortable to sit in the vehicle.

The use of artificial chemicals for the crops has become one of the reason for global warming.These chemicals are very dangerous not only for Earth but also for human beings too. These fertilizers are rich in nitrogen oxide which is even more dangerous than carbon dioxide. These oxides of nitrogen destroys the ozone layer even more faster than any other greenhouse gas and hence let the harmful ultraviolet rays enter the atmosphere, making the Earth warm and leading to global warming.

3. Chemical Fertilizers

Fossil fuels are burnt on a day-‐to-‐day basis and they contain high percentage of carbon, coal and petroleum and many other gases. So burning of these fuels releases large amount of extra carbon which has been entombed inside the Earth millions of years ago. The carbon that is emitted by burning these fuels is the extra carbon which is not a part of the cycle. So carbon dioxide being the greenhouse gas is provided in excess in the atmosphere which again leads to global warming.

2. Burning of fossil fuels

It has been said that human activities are primarily responsible for global warming. These activities are destroying the Earth at a faster rate. The emission of carbon dioxide from the vehicles, the burning of the fuels, cutting down of trees and forest to build buildings and malls, the dumping of trash everywhere and not recycling it, excessive use of plastics, smoke from the factories, etcetra. All these activities performed by human beings are major factors of the polluted gases in the air and the warming up of the Earth which destroys the ecological balance of the nature leadingto global warming.

1. Human Activities


Extreme Weather Conditions Winter in Canada 2014 This winter the temperature in Canada fell down to a record-breaking -53 ºC. That is even colder than the weather on

Vast crop failures According to recent research, there is a 90% chance that 3 billion people worldwide will have to choose between moving their families to milder climes and going hungry due to climate change within 100 years. Climate change is expected to have the most severe impact on water supplies. “Shortages in future are likely to threaten food production, reduce sanitation, hinder economic development and damage ecosystems. It causes more violent swings between floods and droughts

Extinction of species According to research published in Nature, by 2050, rising temperatures could lead to the extinction of more than a million species. And because we can’t exist without a diverse population of species on Earth, this is scary news for humans. This 6th mass extinction is really just a continuation of the Holocene extinction, which began at the end of the last ice age and has resulted in the extinction of nearly all of the Earth’s mega fauna animals, largely as a result of human-expansion. Climate change now represents at least as great a threat to the number of species surviving on Earth as habitat-destruction and modification. Widespread species loss and lists of endangered species just keep growing. This is a concerning matter on many fronts.

Increasing Severity of storms Scientists have come up with the firmest evidence so far that global warming will significantly increase the intensity of the most extreme storms worldwide. The maximum wind speeds of the strongest tropical cyclones have increased significantly since 1981, according to research published in Nature this week. And the upward trend, thought to be driven by rising ocean temperatures, is unlikely to stop at any time soon.

Effects The planet is warming and there are already several noticeable effects. The most common one is that the temperature rise has resulting ice caps from melting. This is taking place at both the north and south poles. Due to this the sea level is rising resulting more floods and storm surges everywhere. This is not even the worst; if the sea level continues to rise many cities will end up underwater. The melting of the ice caps also creates an imbalance in the fresh water to salt water ratio. This has a huge impact on the current and the water flow.

On the right are just some of the many effects of climate change.

Due to the changes in our climate the planet has been experiencing lot of extreme weather. There has also been an increase in the average precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) in the world. Some of the recent occurrences of severe weather include:

Typhoon Haiyan This massive cyclone hit the Philippines killing 4460 people. This typhoon’s strength managed to fit into category 5 making it the strongest ever tropical cyclone. It had winds up to 235mph.

Flooding in England February 2014 in England had been quite tough with sever flooding everywhere with drafts reaching up to 85mph. There had also been lots of rainfall simply making the situation a lot worse.


Government Action

Individual Initiatives suggested by the HK Government:

• switching to compact fluorescent lamps; • turning off electrical appliances when they are not in use; • maintaining temperature setting of air-conditioner at 25.5°C

during summer months; • recycling use of waste material as far as possible; • reducing each shower by 1 minute.

Climate change has had a huge impact on the environment of Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, climate change in Hong Kong can be attributed to both global warming caused by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, and localized urbanization which leads to the formation of what is called an 'urban heat island' where temperatures are higher than their rural surroundings. Urban heat island is caused by a combination of factors including changes in surface as vegetation is replaced by concrete and tarmac, reduced air ventilation due to buildings, anthropogenic heat production and motor vehicle emissions.

The temperature is predicted to continue rising resulting longer summers with hot humid days. Considering the weather patterns in Hong Kong by 2100 there will be less than one cold day a year (12 °C or below) meaning that eventually winter will disappear in HK. On the left is a graph predicting the average temperature in the future based on the temperature rise from the past. On the right is another graph presenting how the number of cold days in Hong Kong will gradually decrease and eventually disappear at around 2040.

The Hong Kong Observatory predicts that by the end of this century the average annual rainfall will increase by 11%. Urbanization is one of the possible causes for the rainfall's increasing trend and the regional variation in Hong Kong. The higher temperature in urban areas enhances convective activities and the increase in concentration of suspended particulates from urban activities also favors the formation and development of rain-bearing clouds.

Climate Change in Hong Kong

As Hong Kong is a financial centre and service-based city, it does not consists of energy-intensive industries. Two major contributors of greenhouse gases in Hong Kong are power generation and the transport sector. In addressing climate change, the Government has undertaken several initiatives.

Buildings make up 90% of electrical consumption in Hong Kong. Energy efficiency can be improved in order to reduce HK’s carbon footprint. There are four main electrical factors in a building (air-conditioning, lift and escalators, lighting and electrical) and the Building Energy Efficiency ordinance states commenced more eco-friendly electrical building installations in both new and existing buildings.

In 2008 a mandatory Energy Efficiency labeling scheme was introduced where all electrical products had a label informing the consumer of its electrical consumption.

In terms of transportation, the Government is aware that the use of our extensive and energy-efficient public transport system and the use of cleaner vehicles can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is committed to further expanding and upgrading our public transport infrastructure with an emphasis on railways, and encouraging the use of cleaner vehicles.

The government has also been promoting the use of renewable energy in power generation to reduce GHG emissions. All coal-fired generating units had also been banned in 1997 in favor of natural gas. This reduced the amount of greenhouse gas by 50% whilst still producing the same amount of energy.


Reducing tropical deforestation can significantly lower global warming emissions and — together with efforts to reduce emissions from fossil fuels — plays an integral role in a comprehensive long-term solution to global warming.

Prepare for impacts Certain consequences of global warming are now inevitable, including sea level rise, more frequent and severe heat waves, growing wildfire risks, and an increase in extreme weather events. These were once largely preventable, but foot-dragging by our leaders and policy makers over the past two decades means that we must now confront the dangerous new reality of rising temperatures and the serious impacts that accompany them.

Individual Amendments

Everyone can make a difference by following a few simple guidelines. Although it may feel like a small change if everybody followed it there would be a significant improvement in the world’s climate.

• Avoid taking baths. Take shorter showers.

• Remember to turn of the tap while brushing your teeth

• Recycle all possible waste • Switch to fluorescent light

bulbs. • Switch off the lights when

leaving the room. • Turn off any electronics

when not in use. • Avoid driving a car or taking

a taxi. Use public transportation as much as possible. Or even try walking to your destination.

• Donate unwanted items to charity instead of throwing them away.

• Buy local products, as it requires a lot of fuel to ship them from places.

• The production of meat requires a lot of energy and water to eat less meat.

• Use both sides of a piece of paper and then recycle it for complete usage.

• Try not to use plastic bags when buying groceries. Instead bring your own.

• Use rechargeable batteries.

Possible Solutions There is no single solution to global warming however there are many little ways to improve the way we do things by making them more energy efficient. Some of the ways we can solve it are:

1. Encouraging green transportation (e.g. battery powered cars) 2. Phasing out fossil fuel electricity and using alternatives (e.g.

solar panels, wind turbines, hydro energy etc.) 3. Managing forests and agriculture by planting more trees 4. Developing and deploying new low carbon technologies 5. Ensuring sustainable development in the world to prevent

damaging the world.

Reduce Emissions In order to effectively address global warming, we must significantly reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions we are putting into the atmosphere.

As individuals, we can help by taking action to reduce our personal carbon emissions. But to fully address the threat of global warming, we must demand action from our elected leaders to support and implement a comprehensive set of climate solutions.

Stop Deforestation Tropical deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s heat-trapping emissions — equivalent to the annual tailpipe emissions of 600 million average U.S. cars.


I believe that my actions have a huge impact on the climate and that I should be much more aware of the various small signs that point towards it. I try my best to be the most environmentally friendly possible by following the possible solutions. Us as humans are responsible for what is happening and eventually it will be us who is affected. I feel it is important to bring forth this issue and acknowledge it before it is too late. One way to do that is to raise awareness of it by informing and reminding people of the serious damage that is already occurred. In Hong Kong we don’t experience too much extreme weather although our climate continues to get warmer. I think it is time for us to stop our planet from getting any warmer. We need to be much more sustainable with our resources and remember to reuse an item until it is completely worn out, reduce our waste and consumption and recycle all paper, plastic, glass and aluminum.

Climate Change and me

STOP OUR PLANET FROM MELTING AWAY

~ BIBLIOGRAPHY ~ "50 Ways to Help the Planet." 50 Ways to Help the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

<http://www.50waystohelp.com>. BBC. "What is Global Warming?." BBC News. BBC, 10 Feb. 2001. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/global_warming/newsid_1575000/1575441.stm>.

"Climate Change." GovHK:. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/environment/global/climate.htm>.

"Climate Change." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange>.

"Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet." Global Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://climate.nasa.gov>.

European Commision. "What's causing climate change?." Climate Action. European Commission, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/brief/causes/index_en.htm>.

"Global Warming Solutions." Global Warming Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-solutions/>.

"Global Warming: Confronting the Realities of Climate Change." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/>.

"Global warming." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming>.


"How to Be Eco Friendly." wikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Eco-

Friendly>. "How to Be Environmentally Friendly." wikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.wikihow.com/Be-

Environmentally-Friendly>. "How will Hong Kong be Affected by Climate Change? - Climate Change Business Forum Climate Change

Business Forum." Climate Change business forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.climatechangebusinessforum.com/en-us/hong_kong_context_affected>.

"IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change." IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ipcc.ch>.

Jenkins, Amber, and Randal Jackson. "Causes." Global Climate Change. NASA, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. <http://climate.nasa.gov/causes>.

Jenkins, Amber. "Effects." Global Climate Change. Nasa, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <http://climate.nasa.gov/effects>.

Khani, Parul. "Top 10 Main Causes of Global Warming." List Dose. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. <http://listdose.com/top-10-main-causes-of-global-warming/>.

Krugman, Paul. "Green Economics." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Apr. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/magazine/11Economy-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Marc, Jean. "Manicore." - What gases are greenhouse gases ? How much do they contribute to the greenhouse effect ?. N.p., 16 Aug. 2007. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://www.manicore.com/anglais/documentation_a/greenhouse/greenhouse_gas.html>.

Markhem, Derek. "Global Warming Effects and Causes: A Top 10 List." PlanetSave. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <http://planetsave.com/2009/06/07/global-warming-effects-and-causes-a-top-10-list/>.

Met office. "Met Office." What is climate change?-. N.p., 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-guide/climate-change>.

National Geographic. "Global Warming." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/>.

National Geographic. "Effects of Global Warming." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/>.

Natural Resources defence council. "Global Warming Basics." What is Global Warming. Natural Resources defence council, 18 Oct. 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/f101.asp>.

Oberman, Mira. "Colder than Mars: Brutal arctic chill grips US, Canada." Rappler. N.p., 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/us-canada/47468-brutal-polar-vortex-us-canada>.

Of The Risks From Climate On Key Societal And EnvironmentalÂ Resources?." Climate Science Roger Pielke Sr. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/what-does-climate-change-mean-does-a-lack-of-preciseness-in-its-definition-discourage-effective-discussion-of-the-risks-from-climate-on-key-societal-and-environmental-resources/>.

Wilson, Cathy. "Environmental Issues Know No Boundaries." KnowYourEarth. N.p., 25 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://blog.knowyourearth.com/archives/environmental-issues-know-no-boundaries/>.

"climate change news." The guardian. Guardian News and Media, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change>.

environmental protection agency. "Climate Change: Basic Information." Environmental Protection Agency. USEPA, 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/>.

Global Warming magazine article

Education

Transcript of Global Warming magazine article