Essays

Global Warming as the term itself suggests is the consistent rise in the overall average temperature of the planet. The greenhouse gases which cause pollution are also responsible for Global Warming- In fact, the worst effect of air pollution is the adverse effects on the climate. Industries which produce gases such as Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Carbon tetrachloride etc get accumulated in air, These gases are also known as greenhouse gases. They are responsible for the rise in temperature which scientists and environmentalists fear can bring about long-term changes in the climatic conditions of the earth. These changes can, in fact, turn harmful for survival of life on the earth and hence, something concrete should be done about them. These gases are responsible for gradual rise in temperature far beyond the normal limits needed for survival.

The rise in temperature even by 1"C melts the snow at the poles which if left unchecked, will increase the water level, converting the entire landmass of the earth into a huge sea. Another change that Global Warming has brought about is the reduction of forests. Thus. rain has become scanty, salinity of water has increased and even the entire water cycle stands disturbed. Moreover, due to Global Warming, variety of seasons has been reduced. The tenure of summer has increased over tin' years and there are practically no seasons left especially in the Tropical and Sub-Tropical Regions.

The greenhouse gases including CFC-11 and CFC-T2 make the earth hotter and hotter by absorbing maximum quantity of thermal radiation of the sun. These gases permit the rays of the sun to penetrate but don't let the thermal radiations escape from the earth's atmosphere once they enter it, thus causing what is termed as the Greenhouse Effect, which is responsible for the increase in the temperature all over the world.

This rise in temperature disturbs the rain cycle, the ecological balance, the cycle of seasons etc. It adversely affects vegetation and agriculture. Thus, we have to face frequent floods and droughts throughout the world- With this increase in temperature and the melting of glaciers, even snowfall has reduced its occurrence and intensity. The winter temperatures are showing a gradual increase. With the warming of the planet there is also a rise in humidity because the rise in temperature has increased the rate of evaporation. Even though rains may increase, yet they will not match up to the rate with which the land gets dry due to rise in heat. Thus, even fertile regions might slowly get converted into dry lands and deserts. Storms and hurricanes will be frequent.

There is a danger of coastal regions drowning due to increase in sea level with the shrinking of glaciers. Thus there is a grave danger of an entire civilization becoming extinct in a watery grave. Animals and plants are also finding it difficult to cope up with these temperature changes. Species after species of both flora and fauna might disappear from the face of the earth. Not only this, even human life is getting affected by Global Warming. Epidemic's are spreading frequently. There is heat stress responsible for killing people. Diseases like dengue fever, yellow fever and encephalitis are indirect results of Global Warming.

Governments all over the world are concerned about such issues. In 1992, the Earth Summit was held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where 150 countries agreed to confront the problem of greenhouse gases- In 1997, in Japan, 160 nations signed an agreement called Kyoto Protocol and by May 2011 the number increased to 194. The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011. The primary focus of this 17th session of the conference will be to secure a global climate agreement. The Protocol calls upon the developed nations to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases upto 5% by 2012. The treaty still awaits to be implemented by the developed countries, especially the US.

Agreements and treaties signed at international level will not help reduce the Global Warming. Serious and concrete efforts need to be made at the national and regional levels. The local governments should work against the emissions of the greenhouse gases by moderning the vehicles, creating awareness among the people, selling environment-friendly appliances, encourage recycling of paper, metal and glass etc. Such efforts are needed by the people at the grass-rout level Only then we can combat this problem in an effective way.