Scientists asserted that due to global climate change, average temperatures had increased measurably in the past century (Lunine 279). The impacts of global climate change are manifested through rising sea levels, shrinking polar ice, warmer winters, and retreating glaciers (Lunine 279). As a result, summers are growing hotter, and weather events are becoming more unpredictable (Casper 14).
This revelation is just the tip of the iceberg. At the heart of the issue is human activity. The citizens of the world should realize that they are major contributors to global climate change.
The Impact of Human Activity
Scientists all over the world are in agreement that human activity is the reason for the significant change in the climate and the environment. Experts in climate change are predicting that in the 21st century, the Earth will be hotter than it has been for the last 400,000 years (Casper 14).
It must be made clear that natural global warming is a normal phenomenon. A relative increase in global temperature is normal due to several factors, such as 1) the relationships between the Earth’s rotation, axis, position, and revolution around the SunSun and 2) major volcanic eruptions (Casper 14). The changes are measured in small increments in the span of thousands of years. However, the unnatural rate of change in the last 100 years is due to human activity.
The Impact of Greenhouse Gases
When people use cars, lights, computers, mobile phones, heater, air-con, airplanes, sea vessels, tractors, and electric appliances, they contribute to global climate change. The aforementioned equipment, gadgets, and transporters require fossil fuels as a source of electric power. These gadgets, equipment, and vehicles are usually powered by electricity. In order to provide a stable supply of electricity, people need to build power plants that require fossil fuel.
The root cause of the problem is greenhouse gases or GHG (Webersik 19). One of the major components of GHG is carbon dioxide. People can observe the principle of global warming at work in a farmer’s greenhouse. It is an artificial environment created by farmers and botanists to propagate certain types of flowers and vegetables all year round.
Thus, they can expect to grow flowers and vegetables even during winter. This is made possible by the ability to trap heat inside the greenhouse structure. In a natural greenhouse, the heat of the SunSun is trapped through the use of the glass material. In the context of global climate change, the heat from sun rays is trapped in the atmosphere because of carbon dioxide.
Knowledge is Power
Human beings are powerless to change the situation if they are ignorant of the consequences of their actions. They need to know that aberrations in global temperatures make it harder for species to migrate and adapt to environmental change. In addition, farmers will have a hard time managing their meager resources if they have to contend with unpredictable weather patterns.
It is not hard to imagine the rapid destruction of wildlife habitats. Global warming will become the indirect cause of the extinction of animal and plant species. The combination of severe weather events and the destruction of wildlife habitat can lead to food shortages and other related problems.
One of the most problematic aspects of global climate change is the rise in sea levels. Thus, one scientist remarked that no ecosystem would escape the impact of human-induced global warming (Casper 15). This environmental problem will trigger a number of health and quality-of-life issues that will affect every human being (Casper 15).
Therefore, it is foolish to ignore this problem. Government leaders must work together to develop a practical solution to this problem. Policymakers must create incentives for corporate leaders to reduce their company’s consumption of electricity. Policymakers must inspire innovators to develop cutting-edge technology that will significantly reduce the emission of GHG into the atmosphere.
Conclusion
Citizens of the world should work together and develop a concrete plan to reverse the impact of global climate change. Everyone should understand that inaction will eventually cause the destruction of this planet. Global warming will wreak havoc on plant and animal species. Climate change will lead to unpredictable weather patterns. It is the best time to create practical and sustainable strategies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The best way to start is to educate people regarding the impact of human activities. They will need to realize that their addiction to gasoline-powered cars and electronic gadgets are major contributors to the elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is also imperative that heads of state and key leaders around should work together in solving a common problem. It is important to establish a concerted effort to curb the levels of GHG around the world.
Policymakers must work harder to improve the information dissemination schemes geared towards alerting people on the impact of global climate change. People from different tongues, tribes, and nationalities must realize that there is only one planet Earth.
Works Cited
Casper, Julie. Changing Ecosystems: Effects of Global Warming. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2010. Print.
Lunine, Jonathan. Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.
Webersik, Christian. Climate Change and Security. CA: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.