The solar energy radiated by the sun is absorbed by the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. These gases emit as well as absorb infrared radiations and heat up the surface of the earth. This is a natural and desirable phenomenon to keep the acceptable temperature levels in the earth. This is called greenhouse effect.

However, the earth is going through major changes in the natural climatic cycles. The rate of change is quite high due to human activities like burning of fossil fuels as well as deforestation. It has resulted in global warming which is an increase in the earth’s temperature near the surface.

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has significantly increased to a large extent. This has affected the global temperature and brought considerable changes in the weather and climatic conditions, and has also affected the precipitation levels, cloud cover, severity and frequency of tropical cyclones and storms, changes in the wind patterns and the duration of the different seasons.

Global warming has resulted in several of other serious consequences. Rising temperatures have resulted in some endangered species which are at the danger of becoming extinct. Poor people living in some of the endangered locations and depending on the land for their sustenance may be highly affected due to the changes in the climate. The rise in the temperatures has also resulted in a rise in the sea levels. The pattern of precipitation has changed largely. Polar ice caps have melted which has also resulted in oceanic expansion.

Water has flooded the coastlines all over the world resulting in the salt water engulfing the land. River deltas, swamps and wetlands have been affected. Some of the smaller islands have disappeared. New ice age has cropped up as the alteration between warm and cold Gulf Stream has resulted in the desalination of the Atlantic Ocean. Global warming has been the strongest and most affected in the extremely cold Arctic regions where the glaciers have melted.

Warmer climates would also result in more spreading of diseases like malaria, as these vector carriers thrive well in warmer climates and promote the spread of pathogens and insects which cause diseases. Decrease in the biodiversity has resulted in major shifts in the ecosystems. Agricultural plots have been damaged due to untimely monsoons, erosion of soil and also flooding of land. Due to severe damage of soil composition and also the health of crops, the harvest has decreased over a period of time as the yields have been very low. The subtropical desert areas have expanded.

Water has become scarce due to excessive evaporation of water. Salt content in ground water has increased. Extreme climatic changes have resulted in cold winters and dry summers.

With differing greenhouse gases concentrations spread across the globe, reports reveal that if major changes are not made on priority to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the surface temperature would increase further by 1.1 to about 6.4 degrees varying in different regions. It is also important to reverse the effects of global warming by adopting geo-engineering methods.

Jason Ladock

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