Home ›› 31 Aug 2021 ›› Editorial
Out of sunlight, water and rock, living systems evolved and created this magnificent Earth. Civilization is driving to the brink. Life can fix and we can help.
Global warming is the rise of average global temperature on the surface of the earth. It has been recognized as a severe threat to the environment of the earth since 1950. The rate of increase in the global temperatures sees accelerated growth for the last 5 decades. Climate change is real and it holds the potential to wipe out the human population from the surface of the earth. Global warming has been accelerated due to mass deforestation activities by man.
Greenhouse gas is one of the most important factors that contribute to the global warming. Greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere trap the heat in the atmosphere and so warm up the atmosphere. Without this warming effect called the Greenhouse effect the Earth would have been much colder than it is today. Greenhouses gases include carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. There is scientific evidence that our climate is changing. World temperature has begun to change since 1860. A small increase in air temperature about 0.6C has seen between 1900—2000. But the rise has been greatest in the last 20 years. Many experts believe that there will be much greater increase during this century. It is predicted that the rise could be 5*C in the next 100 years. If this level of global warming happens, the ice in Antarctica will melt and force sea level to submerge a number of countries as well permanent flood in certain Coastal areas. Weather trends would change, the average temperature of the Earth would rise, it could also become colder in some places. This change of effect is at times called Climate Change.
Scientists believe that rise in temperature is linked to increase in Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels are going up because we are burning more fossil fuels and destroying forests that use up gas during photosynthesis. Some experts think the opposite may happen and temperature may fall in future. The impact of burning fossil fuel was first reported in 1896.It reported that carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels could cause the Earth to warm up. Many parts of the earth are witnessing natural disasters like hurricanes, flood and avalanches. All these phenomena are a direct result of global warming. To offset the harmful effect on global warming on environment we should restore our eco system. We are exploiting natural resources without giving environment anything in return. This needs to be stopped.
Plants use carbon dioxide to prepare their food and release oxygen as by product. If we have enough plants, they will absorb the excess carbon dioxide from atmosphere and decrease the rate of global warming. Planting more trees can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and will result in the reduction of global warming. It has been noted that the average temperature on earth has increased by 1.5*C in the past decades. This rise may damage our earth’s eco system and might disrupt the environment. To check global warming we should take steps like wind energy and solar energy and tidal energy.
Scientists all over the world agree that global warming is happening due to humans’ recklessness of putting up carbon dioxide into atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. This assumption has been justified because change in the temperature in the past appeared to be linked to change in carbon dioxide concentration. The amount of carbon dioxide can be measured by looking at the bubbles of air trapped in ice in Antarctica. Every winter new layer of ice is laid down, so experts can work out how old each bubble of air by counting the layer. Experts drill an ice cove and extract the gases. Temperature on Earth can be estimated from ice cove. Atoms of oxygen when measured from water molecules and fall of snow, temperature on earth can be estimated. Experts estimate temperature in the past by measuring the proportion of light and heavy water molecules in the ice. Further estimation of temperature can also be made by looking at the pollen grains preserved in mud at the bottom of the lakes. Those pollens give some idea about what types of plants that lived in the past and the types of plants living today. This gives the idea of temperature in the past.
It is high time we should do something to reduce global warming. But who should be doing most? We should all join forces to make this world a better place for our future generation who deserve this planet as much as we do. The basic step that we can follow to improve the overall health of the planet is planting more trees. Afforestation should be our primary goal. The earth can become a better place if we pledge to plant as many trees as we can in our life time.
Former DG, EPB and Adjunct Associate Professor at South East, Prime Asia, ULAB and BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology.
