Global Warming: Issues, Policies, and Implementation

Climate change has been drawing the world’s attention as a site of much environmental cautions and alarm, agricultural and public concerns, research, and political debate. It is affirmed that global warming has begun centuries ago as the earth's surface temperature has increased on average by 0.6±0.2°C in the last 150 years. However, the greatest increases occurred in the second half of the last century. The 1990s were the warmest years in recorded history. Since the 1950s we have witnessed the retreat of mountain glaciers, a shrinking of the Artic ice cap as well as a lengthening of the freeze-free season.

What are the signs?

Now more than ever, consequences of global warming are now felt in many corners of the world and in many ways. For example, scientists have shown that global warming induces greater degree of evaporation and precipitation. Aggregate rainfall and incidences of 'heavy precipitation events’ - the main causes of flooding- have also increased in recent decades. The frequency and intensity of storms has also been increasing in certain areas. Sea levels are rising and this phenomenon has the implication that many areas situated at geographically declined position, including islands, might disappear into the ocean in the foreseeable future. Deserts are expanding and some of the geographic sites may be permanently altered. There are other environmental consequences of the rising temperature that are, subsequently, affecting forests, crop yields, and water supplies. These changes will have a direct impact on our ecosystems as well as animals and human health.

What are the causes?

Global warming is caused by several factors, such as high level of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, deforestation, and city gridlock. The main cause identified and much discussed, is carbon emission. Carbon emission on Earth has risen significantly since industrialization and civilization expansion began. Carbon emission comes in several forms as carbon dioxide is released from power plants, cars, trucks, airplanes, and buildings. In our everyday life, electricity counts as one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions based on the usage of a high number of electric appliances in modern life. Latest research from the Global Carbon Project has shown that despite efforts in the last decades, emissions grew four times faster between 2000 and 2005 than in the preceding 10 years. Compared to the growth rates of 0.8% from 1990 to 1999, from 2000 to 2005, they jumped to a shocking 3.2%. What is even more worrisome is that even when human emissions do begin to drop, atmospheric carbon dioxide will continue to rise for up to a century and global temperatures will continue to increase for two or more centuries due to “environmental inertia.” It is the mechanism in which the environment stores up part of the energy of generated by greenhouse gas emissions and releases it to the atmosphere later on.