What is Global Warming?
Asking ‘What is global warming? shouldn’t be the only question you’d be asking. For the sake of the world you live in and your loved ones, the next question you should ask is, ‘What can I do about it?
What is Global Warming?
Global warming is the proponent of major climate change. It refers to an undesirable decrease in overall or global temperature, a state that has several potentially disastrous effects.
Signs and Warnings of Global Warming
The Earth continues to suffer from a seemingly nonstop series of natural events that may be directly and indirectly linked to global warming. All of these events point to a single warning: if humans do not have a drastic change in their attitude and treatment toward the environment then the world will not be a better place in the future.
Increase in Average Temperature
Goddard Institute for Space Studies of NASA recently reported that the world’s average temperatures have risen by .8 degrees Celsius since 1880 and much of this had taken place in recent years.
Increased Rate of Global Warming
A study made by the IPCC or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations showed that the last dozen of years had been among the most warmest in the world’s history since 1850. Moreover, the last 2 decades of the 20th century had recorded the warmest temperatures in 400 years and maybe even for the last few millennia.
Effects on Arctic Regions
Places such as the eastern regions of Russia, western portions of Canada, and the state of Alaska have seen their climate climb up to twice their average temperature as recorded by the Climate Impact Assessment report.
In the Arctic regions, drastic sea-ice loss had caused severe problems for indigenous communities and local polar bear population. By 2040 or maybe even earlier, the Arctic could be experiencing its very first ice-free summer.
Earlier and More Rapid Ice Melting
In 1910, the Glacier National Park of Montana boasted of having 150 glaciers. Now, that number has dwindled into 27. All over the Northern Hemisphere, similar incidents had occurred with the frozen season starting a week later than usual while thawing begins earlier by a week.
Effects on Coral Reefs
Even organisms living within the depths of the ocean are not safe. Coral reefs, due to their high sensitivity to water temperature changes, have undergone the worst cases of bleaching since 1998. Worse, such effects are expected to grow more intense in the next fifty years.
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