Anyone who has paid attention to the news recently has probably heard discussions of global warming. Even though well over 97% of scientists agree that global warming is a very real threat, many people deny its existence or consider it to be an abstract issue that they don’t need to worry about. However, global warming is a very real and dangerous effect of global climate change that has increased in recent years due to human actions. Global warming causes many issues for the planet and though they may not currently affect us, the problems it creates could become widespread in the next 100 years. Even though the future of the planet looks grim right now, with human intervention, we could potentially stop or even reverse some of the effects of global warming. Global warming is a serious problem that needs to be addressed in order ensure the safety of the future of the planet.

Though it is very commonly mentioned, a lot of people don't really know what global climate change is. Global Warming is the uncommonly fast increase in Earth's normal surface temperature over the previous centuries due to the greenhouse gasses discharged as humans burn fossil fuels (Pal and Panwar). One of the easiest ways to determine the severity of human interaction on global warming is by observing the trends in the global temperature. It is estimated that during the history of the Earth, the planet’s temperature only increased by an average of 0.01℃ every century. However, since humans began burning fossil fuels for energy, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased in massive amounts which has caused the global temperature to rise exponentially. Over the last century alone, global temperatures have risen by an average of 1.7℃ (Davey 2017). Though this difference doesn’t seem very significant, continued trends such as this could cause big problems for the planet down the road. For instance, the ten hottest years in recorded history have all occurred since 2000 with 2016 ranked as the hottest year on record (NASA). 

Often in discussions of global warming, the argument is made that global warming can’t be that bad because we still experience bitter winters and winter weather. It would seem that increasing temperatures would lead to less severe winters. However, arguments such as these do not account for the fact that the conditions they’re experiencing are very small scale. Temperature rises are recorded as a global average so it’s quite possible that in some areas there is minimal impact. Furthermore, studies on the impact of arctic warming have found a trend between sea ice decline and colder winters in some mid-latitude areas (Vihma). It should also be noted that there is a marked difference between climate and weather. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time whereas climate denotes the conditions of a larger area over a longer period of time. So, while it may still be cold and snowy, it’s still possible for the climate to be experiencing warming (NASA).

A majority of people don’t usually directly experience any of signs of climate change firsthand. Most of the effects of global warming are manifested in remote regions of the planet such as the poles, secluded glaciers, and deep within the oceans. It has been recorded that the most drastic temperature increases on the planet are occurring over the Arctic circle and the Antarctic peninsula. There aren’t currently any huge indications of warming in the more populated parts of the world. The disconnect between the observable signs of climate change witnessed by the average person versus the specific observations made by the scientific community usually leads laypeople to believe that the issue really isn’t as bad as scientists say it is (Weber).

     Anthropogenic effects on the atmosphere are to be blamed for the recent uptick in global warming trends. Since the industrial revolution, humans have been adding unparalleled amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Every day the burning of fossil fuels, growing landfills, and agricultural industry practices release multiple different types of gases into the atmosphere. Prior to the industrial revolution, the amount of gases in the atmosphere were relatively low and as a result, the planet never experienced any extreme warming.  (Owens).

When energy from the sun reaches Earth, a lot of it is reflected back into space. However, when the greenhouse effect occurs, much of the reflected heat is absorbed by the gases in the atmosphere. This heat is then radiated back down to the surface of the planet which causes warming. There are various different gases that are to blame for the greenhouse effect. The gases most responsible for this are Nitrous Oxide, Methane, and Carbon Dioxide (NASA). 

Nitrous Oxide and Methane are typically released through agricultural processes or wasteful human actions. Nitrous Oxide can be found in vehicle exhaust and chemical fertilizers. Methane is typically produced by the agricultural industry when raising animals and from landfills. Due to these processes, the amounts of those chemicals in the atmosphere has reached around 1.8 parts per million (ppm) and contributes between 4 and 9 percent of the greenhouse effect.  Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the largest contributor to global warming. With a density of 400 ppm, this gas makes up anywhere from 9 to 26 percent of the greenhouse effect. CO2 is released through the burning of fossil fuels. Though these gases existed previously in the atmosphere, they were present in much smaller amounts than there are today. This is why the temperature of the planet stayed relatively stable for millennia, but is currently showing signs of warming (Owens).

Global warming has affected areas all over the planet. One of the most well documented effects of warming is the melting of ice in areas that typically contain ice year-round. The biggest point of concern for most scientists is the melting of the polar ice caps. In 2016, Arctic sea ice tied for the second lowest minimum amount in recorded history. Ice thickness and volume have seen losses of up to 75% in the last 50 years. Continued ice loss will be detrimental as the polar ice caps have long played a large role in regulating the temperature of the Earth (Wadhams).

The North Pole isn’t the only extreme of the Earth that’s facing the heat of global warming. After a long period of time in which it remained unaffected, Antarctica has recently fallen victim to the planet’s warming trend. As of February 13th, 2017, Antarctic ice levels had shrunk to 883,015 square miles, reaching the lowest amount that has ever been recorded in the area. It has been twenty years since the continent’s last recorded low. This fact has often been used as evidence against global warming. For many years, the ice coverage has observed growth which could indicate some flaws in the global warming narrative, but now it seems that climate change may finally be taking its toll on the last remaining hope for the future of planetary ice coverage (Guardian).

The melting of oceanic ice sheets is another contributing factor to global warming. There are numerous issues caused by large scale ice melt. As snow and ice are both highly reflective surfaces, their existence acts to combat warming. However, when the ice melts, a greater area of the ocean is uncovered. The ocean, being vastly darker than the ice sheets, absorbs a much larger amount of heat from the sun. This only acts to further the amount of global warming that the planet is experiencing. It is estimated that the warming caused by uncovered oceans in the poles is equal to approximately 25% of global greenhouse emissions (Wadhams). Another issue with the melting of global ice is its contribution of water vapor to the atmosphere. Though the gas seems as if it would be harmless, it is actually one of the leading contributors to global warming. Water vapor has an atmospheric concentration of about 4000 ppm and may constitute up to 70% of the greenhouse effect (Owens). Melting ice sheets also contributes other types of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, though indirectly. Frozen in sediment beneath the Arctic ice sheets is a massive amount of a crystallized form of methane which has remained encapsulated for thousands of years. However, when ice melts, the methane is released in a gaseous state where it then travels to the atmosphere and contributes greatly to the greenhouse effect (Wadhams).

Weather patterns are also being affected by global warming. The most significant changes will be an increase in extreme weather -- deadly storms, floods, and droughts. The warming of the planet will cause an increase in precipitation in areas that are already wet and a decrease in precipitation in drier areas. These changes will mean more extreme flooding and droughts in the future. As these conditions worsen, the cost of the devastation of caused by major weather events will only continue to grow. Forest fires will become more rampant as an effect of more extreme drought as parched timber and forest undergrowth become fuel for a lightning strike or carelessly built campfire. Flash flooding will cause natural bodies of water to overflow which will contaminate drinking water and cause large scale devastation in communities (Denchak). Higher temperatures mean that already dangerous heat waves will become more fatal to vulnerable populations. It is projected that in the future, hurricanes will not only become stronger, but will occur more often due to global warming (NASA). 

The oceans of the world will not remain unaffected by climate change either. It is a well-known fact that ice melt will cause sea levels to rise, however there are other, lesser known effects on the world’s oceans that are not often reported. Even though the world’s oceans are expansive, large-scale ice melt has the potential to make sea levels rise significantly. It is estimated that as soon as 2100, ocean levels could rise anywhere from one to four feet. These higher sea levels would cause problems for coastal cities around the globe. Rising water levels would cause major damage to beaches by increasing the amount of erosion they experience. Beachfront communities could be totally washed away, changing the coastlines drastically. Low- lying cities such as New York and Venice as well as small island nations would be in serious danger of being totally engulfed, as they’re already experiencing problems related to rising ocean levels (Denchak).

The higher water levels of the ocean aren’t the only evidence of the damages caused by global warming. Higher sea temperatures are going to alter the chemical composition of the water. The increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has caused the ocean to absorb more of these gases which has caused acidification of the water. This could lead to the deaths of large numbers of marine species as many of them are adapted to the conditions that currently exist and the greater amounts of CO2 will create a hostile environment in which it would be difficult for many populations to survive. Coral reefs would be especially susceptible to these conditions as they are sensitive to even minor changes in temperature or water composition. (Bijma et al).

While climate change will present us with many challenges in the future, we can act to prevent it from causing further damage to the planet. One of the most attractive ways of dealing with global warming is mitigation. This is the attempt to deflect some of the major consequences of climate change by altering some of the underlying causes of the issue (Thompson). Efforts by individuals can go a long way towards reaching goals to stop climate change. One of the leading human contributions to global warming is in the form of energy production. Therefore, limiting one’s individual energy consumption could help to eventually reduce the energy problem. To reduce their energy usage, people may opt to switch to Compact Fluorescent Lights or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) from regular light bulbs. These bulbs are much more efficient and last a lot longer than traditional lights which leads to less impact on the environment. Another option available to people is to unplug electric powered devices when they are not in use and turn off the lights when leaving a room. Electrical devices still draw electricity when turned off which, over time, can lead to a lot of wasted energy and leaving lights running when they aren’t needed contributes even more to that problem. People could also reduce their use of fossil fuels by driving more efficient cars. Increasing the gas mileage of vehicles will ultimately help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere as it will no longer be necessary for people to use as much gas. (Pal and Panwar).

 Acting to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is a major key to stop further warming. Deforestation has been a large contributor to environmental damage in the past so replanting in those areas would be beneficial to the planet in multiple ways. Planting trees would help reduce the high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as they absorb the gas during photosynthesis. It would also help reverse the damage caused by large scale deforestation by providing a new place for animals to live.

Since large scale manufacturers and energy production companies have played such a large role in the recent upsurge of global warming, one of the best ways to put a stop to further harmful environmental changes would be to take drastic efforts to alter how they currently operate. A lot of the emissions that contribute to the greenhouse effect come from energy production. Employing more efficient forms of energy such as solar and wind power could make a huge different in cutting down emissions.

The energy industry is the world’s biggest culprit for adding fossil fuels to the atmosphere. Many companies try to hide this fact from the world because they do not want to alter the way that they do business. However, companies may be persuaded to cut down on their emissions if the government were to introduce taxes for excessive greenhouse gas production (Thompson). Another option is for companies to turn to entirely different ways of producing energy. Solar and wind power have both become increasingly productive in recent years and would help to reduce emissions in massive quantities if used for large scale energy production. Offshore wind farms are one of the newest contributions to the renewable energy industry. They have vastly improved the efficiency of wind turbines as wind patterns are much stronger and occur more frequently in the ocean (NRDC). There has recently been a lot of work in both the solar and wind industry to find a way that we can store the energy that is produced so that it can be used later. Currently, these energy forms are not as effective as possible because any energy they produce must be used as it is created and at times when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining, they are not able to contribute any energy. Many companies are in the process of developing large batteries that could potentially store the energy created via renewable resources which would very drastically improve our ability to rely on those resources rather than continuing to use fossil fuels (Owens).

Though we can act to prevent further climate change, some of its effects are irreversible. For situations we can’t stop, our only option is adaptation. Adaptation involves finding ways to lessen the impact that global warming has on our surroundings. Rising sea levels endanger many coastal areas. To prevent the erosion of beaches, we will likely need to construct barriers to keep back high waters. Coastal cities that are being threatened will likely need to be moved inland to avoid becoming engulfed in water (Thompson).

As has been demonstrated, global warming is currently causing major problems for our planet. These problems will only become more dangerous unless we begin to take action against climate change. From pole to pole, the world has already started to experience the ramifications of advancing stages of global warming. As the actions of humans have massively accelerated the rate of global warming, we owe it to the planet to reign in our wasteful habits and create a healthier world for future generations. 
