Global warming can be defined as a general increase of temperature in the atmosphere of Earth leading to a permanent change in the climate of the planet. At the moment there is a debate whether global warming is real; there are some people who claim it is just a hoax. Nonetheless the specialists say that there is undeniable data suggesting that the general warming is a real threat. Some of the effects of the changes are more visible than others. For instance we know for a fact that the average temperature on Earth increased by 0.4⁰-0.8⁰ in the past century.
There are more and more greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide that are a result of burning fossil fuels, agriculture, land clearing, and other human activities that seem to have increased over the past 50 years .
Human contribution to global warming
One of the main causes of the problem is the large amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, as a result of the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil that are burned in order to gain energy.
Technological advancements and industrialization make the problem even worse through the always increasing need for energy. As an example, there are more and more cars produced because there is a demand for them. This means that there is more fuel burned and in the end these products will become garbage.
The studies show that over the last 150 years the air’s concentration of carbon dioxide increased by 31%. As a direct consequence the methane concentration of the atmosphere is rising as well, as a result of basic activities such as rising kettle and growing rice.
The disappearance of rainforests is a hot issue at the moment, and this is another one of the causes of global warming induced by humans. The fact that more and more trees are cut off leads to more carbon dioxide getting into the atmosphere while there are less and less plants that could clear the air and that could protect the wildlife on Earth.
What can you do, as an individual?
In order to help the planet and to live a green life there is no need to think of great deeds. People can make a difference through the simplest actions that they make. For instance instead of going to work or school by car they could carpool or use public transportation. An even better solution might be to opt for riding a bike.
It is also important to consider the amount of garbage a person produces. It is important to minimize this by recycling the used products. For instance you don’t have to buy a bag each time you go to the supermarket because you could bring your own from home.
Energy use is another important aspect of global warming. The population should make sure that they are using energy efficiently and that there is nothing wasted. This may be as simple as making sure that you turn off all the lights before leaving your home.
All in all, global warming is a topic that should be of interest to everybody because it affects something that surrounds all of us: the atmosphere and Earth itself.