Introduction
Global warming is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the Earth’s average temperature. It is an unusually rapid increase caused by the greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels. It causes profound alteration to the environment, eventually impacting human health. Many hazardous effects will happen in future if it continues. Rapid industrialization, increase in population growth and pollution are causing a rise in this climate change. The effects that it’s causing on Earth are severe.
Effects of global warming;
More frequent and severe weather
Higher temperatures are worsening many types of disasters, such as storms, droughts and floods. A warmer climate creates an atmosphere that can collect, retain, and unleash more water. It changes weather patterns so that wet areas become wetter and dry areas become drier (Cheng B 2021). The increasing number of droughts, intense storms and floodings were seen as our warming atmosphere holds and then dumps. More moisture poses risks to public health and safety. Drought conditions jeopardize access to clean drinking water, fuel out of control and flash flooding in the states.
Higher death rates
Today’s scientists point to climate change as the most significant global health threat. It is a threat that impacts all of us, especially children, older people and the low communities, either direct or indirect (Roubille F 2023). As the temperature spike, so does the incidence of illness, emergency room visits and death. There are more hot days in places where people are not used to it. Regions that experience where temperatures do not go down even at night lead to severe health consequences.
Dirtier air
Rising temperatures also worsen air pollution by increasing ground-level ozone smog. It is created when pollution from cars, factories and other sources react to sunlight and heat. Ground-level ozone is the main component of smog; the hotter things get, the more we have. Dirtier air is linked to higher hospital admission and death rates for asthmatics. It worsens the health of people suffering from cardiac or pulmonary disease. Warmer temperatures also significantly increase airborne pollen, which is terrible news for those who suffer from hay fever and other allergies.
Higher wildlife extinction rates
Humans face many challenges, but we are not the only ones catching heat. As land and sea undergo rapid changes, the animals inhabiting them will disappear unless they adapt quickly enough. Some will make it, and some will not make it. The risk of species extinction increases steeply with rises in global temperatures. A study conducted in 2015 shows that vertebrate species are also disappearing more than a hundred times faster than the natural extinction rate due to human-driven climate change, pollution and deforestation.
More acidic oceans
The Earth’s marine ecosystem is under pressure due to climate change. Oceans are becoming more acidic due to the significant absorption of some of our excess emissions. Industrial waste becomes harmful to these animals, which leads to their death. Rising temperatures increase the risk of irreversible loss of marine and coastal ecosystems. Today’s widespread changes have been observed, including damage to aquatic creatures. The increase of acidic water bodies influences the increase of dirty water for human and animal usage. As this acidification accelerates, it poses a severe threat to these creatures, particularly creatures with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons.
Higher sea levels
The polar regions are particularly vulnerable to a warming atmosphere. Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere on Earth. It has grave consequences for the region’s people, wildlife, and plants and severely impacts the rising sea level. Increased ocean temperatures are melting glaciers and ice caps all over the world. Melted ice increases the volume of water in our oceans. Warmer temperatures also result in the expansion of the water mass, which causes sea levels to rise, threatening low-lying islands and coastal cities.
Degraded food and farming activities
Changes in rainfall patterns, increasingly severe drought, more frequent heat waves, flooding and extreme weather, make it challenging. Unfriendly weather condition makes it difficult for farmers to graze livestock and grow produce. When these activities are poorly done, they lower food availability and make it expensive to buy. Extreme weather changes like drought and flooding lead to increased levels of erosion, interfering with the fertile soils suitable for carrying out farming activities. Climate change is the most significant problem facing the world. It is increasing day by day. If we cannot prevent it immediately, our world will face undesirable anger strikes.
The solution to stop global warming
Humans need to work together towards the prevention of global warming. To reduce it, we can contribute by reducing the production and concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. We need to curb the usage of gasoline, electricity and other activities, including mining and industrialization, that cause global warming. The other solution is recycling. It helps to reduce the open burning of garbage by reusing plastic bags, bottles, papers or glass. Open burning contributes to releasing carbon dioxide and toxins (Dong W, 2019). Besides, we should reduce deforestation and start planting more trees. Trees help improve the temperature on Earth and prevent drastic climatic change.
Conclusion
Global warming is not something to take lightly. The oceans are warming, the polar ice caps are melting, and greenhouse gas levels are at an all-time high. The above discussed are some things that claim makers for global warming cause have said. Science has proven them right. So, the ultimate claim is that human is a significant factor in the increased rate of global warming (Miles Novelo 2019). This issue has turned political, and nothing gets done until someone who believes in global warms is in charge. Hopefully, society can come to a consensus to try and inhibit global warming. It is the only way to keep the place we live healthy.
References
Li, X., Zhang, K., Gu, P., Feng, H., Yin, Y., Chen, W., & Cheng, B. (2021). Changes in precipitation extremes in the Yangtze River Basin during 1960–2019 and associated with global warming, ENSO, and local effects. Science of The Total Environment, 760, 144244
Roubille, F., Matzner‐Lober, E., Aguilhon, S., Rene, M., Lecourt, L., Galinier, M., … & Molinari, N. (2023). Impact of global warming on weight in patients with heart failure during the 2019 heatwave in France. ESC Heart Failure, 10(1), 727-731.
Miles-Novelo, A., & Anderson, C. A. (2019). Climate change and psychology: Effects of rapid global warming on violence and aggression. Current Climate Change Reports, 5, 36-46.
Li, J., Dong, W., Oenema, O., Chen, T., Hu, C., Yuan, H., & Zhao, L. (2019). Irrigation reduces the negative effect of global warming on winter wheat yield and greenhouse gas intensity. Science of the Total Environment, 646, 290-299.
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