Humans' Contributions to Global Warming

As revealed before, the main cause of global warming is given by the repercussion of the irresponsible actions undergone by mankind. In this order of ideas, mankind changed the basic usage of land and turned forests into construction sites or other facilities. The land collapsed as it was no longer supported by the roots of old trees; the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased as the number of plants able to transform it into oxygen also decreased.

Then, aside from changes in land usage, the populations consume now more than ever. The American population for instance consumes per year 30% of the allocated global resources. If everybody consumed at this rate, we would need the resources of five planets or the earth would vanish entirely within the next five decades (Leonard, 2008).

The main man-made contributions to global warming could be succinctly presented as follows:

increase in population, more than the natural resources could bear increase in consumerism and the generation of large amounts of waste, both domestic as well as industrial power plants - in 2004, the companies generating electricity and burning fossil fuels accounted for 40% of the eliminated carbon dioxide the increase in population, combined with the industrial revolution and greater access to commodities have increased the numbers of automobiles; they eliminate large amounts of carbon dioxide (about 33% of the entire annual emissions) the activities undergone in construction sites are responsible for 12% of the carbon dioxide emissions changes in land use, mentioned above Future Predictions

Other than the warming of the temperatures, significant effects of global warming are barely perceptible and that is generally why so little is being done about it. In time however, the effects will become so drastic, that even if something were to be done, it would matter too little. "Although the global weather system is extremely complex and not wholly...

Climate researchers are predicting that the Earth's average temperature will continue to increase in the next 100 years. If greenhouse gas emissions drop slightly, the average world temperature in 2100 could be 1 degree C. warmer than in 1990. But if they increase a lot and the climate proves very sensitive, the rise could be 3.5 degrees C" (BBC News, 1998)
The amounts with which every human operation contributes to global warming could modify. The airline industry would generate up to 15% of the gases by 2050 (Eco Bridge). The most likely it is for mankind to take limited measures to prevent the catastrophic outcome and in the future, global warming will result in more diseases, more floods and more droughts, earlier spring arrival, changes in the behaviors of plants, animals and even humans (Climate Hot Map, 1999).

Conclusions

Global warming is an interesting theory, to say the least and make peace with both disclaimers and proclaimers. The data collected however reveals that it is more than a simple theory, it is fact - and a sad one too. The trend was first observed fifty years ago and it has since been continually studied. The highly likely causes behind it are the individuals, alongside with the activities they undergo. Increasing population unbearable for the natural resources, the burning of fossil fuels or the emission of carbon dioxide are but a few generators of global warming. And men will also be the recipients of the effects that are coming as the temperature increases continually and as the floods, fires and droughts increase by the year.