Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

The modern world, while no doubt has provided us with immense luxuries and facilities, it has also come at a cost that our future generation will have to pay. The modernization of our world has meant that our towns and cities expand more and more, and increasingly greater pressure is being put on our planet; this is true, not only in terms of the demands for resources, but also how we are damaging the planet. Industrialization, Deforestation, Urbanization and our inconsiderate lifestyle has already meant a major uprooting of wildlife from their original habitats; all of this is a resultant of human neglect.

This human neglect today can be seen clearly in the form of Climate Change and its various implications. Climate Change is a problem that has taken the entire world in its fold and therefore requires taking a closer look at what and why this is being caused. Already we have seen severe destruction in the world over, which has ultimately resulted in both economical and social destruction, by completing destroying towns and cities. The major causes of Climate Change and the most prominent damages that have come forward is the Global Warming, being a direct resultant of the increase in the Greenhouse Effect.

To understand Global Warming, it becomes important to first take into consideration what is meant by Greenhouse Effect. Greenhouse Effect is defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as,

"warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of a planet that is caused by conversion of solar radiation into heat in a process involving selective transmission of short wave solar radiation by the atmosphere, its absorption by the planet's surface, and reradiation as infrared which is absorbed and partly reradiated back to the surface by atmospheric gases"

In much simpler words, consider this as a "natural process by which the atmosphere traps some of the Sun's energy, warming the Earth enough to support life" (Greenhouse Effect).

These atmosphere, composed of several gases which include traces of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapors, however this is only 1% of the entire composition (BBC Weather Center).

The purpose of this atmospheric layer is to trap some amount of the heat radiated by the sun within the Earth's atmosphere, and bouncing the rest off back into Space. The amount that enter the Earth's atmosphere when radiates back is seeped out carefully, so as to ensure that enough heat is left within the earth to keep it warm. This phenomenon has played a vital role in sustaining life on earth, because without the presence of heat, human or any other life form would not haves survived.

However, the rapid urbanization and industrialization and other forms of human activity has meant an increase in such gases concentration, especially the likes of carbon dioxide and methane, etc. (The Greenhouse Effect).This concentration has then meant that an artificial heating is taking place within the earth's atmosphere, causing the earth to warm up and this ultimately is causing Global Warming.

There is no denying the fact that Global Warming already occurs as a natural phenomenon, however, the impact of the natural phenomenon had never been catastrophic enough to take notice. The effects of Global Warming that we see today are due to the role that human activities have played in it.

The effects of Global Warming have already been felt in the world over, with the temperature already up by degree Fahrenheit. Other much featured effects include the rising sea level and the constant flooding, caused by the melting of the Glaciers and the Polar Caps of West Antarctica and Greenland. This has also meant a massive disruption to the habitats of various animals, which have either migrated to preferred climates or have simply extinct (Effects of Global Warming: Signs are everywhere).

Today the world over there is a conscious effort to reverse the effect of Global Warming, and for the first time it has been realized that the efforts needs to take into consideration the fact that more than individual efforts, it is on the Governmental Levels that things need to be changed. Only when the pressure is put on the Governmental level, will a change come that can have a true mark on the carbon footprint, or on the emissions caused by industries, which are a major contributor to Greenhouse gases.

On an international, laws and regulations are now in place to tackle the crisis and the most major breakthrough in this regard has been the signing, implementation and putting in effect the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been signed by 34 countries, with the realization that it is the industrialized nations that are the major producer of carbon or greenhouse gases, and therefore through a systematic process of reducing their carbon footprint.

Besides this a lot of creative and over the edge ideas are also being developed or are already underway to reverse the effects of Global Warming. Some of these concepts include the Storage of CO2 gases deep into the earth through old oilrigs into the Earth's core, in place of the oil that has been drilled out over the years. Another innovative idea is the covering of the Glaciers with a special cover that would prevent them from melting, by reflecting off the sun's ray. The process if already under way on a small scale in Greenland and observations are being noted about how successful a solution this might prove to be.

Creation of Artificial trees are also a much raved about idea, where artificial trees would be designed that would work on the same principals as a real tree. The trees, when the design is finished, can be placed anywhere, and would suck the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Top Ten mega projects to reverse Global Warming).