Global Warming- Facing the Fears and Realities!

"Global warming presents the greatest test welife on earth. Let's understand this phenomenal,
humans have yet faced.....if we are to meet thatwhen energy from the Sun reaches the earth,
challenge successfully, we need to move quicklyabout 70 percent is absorbed; heating air, land,
and decisively and with a maturity we have rarelyand sea. This in effect reduces the possibility of
shown as a society or as species" - Nationalthe earth's surface temperature from hitting the
Geographic magazine, October edition.minus 18 degree Celsius mark. The absorbed heat
"Global warming" refers to an overall increase ineventually is released back into space as infrared
temperature in earth's atmosphere and oceans. Itradiation, thus preventing the earth from
has been predicted that with the present trend inoverheating. However, when pollutants change the
rising temperature escalating, a catastrophiccomposition of atmosphere most of these heats
consequences awaits our climate and environment.are trapped and thus increasing the earth's
To millions of people living in cities, well above seatemperatures.
levels, the issue of fears of being overuned andCarbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and water
displaced by floods could be a laughable topic butvapor as among the gases that contributes to
not to a group of islands like Tuvalu, that is nothe effect of the greenhouse effect. Since the
more than four meters above sea level whoseoutbreak of the industrial revolution some 250
inhabitants have already started evacuating inyears ago, the atmospheric concentration of
anticipation of a catastrophic flood disaster. This isthese gases has been on the rise. Also the
a place where quite thousands have already fledincreased use of fossil fuels, such as coal, and oil
and with more preparing for the same fate.and the alarming rate at which most cities are
Equally, cities like a large portion of Netherlands,exploding with over population have helped
Florida, Shanghai, Calcutta, and Bangladesh, Lagosinfluence climatic changes. There has equally been
etc just to mention but a few are equally on theassertion of the substantial temperatures that the
danger list.earth had undergone in past due to energy
Actually, no one could say to be unaffected byfluctuations. Possibly, because of the sunspot and
this global trend. Rising temperatures have offlares, this correlates with fluctuations in solar
recent intensified storms, floods, and droughts.energy outputs. Additionally, earth's orbit moves in
The recent of which is Gustav, Ike thatcycles that took thousand of years and that too
over-runned some the parts of U.S and theaffects our planet's distances to the sun. There is
Caribbean islands such Cuba. In the Himalayas, thealso the influence of volcanic dust and changes in
uncontrolled sudden disappearance of glaciers:oceanic currents.
from areas that feed seven river systems couldMany thoughts have been articulated as a way of
cause shortages of fresh water for 40 percentcurtailing if not solving entirely the fears and the
of the world's population. The risk of thousands ofrealities associated with global warming. However,
animal species, including Polar bears, whose huntingall have failed short of a long term solution as
grounds are largely on the ice. At present, manysuch would mean promptly addressing the root
bears are reportedly losing weight at an alarmingcauses of the earth's problems ý humans
rate with a looming death due to starvation.greed, self-interest, ignorance, inept government,
The reality of the global threat posed by globaland apathy. Some seemed safe with nuclear
warming as in the rising of temperature has leadpower as a way to curtail the now record high
to the speed of diseases from disease-carryingenergy consumption worldwide. Since the burning
organisms such as mosquitoes, ticks, fungi toof coal and oil produces greenhouse gases, some
spread further without hindrance. No wonder thegovernment are taking a closer look at it as a
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists glared that "thesource of cleaner and environmentally friendly
dangers posed by climate changes are nearly asenergy. However, its present challenges are quite
those posed by nuclear weapons...the effectsoverwhelming. For example, it requires up to 10
maybe less dramatic in the short term.....but overbillion meters of water annually to cool the
the next three to four decades climate changereactors of one of the worlds most nuclear-reliant
could cause irremediable harm to the habitatscountries, France. These waters when expelled
upon which human societies depend for survival."from the reactors into rivers threaten to raise
The actual culprit as to the causes of globaltheir temperatures to an environmentally
warming had long been a heated and complicateddamaging level.
debate among scientist. However, which everThere's no doubt that more environmentally
way one looks at it, human factor or activitiesfriendly technologies, such as solar, wind, wave,
and the complex nature of the physical processesoceanic thermal are needed as pure sources of
that underlies global climate systems are dulyenergy. Mandatory limits or outright ban on the
responsible. Surprisingly, so many skeptics stilluse of fossil fuels if possible should equally be
doubt the existence of temperature rise aliasplaced. High leveled emphases and enlightenment
global warming, but evidence abounds all around usshould be in the pipeline to discourage
of the constant and uncontrolled changes that weunnecessary, greedy and indiscriminate
all witness in climatic temperature variations.deforestation especially among developing
Among the major reasons behind these changescountries as well as a reduction of industrial
had been attributed to the intensification of thepollution in developed countries. Above all, the best
greenhouse effects, a natural phenomenal vital forsolution lies in the reduction of human activities.