Lately, temperatures have been rising, and there has been a lot of pollution around the globe. Did you know that scientists are now anxiously observing weather patterns at the arctic? The current temperature is the highest temperature ever recorded, specifically on Saturday, 20th of June 2020, when the temperature was a scorching 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk. Can you imagine if the area around the poles could be that hot, what about where we are, far away from there? Well, all this was caused by an occurrence called global warming, which in the terms of now, has turned to global boiling.
Global boiling. What is it, and what caused it?
It started with global warming, a phenomenon of the increasing of air temperature on the Earth's surface. This was caused by greenhouse gas emissions, which can be tracked as far back as the mid-1800s. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, suggests that Earth may have warmed up about a third of a degree Fahrenheit, or 0.2 degrees Celsius, between 1850 and 1880. You might ask, what are greenhouse gas emissions? Man-made or industrial greenhouse gas emissions is what caused the warming, as they are now. The change was significantly slower back then: In the past 30 years, the planet has warmed up about nine-tenths of a degree. The main man-made greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, which gets released into our atmosphere and acts as a blanket, trapping heat which the Earth would've radiated back out into space. When sunrays reach the Earth, the surface absorbs the light's energy and reradiates it as infrared waves, which we feel as heat. Normally, these waves would travel into the atmosphere and escape back out into space if unhampered. On the other hand, greenhouse gases trap those heat waves, as mentioned previously. What causes greenhouse gasses? Some greenhouse gases such as methane are produced through agricultural activities, for example, in the form of livestock manure. Others, like CO2, mostly result from natural causes, such as respiration, and the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
What are the effects of global warming/boiling?
- Unstable Climate
The impacts of global warming include the climate becoming unstable. The consequences of global warming can be seen and felt all around the world. One of the most direct and obvious impacts of global warming is an increase in temperatures throughout the world. The average global temperature has risen by about 0.8C or 1.4F over the past 100 years. In several areas, drought has hit hard due to the dry season. Global warming causes the northern part of the Earth's Northern Hemisphere to heat up more than other areas on Earth. As a result, the icebergs are now starting to melt so that the land will narrow. There's not much floating ice anymore. Areas that previously experienced light snow are no longer experiencing it. In mountains in subtropical areas, the snow-covered areas will be less and they will melt more quickly. The growing season will be longer in some areas. Temperatures in winter and at night will tend to increase.
- Rising Sea Levels
The melting of ice in the polar regions has caused the volume of sea water to increase, resulting in an increase in sea levels. Worldwide sea levels have risen 10 -- 25 cm (4 -- 10 inches) during the 20th century, and IPCC scientists predict a further increase of 9 -- 88 cm (4 -- 35 inches) in the 21st century wow! What happens if sea levels rise? Of course, the area around the beach will be submerged. Like the Netherlands, which lost 17.6% of its area due to being submerged by a sea level rise of 100 cm. Erosion of cliffs, beaches and sand dunes will increase. When sea levels reach river mouths, flooding due to high tides can no longer be avoided.
- Global Temperatures Tend to Increase
If we imagine that, with the heat of the earth, a lot of food will be produced, then that image is wrong. Maybe in one area it will be profitable because it experiences a longer rainy season, but on the contrary, areas in other parts of the world experience a prolonged summer. If it snows in desert areas, desert farms that use irrigation water from distant mountains may suffer if the winter-produced snowpack, which until now functions as a natural reservoir, melts before the peak growing months. . Not to mention that food crops and forests can experience greater insect and disease attacks.
- Ecological Disturbance
When the earth's temperature heats up, we as humans feel uncomfortable, as do other living creatures. The impact of global warming disrupts life in nature. Animals will migrate looking for a cool place, plants will change their direction of growth looking for a place that supports their growth. Humans who are gifted with reason may do things that minimize the heat that occurs, but other creatures certainly can't. Animals and plants can become extinct because they are unable to adapt.
- Impact on Social Life
Unstable weather conditions cause the occurrence of various diseases. For farmers, continuous rain can hinder their harvest, while prolonged heat also makes it difficult for them to start farming because of the lack of water supply. Heat also makes forests prone to fires. Many hotspots have the potential to catch fire. Forests in Indonesia often burn. The problem of forest fires is complicated and difficult to find a solution to.
What can we do?
- Plant trees
Plant trees in tropical rainforests such as in Brazil, Indonesia, India, Colombia, and Madagascar. Why? Trees absorb carbon dioxide-which makes up 82% of the greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, which means planting more trees can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
- Create more sustainable transportation habits