TeXt Pr0ducTi0N #2

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

It is not unusual to hear someone complaining about a hot day or a freak storm. Most would say that global warming is the bane of all this misery. But, do people really aware about this? Global warming can be defined as gradual rising of the Earth's temperature due to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The changes are small, so far, but they are expected to grow and speed up. Within the next fifty to one hundred years, the earth may be hotter than it has been in the past million years. After years of scientific wrangling over the existence of global warming, experts are now in agreement that the problem presents a major risk for the future of our planet and point out several ways to tackle the problem.

One of the potential effects of global warming is it alter the weather patterns. Increase in atmosphere temperature will also increase the ocean temperature. In the film The Inconvenient Truth (2007), Al Gore, the main speaker, said that when ocean gets warmer, it causes a stronger storm as when water temperature increases, wind’s velocity and moisture content of the storm also increases. Case happens during the formation of hurricane Katrina, the one which hits New Orleans. Other phenomena that might happens is when the temperature increases, evaporation of the ocean will amass all the moisture up in the atmosphere and when the storm conditions trigger them out, more water will fall down as rain which means more intense rain events. In a long run, it will absorb moisture out of the soil and as soil evaporation increases dramatically, it brings more intense droughts.

Besides that, owing to global warming, it brings disturbance to the ecosystems. As the temperature increases, it lengthens the growing season. And, sometimes the temperature increases beyond the tolerance of plant or animal. Global warming will also modify the plants that can thrive in the Arctic. Around 50 percent of breeding habitats for some birds may disappear, threatening the species that depend on them (Woodford 2006). Also, the plants need to find more water to keep growing or else they will become extinct. The tropics are being affected too, for example, parts of coral reefs are in jeopardy because of warming of the oceans, and consequently perish other species that depend on them. Some predictions say climate change could make 30-40 percent of the world's species extinct (Woodford 2006).

Nonetheless, global warming can be controlled and rectified if we start now. First of all, we must reduce the emission of carbon dioxide gas. This can be done by using efficient electrical appliances, using public transport or practicing carpooling and if you can, buy hybrid car. Government can also help to solve this environmental issue by supporting the Kyoto protocol, an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which aimed at fighting global warming. However, it is not an easy thing to do since reducing the emission of carbon dioxide will also means that they need to sacrifice some of the current technology and thus, greatly affect the country’s economic growth. But, now, most of the advanced nation in the whole world has taken the initiatives to ratified Kyoto as they realise that saving the earth should be their first priority for the sake of future generation.

The bottom line is that the phenomenon of global warming is getting atrocious all the time. The ecosystem is being affected. Erratic weather patterns will be such a disaster and we have to be prepared for the impending catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina. We are all in a heap of trouble and the sooner we accept this facts the better. We should put serious effort to overcome the problems. Reducing the carbon emissions and government ratified the Kyoto Protocol are such a good steps to save our mother earth. Our earth is not the same place anymore compared to decades ago, it is now slowly dying and this is a very serious issue that all of us should pay attention to. So, we must stand up, no more procrastination and starts to fight for our kids’ better world. Well, are you ready to change the way you live?