What is global warming?

Global warming is one of the burning issues nowadays. It is the natural warming of the atmosphere (as well as natural cooling). These days global warming refers to the gradually increasing temperature of the earth due to the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen that are accumulating in the earth’s atmosphere and increasing the temperature of the earth surface and troposphere.

Global warming starts with the sunlight or the heat of sun. When the heat reaches to earth 30 percent of it is reflected back in the space by ground surface, dust particles in atmosphere etc and 70 percent is absorbed by the air, ocean and land so that the planet could remain warm for the existence of life. This heat not always remains on the earth. The air, rocks, sea gives out this absorbed energy by thermal radiation or infrared heat which goes back into the space but with the increase in greenhouse gases this heat is again absorbed by the carbon dioxide and comes back to the earth. This trapping of energy is good to a certain extent but when it exceeds it causes global warming. So one way to deal with this problem is to reduce the ever-increasing rate of emission of greenhouse gases. Once these gases get into the atmosphere they stay there for decades or more.

Greenhouse gases are the gases which are required to a certain level so that it can keep our planet warm for the life to exist but concentration of these gases are gradually increasing the temperature of our planet. For the last 200 years burning of fuels, fossils, oils and deforestation has speeded up the trapping of these gases in the earth’s atmosphere. They do not allow the heat to escape from the planet as a result more heat is trapped than the required amount.

In the last 100 years the temperature of earth has risen about 1.2 to 1.4 degree F. From 1850 the eight warmer years are 1998 to 2005. This warming is mainly due to the human activities. Other natural aspects have also contributed like rainfall, snow, sea level and these natural changes are also responsible for the global warming but the natural changes are also the result of human actvities. Scientists says that if proper attention will not be given to this issue then in next 100 years global warming can cause disastrous climate changes.

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