Our Earth is changing so rapidly that it seemed that no man can recognise it anymore. Our environment and climate has become so different that our Earth where we live in did not look as great as it had been before. The change of our climate, or global warming, is one of the most important and crucial matter today. It is not only concerned by environmentalists, but also everyone around the world.
As the population around the globe increases rapidly, from about 2 billion in 1930 to a massive 6.6 billion today, such a major change to our environment seems almost inevitable. Since the population explosion, there has been a greater demand for their basic needs, varying from shelters to electricity. As more and more people need them, the amounts of resources are being used up at an alarming rate. Fossil fuels are being dug up and used as the main natural resource for generating energy to power homes. Trees in the rainforests are felled to provide shelter for millions of people around the world as well as for making furniture and starting a fire. The burning of fossil fuels which contributes to most of the total carbon dioxide emission has become a serious problem, as carbon dioxide will get trapped in the atmosphere, which in turn traps more sunlight entering the Earth. When the trees are felled and the wood die, carbon dioxide is returned to surroundings, adding more harmful gases into the atmosphere.
The Earth warms up and the temperature rises constantly, and there is no doubt that there are some impacts on the environment as well as on the living things living in our planet. Firstly, there is an increase in sea level. Packs of ice in the Artic and Antarctic are shrinking as they melt, which might cause floods and monsoons to happen. This is due to the quicker evaporation of water, thus resulting in extra rainfall. Fresh water and mountain recreation will also be lost as glaciers start to retreat when they melt.
Secondly, the climate change destroys ecosystems. The melting of the Artic and Antarctic will force polar communities such as polar bears and penguins to leave and find a more suitable place to live in. Fishes in the ocean might also have to move away in order to survive. As the rate of temperature increase accelerates, natural habitats will de destroyed some animals might soon find that they have nowhere to go, and for those who cannot adapt to a new environment might lead to total extinction of their kind.
Thirdly, the changes in temperature will possibly affect the seasons, thus bringing much differences to the season lengths. A reduction in crop yield might be observed, as the decrease in rainfall might not give the crops ample amount of water for growth. Through a long period of time, one might see that the crop productivity will worsen.
Fourthly, unusual and extreme weather conditions might occur, from deadlier hurricanes to high fluctuations in temperature. The increasing greenhouses gases such as the harmful carbon dioxide will make such devastative events more possible to happen. For instance, hurricanes will be able to pick up more energy when the climate becomes warmer, thus making them more destructive.
However, such deadly effects on our planet still come with solutions. At home, one can try to cut down on the usage of electricity. When thing are not in use, one should always remember to turn them off. The amount of fossil fuel burnt will reduce and so will the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted. One can also save energy by buying household appliances such as the energy-saving light bulb which reduces on energy consumption. Switching off a refrigerator might also be a good aid in reducing the amount of CFC produced which depletes the ozone layer in our atmosphere that block out sunlight. Also, one can always try to buy a product which has green label on it.
Another solution is that one should make a decision on whether to buy a car or not. As vehicles produce greenhouse gases which contribute much towards global warming, it is very important to decide if a car is really essential. If it is not, one can choose not to buy a vehicle and take public transport instead, as public transport such as buses and trains carry more passengers, which will decrease the number of vehicles on the road, which in turn also reduce the amount of harmful gases emitted. If it is necessary to buy a vehicle, try to buy a hybrid car or one that is fuel-efficient, or one that carries more passengers at one time.
Reforestation is another plausible method. If one happens to cut down a tree, plant one more to replace it, so that the rate at which the trees in the world are felled is not too drastic. A widespread habit might even make the rate at which the trees are replaced more than the rate at which they are felled. With more trees around, there will be less greenhouse gases which trap sunlight, and the increase in global temperature might come to a halt.
