The negative impact of global warming on biodiversity
MARYAM ADLI
The negative impact of global warming on biodiversity
MARYAM ADLI
Global warming has already had a severe influence on biodiversity in recent decades, owing mostly to human activities, and is anticipated to become a more serious hazard in the coming decades.
Global warming is defined as a rise in the earth’s average temperature. Climate change, on the other hand, is one of the most serious effects of global warming. Global warming and climate change are commonly used interchangeably, although they are not the same thing.
The Earth’s temperature is rising year after year as a result of many socioeconomic reasons. According to researchers, the global temperature has barely increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1900. However, by the end of the twenty-first century, global warming is expected to raise the Earth’s temperature by 2-5 degrees Celsius. It has resulted in Climate Change, with regular fluctuations in the Earth’s weather that are destructive to the environment.
As the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere rises, the gases in the atmosphere are unable to keep heat from escaping the planet. Large-scale deforestation has resulted in an excess of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases that trap heat.The rise in CO2 levels causes a significant increase in temperature. This is because CO2 remains concentrated in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Humans have contributed to a rise in CO2 content in the atmosphere via activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation, transportation, and heating.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global temperatures are predicted to climb by 1-3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. It has also been projected that the temperature might warm by up to ten degrees Fahrenheit during the next hundred years.
Some of our daily activities produce far more gas than is required in the Earth’s atmosphere. For example, we burn oil, gas, and coal to provide energy for our cars, houses, and industries. This produces an excessive amount of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Climate change is creating severe hot and cold weather. This can hurt the Earth’s vegetation and animals, and it may also lead to more severe storms and droughts.
Impacts:
- Sea levels are steadily increasing as freshwater marshlands, low-lying towns, and islands are swamped with seawater.
- Rainfall patterns have shifted, causing droughts and fires in some regions and flooding in others.
- Ice caps are continually melting, posing a hazard to polar bears since their foraging season is restricted
- The glaciers are progressively melting.
- Animal numbers are dwindling when habitats are lost on a large scale.
A step to reduce the rate of warming:
We may start by using less energy in our own homes, schools, and offices. Let’s make it a habit to dial down the heat and switch off the lights and devices. Let’s lessen our reliance on cars by walking and carpooling more. Also, we should employ sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as recycling, which consumes less energy.
Purchasing energy-efficient LED lamps is another excellent suggestion. They last 25 times longer and use 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. We also need more woods because they absorb some of the greenhouse gasses that warm our planet. As a result, there is an increasing demand for tree planting efforts.
We must improve our understanding of how climate change affects the natural world around us. We should seek for viable mitigation strategies, which might include a reasonable balance of technical and societal modifications to deal with the impacts of global warming.
According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ 1991 report to Congress, Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming, the United States could decrease current emissions by half at no cost to the economy by fully implementing cost-effective efficiency measures. We must cease utilizing fossil fuels in the way we do now; otherwise, the quantity of carbon we emit will soon exceed the amount of carbon in the living biosphere.
To help mitigate the impacts of global warming, we must significantly expand our usage of renewable energy. Clearly, in addition to government and volunteer programs, full public engagement and efforts are required to combat the threat of global warming.
Understanding how climate change affects the environment is crucial for conserving nature and maintaining livelihoods. We can conserve nature and mankind by working together with high-profile groups, scientists, and governments, as well as everyone else.
10-07-2024
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