My Science School

            Global warming can bring about lasting and far-reaching repercussions in nature. In fact, it can shake the foundations of the existence of life on Earth.

            The most apparent effect of this phenomenon is in the oceans. Global warming will result in higher temperatures, and in turn, higher temperatures will make the water of the seas and the oceans rise. How does that happen? Ice melting in the Antarctic and Greenland will flow into the sea. Higher sea levels will threaten the low-lying coastal areas of the world, such as the Netherlands and Bangladesh. Throughout the world, millions of people and huge areas of land will be at danger from flooding.

            Many people will have to leave their homes. Large areas of farmland will be ruined because of floods. All over the world, sea levels may rise, perhaps by as much as 20 to 40 centimeters, by the beginning of the next century. Therefore, unless we act now to stop global warming, rising sea levels can pose a real threat to humanity.

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            Our planet is getting warmer and warmer as years pass by. There can be two kinds of causes for this phenomenon. Global warming can be the result of man-made causes or natural causes which are created by nature.

            A major natural cause for global warming is the release of methane gas from the Arctic tundra and wetlands. These gases can trap heat in the atmosphere. Another important natural cause is Earth’s normal inclination for auto-generated climate change. The earth goes through a cycle of climate change, which usually lasts about 40,000 years.

            However, man-made causes, probably, do the most damage. Pollution is one of the biggest man-made problems. Burning fossil fuels is an important cause of pollution. The increased rate of deforestation also contributes to global warming.

            The steady increase in population leads to the heating up of the globe. More people means more food, and more methods of transportation increases the use of fossil fuels, and thus, pollution. Animals like cows emit a lot of methane in the air, while many fertilisers also increase the amount of nitrous oxides in the air.

               Man has often considered nature to be a territory, which can be exploited to his advantage. However, in innumerable mysterious ways, nature has retaliated. In the face of an impending disaster, nature has given off warning signs that Man has either failed to read or ignored at his own peril.

               Today scientists are all ears to nature, because she can warn them in time. The first signs of global warming are seen near the surface of the earth and in the upper atmosphere. The ten indicators of climate change include measurements of sea level rise taken from ships, the temperature of the upper atmosphere taken from weather balloons, and field surveys of melting glaciers.

               Antarctica appears to be getting warmer. Even a change of half a degree Celsius in temperature can have disastrous effects. Over the last 50 years, average temperatures on the continent have increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius. In 1995, a gigantic glacier broke off and floated out to sea. This incident was a revelation to the scientists across the globe. Such incidents are indications that global warming is happening.

               Nature, like a mother, provides us with the right things in the right measure. The living conditions on Earth are favourable and conducive to our existence and growth. However, these life-supporting elements are so delicately arranged that any improper human or other intervention can put things in disarray. If the climate changes drastically, our existence will be at risk.

               Climate change is a reality today. Around the world, change in climatic conditions is posing potential threat to life. The sea levels are rising, and Arctic ice is melting. More intense hurricanes are approaching our coastlines.

               Warmer temperatures have led to more intense rainfall in some areas. This can cause flooding. Higher temperatures cause droughts in some areas of the world, causing a decline in crop productivity. This may lead to food shortage.

               Heat waves have become common today. More living species are being endangered because of the increasing heat. Soon global warming will threaten our very existence.

               Heat in summer can be troublesome. We resort to fans or air conditioners to cool us down. However, when the season changes, we often forget about the inconvenience by heat. Our planet, however, is facing a far larger problem. The fact that our planet is slowly heating up over the years has been ringing alarm bells in the science fraternity for a long time now.

               The process of the earth’s warming up and rise in temperature is known as global warming. This happens when there is an increase in the production of gases like carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide and methane, which are known as greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere. This trapped heat, in turn, increases the temperature and causes global warming.

               It is matter of great concern that since the beginning of the 20th century the average temperatures of the earth have risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius. Global warming hurts people, animals and plants. In fact, many organisms cannot take the change; and therefore, they die out.

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             Children generally love to play in the rain. Rainwater refreshes our body and invigorates our spirits. We think that rain water is probably the purest water as it comes from above and remains unpolluted by soil and other polluting agents. We even harvest rainwater. However, what if the rainwater is polluted?

             Acid rain is one of the most widespread forms of pollution. To put it simply, acid rain is rain that has a higher amount of acid in it than what is normal. It is a fact that the acidity in the rainwater in parts of Europe and North America has dramatically increased over the past few decades. It is now common in many places for rain to be ten to seventy times more acidic than unpolluted rain.

             Acid rain is due to smoke and gases that factories and cars that run on fossil fuels give off. When these fuels are burned to produce energy, the sulphur that is present in the fuel combines with oxygen and becomes sulphur dioxide. Some of the nitrogen in the air becomes nitrogen oxide. These pollutants go into the atmosphere, and become acid. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are also produced when coal is burnt for fuel.

             Acid rain destroys trees, kills fish in lakes, harms wildlife and eats away the stonework in buildings. It also brings about certain health conditions such as asthma, headaches, throat aches and coughs.

              Clean air is the most vital aspect of life. If the level of oxygen decreases in the air, there will be disastrous after-effects in the biosphere. Polluted air can bring about diseases and even death to human and other life forms.

              Air pollution can cause health problems including burning eyes and nose, itchy irritated throat, and breathing problems. Some chemicals found in polluted air can cause cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage, and long-term injury to the lungs and breathing passages in certain circumstances.

              Apart from the personal injury to individuals, air pollution can also damage the environment and property. Trees, lakes and animals have been harmed by air pollution. Air pollution can damage buildings, monuments, statues, and other structures. Sometimes, air pollution results in a haze in the atmosphere, which reduces visibility so that drivers and pilots cannot see properly.

              In the blind rush in the name of development, if Man does not take proper care of the environment, his survival would be at high risk.

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            Fresh air is probably the most important commodity in our life. Air pollution can cause various diseases and lead us eventually to death. Therefore, clear air is a necessity to lead a happy and comfortable life. People living in the rural areas often think that they have cleaner air; however, any part of the atmosphere can be contaminated by  pollutants.

            Many products that we use at home, in the yard or at the office are made with smog-forming chemicals. These chemicals can escape into the ail and pollute it. Products such as cleaning agents, paints and glues often contain harmful chemicals. If we do not use them sparingly and carefully, they might poison the air.

            Conserving energy helps reduce air pollution. Whenever we burn fossil fuels, we pollute the air. Use less petrol, natural gas and electricity. Be especially careful to turn off lights and fans so as not to waste electricity. You can also use recycled paper and other recycled products.

            We can reduce the air pollution by determined and concerted effort. However, to begin with, we must think of more and more innovative ways to prevent air pollution.

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            The vastness and volume of oceans often make us think if oceans can be really polluted. However, Man's wayward interventions and irresponsible use of natural resources have had alarming effects on the pollution levels of the hydrosphere.

            Pollution of the oceans is quickly becoming a disturbing problem. The world's oceans are a virtual dumping ground for trash. Sometimes the garbage includes the junked fishing nets, plastics and even general household garbage.

            Garbage in the oceans is a serious issue as fish and other marine organisms entangle themselves in fishing nets. Many sea animals eat trash products and die.

            Sewage is yet another major cause of ocean pollution. When people dispose of sewage in the ocean, there will often be algae blooms in the water. Algae blooms lead to the loss of dissolved oxygen. When the oxygen level in the water comes down, many organisms in the ocean die from being unable to breathe properly.

            Another key cause of water pollution is the release of heavy metals into the water by industries. These elements collect in the tissues of predator animals such as whales and sharks.

            Pollution affects the fish that we consume too. You may have heard that some kind of fish has high mercury level in its body; and therefore, is harmful to humans when consumed.

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               Recently, Delhi, our capital city, had been in the news due to the high levels of pollution in its atmosphere. Flights had to be cancelled as visibility was reduced to alarmingly low levels. It also caused health issues in the people of the city.

               Pollution happens when water, air, and land become very dirty and pose a danger to the health and wellbeing of living things in general. It can come in four different ways affecting various types of areas in the world.

              Air pollution affects the air in the atmosphere. The use of the automobiles and fossil-fuel-run machines has led to air pollution. Statistics say that fumes from traffic are responsible for releasing over 225,000 tonnes of lead into the atmosphere every year. Lead is harmful for humans and animals.

             Water pollution affects the aquatic life. Harmful factory Wastes dumped in the water bodies pollute water and kill the first level organisms in food chains, thereby putting the lives of other animals in peril. Land pollution, on the other hand, affects the land, destroying soil and environment. There is also noise pollution, which can affect our hearing. Pollution is the most dreadful environmental problem that our planet is facing today.

            Humans have dominated the world for thousands of years. Our superior intelligence has enabled us to adapt to adverse situations. Human ability to adapt coupled with Man’s scientific advancement has allowed him to grow and multiply uncontrollably.

            The growing human population has adversely affected the environment in various ways. The demand for resources increases with the growth in population. To meet this demand, human beings never hesitate to exploit the environment.

            We cut trees to make way for the towns and cities. Plants and trees are usually the first link in all food chains. Felling trees disturbs food chains and affects ecosystems. Population explosion is really a threat to the environment.

            Humans are increasing in number across the globe with great speed. Our growth at an exponential rate is depleting the natural resources available to us. Cutting trees and destroying forests will gradually wipe away the wild life and pollute he healthy living environment. We are destroying the natural habitats of wildlife to create space for towns and cities.

            The Industrial Revolution, which began in the mid-18th century, set the wheel of rapid economic growth in motion world over. Scientific advancement and inventions of innumerable machines greatly emphasized this development. However, there were disadvantages to  this high-speed growth rate.

            During the time of Industrial Revolution, numerous factories had sprung up. Coal and wood were used in these factories as fuel. People cut trees extensively and destroyed forests. The period witnessed burning of more and more fossil fuels, deforestation and the adoption of new industrial processes and agricultural practices.

            While there are naturally occurring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that help keep the earth warm, additional amounts of these gases in the atmosphere lead to more heat being trapped in the planet. That is exactly what the Industrial Revolution did.

            More and more carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere by these factories. This increased the level of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. These gases enhanced the greenhouse effect and warmed up our planet. This phenomenon is still happening and our earth is going to face disastrous consequences.

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                      Greenhouses function as a protective cover to plants. A greenhouse is a house made of glass. People grow plants inside them because a greenhouse stays warm inside. Sunlight shines in and warms the plants and air inside. However, the heat is trapped by the glass as it does not allow it to escape.

                      The earth’s atmosphere is similar to a greenhouse. Gases in the atmosphere such as carbondioxide do what the roof of a greenhouse does. Like the glass roof of the green house, these gases prevent heat from escaping Earth’s atmosphere.

 

   

                  During the day, when the sun shines, the atmosphere warms up. At night, it cools releasing the heat back into the air. However, the greenhouse gases trap some of the heat in the atmosphere. In this fashion, the atmosphere keeps the earth warm.

                     However, if the greenhouse effect is too strong, it can be dangerous. In that case, the earth gets warmer and warmer, as is happening now. Too much greenhouse gases in the air can make the greenhouse effect very strong. This, in turn, can cause climate changes.

              We have learned that humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which is harmful to our body. Scientists say that carbon dioxide can be harmful not only to the human body, but to the environment in general.

              The level of carbon dioxide in the air was not same throughout the history of our planet. It has fluctuated; and in fact, it was much lower thousands of years ago. Studies of the Ice Ages have shown that levels of carbon dioxide in the air were significantly low during those periods.

              However the amount of carbon dioxide in the air gradually increased by almost 25 per cent. This is mainly due to human intervention. The burning of forests, the use of fertilisers, use of fossil fuels in cars and oil in power stations have contributed to the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

              Now, since the climate has become considerably warmer because the levels of carbondioxide increased in the atmosphere, it is more or less certain that carbon dioxide does play a role in the higher temperatures that are present worldwide.

              Unless Man learns a lesson and controls his activities that result in the production of this substance, time would soon run out even to plan a probable escape route.

 

            We have often heard our parents or eiders say that sudden change in climatic conditions may be the cause of the onset of a fever or a cold. Shifting weather and fluctuating climate can, in fact, affect our health and habits. So is the case of cur planet and the environment when there is a large-scale change in climate. The health and habits of our planet and, in turn, our own existence will be at risk when rapid alterations affect the existing climate.

            Scientists tell us that the earth is becoming warmer every year. This phenomenon is caused mainly by human intervention in nature. One of the chief reasons of global warming is that the air is growing more polluted with gases that trap the earth's heat. As a result, the earth is turning hotter. The water in the oceans gets warmer too.

            When the planet's climate be-comes increasingly warm, it affects the land and the ocean in many ways. The ice at the poles and in glaciers starts melting and flowing into the sea. This causes the sea level to rise, and widespread flooding of coastal area during storms.

            At the same time, the climate is becoming drier in places away from the sea. There is an alarming rate of droughts in such places. Dry spells become much more common and the land turns infertile and unable to support crops and cattle.