Global warming is worse than scientists thought

Recent news stories have reports about Arctic ice melting at a much more rapid rate than previously believed and now unforeseen dangers are emerging. Methane gas emissions are dramatically worse than climate scientists projected because beneath the permafrost, there are undiscovered hazards. Global warming has a significant impact on everything from unpredictable weather patterns to the rapid melting of the polar ice caps. Most scientists agree that global warming is caused by an increased concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other types of upper atmospheric pollutants as a direct result of burning fossil fuels. Scientists also generally agree that the use of renewable energy sources (including solar, wind and biomass) as an energy resource, is cleaner and greener for the planet. 

Effects of global warming

The most obvious effect of global warming is that the earth is getting warmer every day as the average temperature of the planet slowly increases. We have all seen on the news the melting of the polar ice caps as the temperature rises by about one degree each year. This melting of the polar ice caps deposits enormous quantities of water directly into the sea, increasing sea levels around the globe. Normally, snow and ice reflect most of the sunlight from its surface. Since polar ice caps are covered in snow and ice, they can, therefore, reflect a very high percentage of the sunshine that falls on its surface.

Climate change

Another effect of global warming is climate change. The greenhouse effect is changing the entire global climate due to a rise in the average global and regional temperatures, with some local increases more significant than others. This will have an unwelcome effect on agricultural and economic activities around the world which depend on a constant climate, predictable summer and winter seasons and a sufficient amount of rainfall throughout the year. Consequently, any changes in regional climate along with rises in sea level, of any magnitude will eventually disrupt the economic life of the planet. Global warming could result in the permanent displacement of millions of people since many coastal areas will be dangerous places to live. In fact, cities like New Orleans have been extremely vulnerable for many years and there’s little the Army Corps of Engineers will be able to do to compensate for the topography of the are. Any serious storm could produce effects similar to Hurricane Katrina.

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