GLOBAL WARMING...... WILL WE EXIST...............?????

          A combination of light and heat energy from the sun reaches earth and warms the land, oceans, and air. When earth’s surface warms up, it radiates heat which rises towards the sky. A few gases in the atmosphere called greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone etc) absorb this heat and prevent it from escaping into space, thus warming earth. Greenhouse gases keep earth warm for all living things to survive; without this warmth , earth would be about 33*C colder than it is today! However when the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase, they trap the excess heat. Over time this results in global warming, i e , an increase in the temperature of the earth. Since 1880, large scale burning of fossil fuels and the other human activities led to an increase in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As a result earth has warmed by 0.8*Celsius.

         Since 1980 earth has experienced 19 of its 20 hottest year on record. The sea levels are rising faster , threatening to flood coasts, wetlands and many low-lying islands. On an average, rainfall and snowfall patterns have changed across the globe. Around the world, glaciers are melting rapidly. Raised temperature has also triggered the extinction of many animal and plant species.

         It is projected that the Arctic summers might become ice free by 2040. This could prove dangerous for animals like polar bears that rely on ice for hunting. According to a report, “two thirds of the polar bear population will become extinct by 2050.” In order to survive rising temperature, all the animals and birds will be forced to adapt to their changing habitat. If the warming is gradual, many of them will be successful in doing this. If it is sudden, most of them will be unable to adapt and will become extinct. As the earth heats, 25% of earth’s species would vanish by 2050. The population of Antarctic Emperor penguins has dropped by 50 % over the past 50 years. The Himalayan glaciers are the source of some of Asia’s biggest rivers. They provide water to one third of the world’s population. Now these glaciers are receding faster than glaciers anywhere else in the world. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the melting of glaciers caused by climate change could seriously affect half billion people in the Himalaya-Hindu-Kush region. Warmer temperature also increase air and water pollution. Therefore 2*C rise in temperature or more will result in health problems. According to World Health Organization, conditions directly related to climate change cause 5 million illnesses each year.