By Shakeel Khan

MINGORA:  With its unprecedented effects on the earth,  global warming is emerging one of the biggest environmental issues in the last two decades, say environmental scientists.

Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, generally, attributed to the greenhouse effect, caused by increased levels of CO2, CFCs and other pollutants. It has emerged as one of the biggest environmental issues in the last two decades.

Global warming, climate change, extinction of wildlife and plant species, depletion of ozone layer, droughts, wild fires, melting of polar ice caps, storms  and increase in air pollution are few of the visible problems which affect  our environment.

Human activities like burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrialization and pollution are taken responsible for global warming.

Facts on global warming

  1. Sea levels will rise by 7-23 inches by the end of this century.
  2. Since 1880 the average temperature has risen by 1.4 Fahrenheit degree and by the year 2100 the average temperature will rise by 5.8 centigrade.
  3. The last two decades of the 20th century have been hottest in the last 400 years.
  4. The Arctic is one of the worst places to be effected by global warming as its ice is melting rapidly. By 2040 the region is expected to have a completely ice free summer or even earlier.
  5. The average temperature in Alaska, Western Canada and Russia has risen at twice the global average.
  6. Melting of glaciers will cause rise in the sea levels, on one hand, and water shortages in areas that depend on natural sources of water, on the other hand.
  7. More than 1 million species have become extinct due to disappearing habitats, ecosystem and acidic oceans.
  8. Due to industrial revolution the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas started on a massive scale. This, not only, increased greenhouse gases but also causing large scale deaths due to asthma and other respiratory diseases.
  9. Since the industrial revolution in 1700, the level of CO2 on earth has increased by 34%.
  10. Global warming is turning the colder areas of the world hotter which are getting more vulnerable to diseases.

The above mentioned facts are very alarming and we must take practical steps in order to prevent the world from collapsing caused by global warming. Many schools, organizations, government bodies and other institutions are making efforts to encourage people to take precautionary steps against the factors leading to global warming.

The most important considerations, however, is to realize and understand the problem.

Unless, the critical issue of global warming does not hit every person on the earth, it will be very difficult to stop the world from complete collapse caused by global warming in the near future.

Steps to reduce global warming

  1. Use Fluorescent light bulbs.
  2. Switch off electric appliances when not needed.
  3. Change your monitor with LCD.
  4. Don’t leave door of fridge open for long time.
  5. Use of solar energy.
  6. Use electric or hybrid car (If possible)
  7. Plant more and more trees.
  8. Save clean water.
  9. Avoid lighting during day time.
  10. Construct high roofs.
  11. Get your house insolated.
  12. Reduce the usage of hot water.
  13. Grow your own food (If possible).

 

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