Global Warming: Causes, Effects, Measures

A modern society faces a number of issues that should be resolved rapidly. Global warming constitutes a serious problem that brings dangerous tendencies related to the climate change. The paper discusses the global warming on the nation level and establishes its main notions. It focuses on the factors that lead to climate change, its impact, and the measures that should be taken in order to address the problem.

Global Warming and Its Causes

Global warming is a term that is actively used in mass media, scientific and political discussions. In order to analyze the issue, it is important to define it. When global warming is the main topic, climatologists refer to “the phenomenon of increasing average surface temperatures of the Earth over the past one to two centuries” (Mann 193). One of the first scientists who explained the process of global warming was Svante Arrhenius. According to his observations, the greenhouse effect has a great impact on global warming. As a matter of fact, the planet absorbs a part of the incoming sunlight while another part is reflected into space. This process allows the Earth receiving the needed heat. The main element responsible for the greenhouse effect is the carbon dioxide (CO2). Other elements, for example, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide, function as an insulator that creates an effect of a blanket. When the amount of the greenhouse gases exceeds the usual indicators, the temperature of the planet starts to increase rapidly. Various causes lead to such results.

The pollutants in the atmosphere trap the solar radiation making the Earth hotter. According to the official data, the temperature of the planet “rose from 0.6 to 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.1 to 1.6° F) between 1906 and 2005, and the rate of temperature increase has nearly doubled in the last 50 years” (Nasa n.p.). Human activities are considered to be the major contributing factor contributing to global warming. Firstly, the development of industries and emissions increase the amount of the gases in the air. Therefore, only “by burning fossil fuels, people release in excess of 100 times more, about 26 billion tons of carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere every year” (Nasa n.p.). In the United States, for instance, “the burning of fossil fuels to make electricity is the largest source of heat-trapping pollution, producing about two billion tons of CO2” (MacMillan n.p.). Secondly, deforestation (cutting of trees) “is responsible for 10% to 20% of the excess CO2 emitted to the atmosphere each year” (National Research Council 9). Scientists studied thoroughly the information provided by the satellites and concluded that global warming has severe consequences for the planet.

The Effects of Global Warming

The impact of global warming is a serious matter for consideration and actions. Even the slightest change in the temperature may lead to natural disasters, for example, hurricanes, droughts, heavy rainfall, etc. In 2015, it was established that “an ongoing drought in California – the state’s worst water shortage in 1,200 years – had been intensified by 15 percent to 20 percent by global warming” (MacMillan n.p.). This and other events are the dangerous consequences of global warming.

According to the report of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, heat waves are also largely attributed to global warming. This idea was reflected in the work of the scientists in the past who stated that “the temperature increases will bring hotter temperatures in the summer, which … may cause weather patterns, such as more intense floods and storms” (Flint 16). Global warming affects, for example, storms by turning a category 3 storm into a category 4 phenomenon. In fact, the increased number of hurricanes that occur in the North Atlantic is the effects of global warming. Therefore, deadly Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy that struck the East Coast in 2012 are also the results of global warming.

It is difficult to estimate the damage caused by. Not only do people suffer from seasonal complications, but also the whole economy of the country fails quiskly. Currently, “climate impacts have affected every region across the nation and inflicted large costs on the U.S. economy” (The White House n.d.). Additionally, the climate change influences people physically and psychologically. A higher level of pollution is another characteristic of global warming. It creates certain conditions required for the development of various pathogens that result in infectious outbreaks, asthma, and allergies. Depression is another disorder that people are predisposed to under the circumstances and outcomes of global warming. For these reasons, certain measures that can reduce the negative effects of this process need to be implemented as soon as possible.

Measures

The United States of America and other countries participate in a number of programs that aim at improving the current situation in the world. The main focus is placed on the emissions. It should be noted that “the United States is leading global efforts to address the threat of climate change. Since 2005, the United States has reduced its total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth” (The White House n.p.). The importance of the issue was emphasized by the president.

The government of the United States of America is concerned with the danger the global warming bring to humanity. Obama refuses to condemn the present generation and “future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing” (The White House n.p.). Scientists work on developing new technologies that would allow to modernize industries by using alternative and safe fuels, to generate electricity that does not harm the atmosphere, and to substitute gasoline for a cleaner product. If people fail to improve the situation, the temperatures will “increase by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century” (MacMillan n.p.). The United States of America is an active participant of a number of plans designed to reduce effects of pollution. Their purpose is to create modern clean energy infrastructure and share it with others. In 2015, for example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promised to decrease the number of “carbon pollution from our power plants by nearly a third by 2030, relative to 2005 levels, through its Clean Power Plan” (MacMillan n.p.). Furthermore, “the Obama administration pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, an international organization dedicated to helping poor countries adopt cleaner energy technologies” (MacMillan n.p.). These and other steps are important as they help humanity to achieve a balance and maintain a proper state of the planet making it better for the future generations.

Conclusion

In the United States of America, the issue of global warming is considered to be a serious matter. Scientists evaluate the effects of the climate change and make a negative prognosis regarding the situation in the future. The government recognizes the need to act and applies different plans for improving the circumstances. It is because global warming influences the nature, leads to disasters, for example, hurricanes, and puts human lives in danger that common efforts are required. Thus, the United States provides funding for different organizations abroad. Certain steps have been made in order to decrease pollution. The problem of global warming needs a further research in order to understand the danger of this problem on the global level.