Talk the Talk 话话世界

* 2007 EST Article & 2008 Malaysian Young Writter Qualification Article

Global Warming

                Global warming had been a
popular term since few years ago. Global warming is actually a process whereby
the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air
and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.  In
general term, global warming indicated climate change on earth.

           According to the IPCC
(International Panel on Climate Change), one of the cause of global warming is
the anthropogenic emissions. Human living in the earth had done several
activities that contributed to greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect is closely
related to global warming. Greenhouse effect is actually the
process in which the emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere warms a
planet's surface. However, anthropogenic green house effect caused by release
of green house gases from several human activities will trap the heat inside
the earth. When the heat trapped increased, the temperature of the earth will
rise.

           Human
activities released basket of gases causing high concentration of green house
gases in the atmosphere will trap the heat on earth. Human using aerosol in
pesticides releases nitrous oxide. Other than that, the burning of oil released
a lot carbon into atmosphere that became the primary cause of global warming.
Moreover, human deforestation for develop the land. Forest is actually help in
slowing down global warming. They are major carbon sink on earth. Plants go
through photosynthesis, absorb the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and
store the carbon in sugars, starch and cellulose. Plants release their
by-product of photosynthesis, oxygen into the atmosphere. A young forest,
composed of growing trees, absorbs carbon dioxide and acts as a sink. Mature
forests, made up of a mix of various aged trees as well as dead and decaying
matter, may be carbon neutral above ground. In the soil, however, the gradual
build-up of slowly decaying organic material will continue to accumulate
carbon, but at a slower rate than an immature forest. The dead trees, plants,
and moss in peat bogs undergo slow anaerobic decomposition below the surface of
the bog. This process is slow enough that in many cases the bog grows rapidly
and fixes more carbon from the atmosphere than is released. Over time, the peat
grows deeper. Peat bogs inter approximately one-quarter of the carbon stored in
land plants and soils. Deforestation caused less carbon trapped underground but
increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and this bring negative
effect to everyone as this increased the temperature of the earth.

                Beside
anthropogenic emission, natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with
volcanoes also a cause of global warming.

                Scientists
had concluded that global warming is the most threaten problem on the earth.
First of all, the rise of temperature had caused the continental Antarctic ice
to melt and contribute to global sea level rise. The continuous rise of sea
level may flood certain low lands. Other than that, global warming increased
intensity of extreme weather events. Killer heat waves, storms and tornadoes are examples of weather
events. These events not only cause damage on property but a lot life are taken
away. Other effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields
and glacier retreat that will cause flash floods and annual variation in the
flow of river. Global warming eventually causes species extinctions when
ecosystem have to change when certain species of animals and plants has to
forced out from certain habitat after the change of condition or the land been
sinks in water. Penguins and polar bears have the highest probability to
extinct first if the global warming continues vigorously because they live in
cold region and cold weather. Other than that, storms, hurricanes and floods
increase in the ranges of disease vectors.

                In a
matter of fact, global warming cannot be overcome. But everyone should give a
hand to slow down the global warming. Reforestation have to be done in places
that been deforested. This is to allow carbon sink. Hence, carbon sequestration
could happen to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere either from
biological process or geological process. IPCC continue to surveillance on
climate change on earth and global warming to find the effective ways to slow
down global warming. All countries should follow Polluter Pays Principle (PPP)
and compensate if they had pollute the environment. Last but not least,
intergenerational equity shared among the entire human living in the earth. So,
everyone should do their parts to fight with global warming for our future
generations good.