Today, the topic of climate change is one of the most discussed and essential in the world. Moreover, the discussion left the university classrooms and became part of world politics. Over the past 100 years, the Earth’s temperature has risen by 1°. It was enough to disappear from the face of the earth species of animals – reef mosaic-tailed rat. Further consequences can be much more disastrous not only for the surrounding flora and fauna but also for humans as a species. Since the human activity that global warming began, and only in the power of man, the unions of entire countries, and the most prominent enterprises, it is still possible to stop irreversible processes for nature. This presentation contains the basic facts about the causes and consequences of global warming.
Causes
The faster the development of technology, the greater the environmental burden a person has on the environment. Mining tools, vehicles, and other technologies are improving every day, but the sustainability of their use raises important questions. The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 40% compared to the pre-industrial period. It mainly happened because people began to burn hydrocarbons actively, using them as an energy source for transport, production, and other purposes. This process involves a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). This releases heat, which we use to generate energy (Al‐Ghussain, 2019). In addition to carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons, including methane, are in the atmosphere. The concentration of this and other substances has reached a record level not observed over the past 800 thousand years. The higher it is, the faster the temperature of the Earth rises.
Consequences
Under the most favorable scenario, by the end of the 21st century, the temperature of the Earth’s surface will increase by one °C compared to the average temperature at the beginning of the century. The number of harmful emissions will decrease in the first third of the century, but the environmental situation will not change for several decades. This delay will be since the reduction in emissions will not lead to an immediate decrease in the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide and N2O (Al‐Ghussain, 2019). The water level on the planet will rise by 50 centimeters, regardless of forecasts. This change will be dangerous for countries and cities with a low coastal zone: Florida, Bangladesh, part of the Asian coast of the Arctic Ocean, and some islands that are not protected by unique hydraulic structures, such as exist in the Netherlands or St. Petersburg, will be at risk (Al‐Ghussain, 2019). At the same time, desertification will develop on Earth; it will lead to an increase in hunger and a shortage of drinking water, especially in developing countries.
Ways to Improve Situation
Scientists are confident that the temperature threshold at which climate change will have the most damaging effects is the threshold of 2 °C. Since the beginning of the century, the average temperature on Earth has risen by 0.8 ° C, and in order for growth to slow down and not exceed this figure, carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 70%. Unfortunately, it is impossible to do this otherwise; the work of the entire world energy industry, and hence the economy, will have to be stopped. Therefore, many specialists began to develop geoengineering methods for solving this problem. For example, to plant so many trees that they process carbon dioxide as much as possible or pump CO2 out of the atmosphere and keep it in exhausted mines. We can slow down the temperature increase process if we reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and systematically switch to renewable energy sources, and develop nuclear energy. There are two ways to implement this strategy: administrative and market. The market strategy may include a carbon tax. Administrative methods – a ban on especially “dirty” technologies and an instruction to use “clean” solutions. Economic or market-based instruments could be a tax on greenhouse gas emissions, emission reduction subsidies, or a cap-and-trade system.
References
Al‐Ghussain, L. (2019). Global warming: review on driving forces and mitigation. Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy, 38(1), 13-21.