Global Warming

Change is the law of nature, and climate is no exception. The earth's climate has shifted many times in the past, both globally and locally, and it continues to change even now — though the change is so slow that it is imperceptible. Geological evidence shows that large parts of the earth were once covered by ice. Today, the debate has shifted to the opposite problem: global warming.

Global warming has both natural and human causes. Among the human causes, large-scale industrialisation and the release of polluting gases into the atmosphere stand out. Central to this discussion is the greenhouse effect. The world's temperature is rising significantly, and carbon dioxide produced by human activity is the major source of concern. This gas is released in large quantities by the burning of fossil fuels, and its concentration in the atmosphere is increasing gradually.

Carbon dioxide is not alone. Other gases — methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide — are present in much smaller concentrations, but together with carbon dioxide they are known as greenhouse gases. What makes them important is that they are better absorbers of long-wave radiation than carbon dioxide itself, and so they are more effective at enhancing the greenhouse effect. These gases have been contributing to global warming.

The warming has already been measured. The mean annual surface temperature of the earth has increased over the past 150 years. It is projected that by the year 2100, the global temperature will rise by about 2°C. This rise in temperature will trigger many other changes. …