Is the Threat of Global Warming Real?

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Is the Threat of Global Warming Real?

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Is the Threat of Global Warming Real?

Introduction

Although there is scientific evidence that global warming is taking place, some individuals are of the contrary opinion. Such people believe that the information available does not indicate a consistent increase in world’s temperatures. Others opine that the current increase in global temperature is a natural climate change or may be caused by issues other than greenhouse gases. They argue that the problem is magnified by misinterpretation of data by individuals who already fear global warming. Therefore, such individuals’ quest is to obtain data on the issue, rather than objectively assessing evidence. However, most experts argue that global warming is taking place, and it is detrimental. They say that recent changes in the climate indicate the dangers that global warming presents across the universe. The threat of global warming is real, as shown in the rise in extreme weather and changes in the environment.

Global warming is a worldwide threat since it led to a rise in average global temperatures as well as extreme weathers. A significant indicator of the detrimental effect of global warming is the upsurge in temperatures across the globe. The mean world temperatures have risen by approximately 0.8 degrees Celsius in the past century (Diffenbaugh, Singh, Mankin, Horton, Swain, Touma, & Rajaratnam, 2017). NASA indicates that 2016 was the hottest year around the world and the Earth’s surface temperature was 0.99 degrees Celsius, which was hotter than the mean temperatures in the whole of the Twentieth Century (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). NASA data reveals that sixteen of the seventeen warmest years across the globe occurred since 2001 (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). The increase in temperatures, in the recent past, is a clear indication that the problem is likely to worsen as greenhouse gases continue to increase in the environment.

Additionally, extreme weather events have increasingly become a common phenomenon across the world. Research shows that this problem is caused by global warming (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). Although most parts of the world have been experiencing extreme temperatures during summer, some of them, such as the US, have recorded extremely cold winters.  Climatic variation may make the polar jet stream (the borderline between the warm equatorial air and the cold North pole) to shift to the South, which is accompanied by cold air, commonly known as Arctic air (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). This is what causes a sudden drop in temperatures in some states during winter, despite the prolonged tendency of global warming. Global warming is also associated with other extreme weather events apart from warmth and cold extremes (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). For instance, the formation of hurricanes is affected. The atmosphere’s computer models show that the frequency of hurricanes would wane across the world, but they would become more intense. The rise in intensity is linked to the hurricanes’ energy, which is a product of temperature variations between the cooler upper atmosphere and the hotter tropical ocean (Diffenbaugh et al., 2017). Consequently, hurricanes would become more harmful since destruction depends on their intensity.

Moreover, ice melt is a clear manifestation of global warming. One of the major indicators of climate change is the melting of ice. According to an article published in the Journal of Current Climate Changes Reports, Asia, Europe, and America have experienced reduced snow cover over the last six decades. Compared to the Eighteenth Century, permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere has dwindled by 10% (Hansen, Sato, Hearty, Ruedy, Kelley, Masson-Delmotte, & Velicogna, 2016). The phenomenon may lead to landslides, and unexpected land collapses, as well as expose long-buried microorganisms, as seen in 2016 when a reindeer carcass was exposed and led to an outbreak of anthrax. Global warming has also led to a decline in Arctic sea ice (Hansen et al., 2016). The ice in the Sea was lowest between winters and falls 2015-16, which implies that the ice was low at the time when it was meant to be highest (Hansen et al., 2016). According to NASA, this indicates that the quantity of thick sea ice that is available for several years is minimized, and the heat reflected by the ice back into the atmosphere is lowered, and more is absorbed by the comparatively darker sea (Hansen et al., 2016). This causes a feedback loop that leads to more ice melt.

Likewise, global warming causes a rise in sea levels as well as ocean acidification. As indicated above, global warming causes melting of ice in seas, and this is associated with an increase in sea levels. The World Meteorological Organization states that annually the sea level increases by three millimeters, which is twice the aggregate yearly increase of 1.6 millimeters recorded in the Twentieth Century (Stoknes, 2015). Experts believe that melting ice in the Antarctic, Arctic regions while depleting glaciers and ice sheets in Asia, Europe and Americas would surge the sea levels because of warming problem. Since 1870, world sea levels have increased by approximately eight inches and speed of increase in surface of sea is projected to surge in the future. With the current trends, most coastal regions, where nearly 50% of the world’s human population inhabits, would be submerged (Stoknes, 2015). The increase in CO2, in the atmosphere, also means that the oceans absorb some of the gas and this raises the acidity of the water due to the formation of carbonic acid. Since the Sixteenth Century, oceanic acidity has risen by approximately 25% (Stoknes, 2015). This leads to the dissolving of shells of water inhabitants. With such a trend, coral reefs would be a thing of the past in areas where they are presently common (Stoknes, 2015). This is not good news for humanity and the ecology of water animals.

On the flip side, critics opine that global warming is not causing an increase in seawater levels. They are of the viewpoint that sea levels were constant during the Twentieth Century, although the world temperatures were on the rise (Vousdoukas, Mentaschi, Voukouvalas, Verlaan, & Feyen, 2017). They add that sea surfaces have not increased in the recent decades. The opponents add that polar ice sheets have not melted per se. The decline in the Arctic ice has been compensated by an increase in the Antarctic ice sheet. Generally, ice sheets have not reduced. This argument seems plausible, however, a reduction in the ice sheets in the Arctic is an indication that global warming is taking place and it is affecting the ice (Vousdoukas et al., 2017). Sea levels have also increased as indicated earlier, due to the melting of ice in various parts of the world.

Conclusion

The danger of global warming is real, and it is manifest in the weather and environmental changes that occurred recently.  Acidity in the oceans and rising sea levels indicate the magnitude of the problem. Sheets of ice are melting and causing sea surface to rise. Extreme weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold, are indicators of this global challenge. Extreme temperatures threaten humanity and they are the outcome of greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Therefore, humanity has to contend with the fact that global warming is real and seek mechanisms to alleviate it.  

References

Diffenbaugh, N. S., Singh, D., Mankin, J. S., Horton, D. E., Swain, D. L., Touma, D., … & Rajaratnam, B. (2017). Quantifying the influence of global warming on unprecedented extreme climate events. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(19), 4881-4886.

Hansen, J., Sato, M., Hearty, P., Ruedy, R., Kelley, M., Masson-Delmotte, V., & Velicogna, I. (2016). Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: Evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 {deg} C global warming is dangerous. arXiv preprint arXiv:1602.01393.

Stoknes, P. E. (2015). What we think about when we try not to think about global warming: Toward a new psychology of climate action. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Vousdoukas, M. I., Mentaschi, L., Voukouvalas, E., Verlaan, M., & Feyen, L. (2017). Extrem

sea levels on the rise along Europe’s coasts. Earth’s Future, 5(3), 304-323.