O global warming designates the increase in the planet's average temperatures over recent times, which, in theory, is caused by human practices – although there are disagreements about this in the scientific field. The main cause of this climate problem that affects the entire planet is the intensification of greenhouse effect, a natural phenomenon responsible for maintaining heat on Earth and which has been showing greater intensity due to air pollution resulting from human practices.
From an official point of view, the main body responsible for the systematization and dissemination of studies related to global warming is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For the IPCC, the problem in question should not even be a reason for discussion in terms of its existence or not, because, according to it, the series of climate changes that have taken place in recent times and the participation of human beings in this is more than proven. process.
Data collected by scientists linked to the IPCC affirm that the 20th century, due to the environmental consequences of the
Industrial Revolutions, was the hottest period in history since the end of the last glaciation, with an average increase of 0.7°C in temperatures across the planet. Also according to the agency, forecasts for the 21st century are not encouraging, as there will be an increase of another 1 °C, in case of preservation of the atmosphere, or from 1.8 ºC to 4 ºC, in a more pessimistic scenario that presents greater pollution.
Deforestation is one of the causes associated with global warming, as it promotes climate imbalance.
Causes of global warming
The main causes of global warming are related, for most scientists, to human practices carried out in an unsustainable manner, that is, without guaranteeing the existence of resources and the environment for generations future. Thus, forms of degradation to the natural environment, such as pollution, at burned it's the logging, would be on the list of the main elements causing this climate problem.
Deforestation of natural areas contributes to global warming in the sense of promoting an imbalance due to the removal of vegetation, which has the function of controlling temperatures and regimes of rain. The Amazon Forest, for example, is a great supplier of moisture to the atmosphere, providing greater control over temperatures and a certain frequency of rain for much of the South American continent, according to studies related to the calls flying rivers. If we consider this dynamic in global terms, it can be concluded that the removal of forests contributes to the increase in thermal averages and to the reduction of rainfall in several places.
Mind Map: Global Warming
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Another cause for climate change is the issue of so-called greenhouse gases. The main gases are: o carbon dioxide (CO2), generated in large part by the burning of fossil fuels; O methane gas (CH4), generated in livestock, in the burning of fuels and biomass and also in landfills; O nitrous oxide (N2O) produced by factories; Besides fluorine gases, such as fluorohydrocarbons and perfluorocarbons.
In addition Water pollution it is also a factor related to global warming. In the case of the oceans, there are living beings responsible for absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen: phytoplankton and marine algae. Therefore, the destruction of their habitats can also directly interfere with global atmospheric dynamics.
One of the main consequences of global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps and the consequent rise in ocean levels.
consequences of global warming
You global warming effects they are diverse and can be related to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and also to the biosphere. We can cite as a consequence of global warming, first, the phenomenon of thaw that has been taking place in the polar ice caps. As a result, the area of various animal species, especially in the Arctic, is getting smaller and smaller, which causes environmental problems of an ecological nature. Furthermore, for many scholars, this has been causing the sea level rise, although this phenomenon is more associated with the melting that occurs in Antarctica and also in Greenland.
Another even more latent effect is the rising temperatures, as already mentioned. Many species can go into extinction, and the availability of water in various parts of the globe becomes less and less due to the greater occurrence of droughts for longer periods. This type of situation affects the supply of natural resources for living beings and the maintenance of the food chain. With global warming, cyclical phenomena and climatic anomalies have become increasingly frequent, such as the El Niño, which, among other consequences, causes severe droughts in many regions of the world.
In any case, there is still no specific consensus on the totality of phenomena caused by warming global, which can generate even the highest incidence of typhoons and hurricanes or their presence in areas where they were not common. In addition, climatic imbalances would also be causing a higher incidence of storms in certain areas, which start to suffer greatly from this type of problem.
Read more:Global warming and species extinction
According to some scholars, the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases has contributed to the increase in the planet's temperatures.
Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect
O greenhouse effect it is a natural phenomenon capable of guaranteeing that the Earth is habitable. This is because it is responsible for maintaining the planet's average temperature, preventing heat from being fully radiated back into space. That way, there are no big thermal ranges(temperature variations) between night and day.
THE solar energy that reaches the earth's surface emitted by the sun's rays is largely absorbed and then radiated back into space. When this heat returns to space, the gases present in the atmosphere prevent all this heat from being dispersed, thus ensuring that the Earth's average temperature does not drop drastically.
You greenhouse gases they are water vapor, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), ozone, methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. However, the concentration of these gases, mainly carbon dioxide, has increased significantly in the atmosphere in recent decades. The emission of these gases comes mainly from anthropic action.
Read too: Anthropogenic actions in the environment
This concentration of greenhouse gas has caused, according to some scholars, changes in the climate dynamics of the planet. In recent decades, there has been a relationship between the increase in greenhouse gases and the increase in the planet's temperatures. According to the IPCC, the Earth's temperature increased by about 0.85 ºC on the continents and 0.55 ºC on the oceans within a period of 100 years.
It is worth noting that this correlation is not unanimous among scholars, as many people disbelieve that the increase in these gases has aggravated global warming. For some, this heightened warming is just one phase of the Earth's changing climate dynamics.
Critics of global warming
It is not consensus in the scientific community the occurrence of global warming, not even its causes. For many, global warming, which would be a “farce”, is not based on truly scientific facts, causing a certain alarmism that is not justified. In some positions, the existence of the problem is even admitted, but not taken as an effect of anthropic actions. In other perspectives, the Earth is not warming, but cooling towards glaciation.
The so-called “climate skeptics” consider that carbon dioxide does not generate conclusive effects on the climate, especially in terms of intensifying the greenhouse effect. Furthermore, even if these climatic effects were caused by greenhouse gases, they would be minimal, since the main regulators of climate in a global order are the sun's rays and the oceans.
The lines of argument are also based on contestations of some of the elements explained above, such as the supposed rise of the oceans – which would have occurred less than what is thought. and it would be caused by other factors, such as the terrestrial and lunar orbit - and also the data provided by the IPCC, which, according to some authors, would have a scientific rigor questionable.
Anyway, regardless of the existence or not of global warming, it is possible to conclude that the environment must be preserved environment to the maximum, especially with the reduction of pollution and deforestation, as well as with the preservation of resources water. After all, the climate is not the only one affected by predatory practices generated by human activities, which can lead to health problems, lack of water and resources, among other events.
See too: Climate agreements to contain the worsening of global warming
Summary
Global warming refers to the high increase in the Earth's average temperature. Despite being a subject that is not a consensus in the scientific community, many scholars believe that this phenomenon was aggravated by human activities. Air pollution through burning, heavy use of transport and increased production in the industrial sector is also associated with global warming. The main consequences of this phenomenon are the melting of the polar ice caps, the increase in the level of the oceans, depletion of water resources and various climatic anomalies, such as El Niño and hurricanes.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena and Rafaela Sousa
Master in Geography and Graduated in Geography respectively.
*Mental Map by Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/aquecimento-global.htm