Causes of global warming
When we talk about global warming we are talking about the continuous rise in temperatures on our planet. There are different polluting gases from nature that contribute to global warming; However, it is known that human activities have contributed 90% to draw the environmental crisis situation that we are currently experiencing. But what are the causes of global warming ? In .com we discover them.
The greenhouse effect
Although it may seem like something new, the term " greenhouse effect " first appeared in 1824 when Fourier began to study the temperature of the planet. When we talk about the greenhouse effect, we refer to the presence of gases in the atmosphere that contribute to absorb and emit infrared rays.
These gases are CO2, methane and water vapor and, in certain proportions, can heat the atmosphere avoiding extreme temperatures. However, if these gases are present in the atmosphere in a disproportionate way, as they are today, the consequences are dire: the ozone layer is destroyed and this causes more infrared rays to enter our terrestrial atmosphere and, therefore, Therefore, there is global warming .
Polluting gases
Since the Industrial Revolution, the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 35% and this dynamic continues to increase: the researchers say that gases increase 0.4% each year and will continue to do so if we do not modify our energy behavior .
Polluting gases are one of the causes of global warming and carbon dioxide and methane are gases that have always been on Earth but their presence has been increased because of man.
Most of these polluting gases come from the combustion of fossil fuels in factories, cars and the electricity grid. Other gases that are also emitted into the atmosphere come from landfills (with the burning of garbage), from agricultural activity (through the use of fertilizers and chemicals) and from deforestation (which reduce the amount of CO2 that we have natural).
Consequences of global warming
The excess of polluting gases in the terrestrial atmosphere have caused the ozone layer to be destroyed, the layer that protected us from infrared rays. The consequences of this rupture cause that the temperature of our planet is increased and, therefore, there is a change in our ecosystem that is reflected in:
- Deforestation: different plant species have been destroyed due to climate change since the climatic conditions they needed to be alive have changed.
- Desertification: the increase of the temperatures in our planet have caused that some regions have been without fauna or flora, that is to say, desert.
- Thawing of the polar ice caps: this is one of the most dangerous consequences of global warming and that if the polar ice caps melt, the sea level will rise and cause floods in countries and islands where people live; In addition to destroying the fauna and flora resident in the caps that would be orphaned and end up dying.
What can you do?
As you have already seen, the causes of global warming derive from the lifestyle that people have adopted since the Industrial Revolution. These causes can be modified individually adopting simple guidelines of sustainable life:
- Use the bicycle or public transport
- Recycle garbage: plastic, cardboard, glass and organic
- Get energy-efficient appliances
- Use recyclable products: not plastic bags or aluminum foil
