Photo: courtesy
As an
emerging issue, climate change mostly triggered by human activities is presumed
to have far reaching impact on human beings and environment as a whole. Climate
change refers to the alteration in statistical distribution of weather patterns,
usually 25-30 years.
The climate
is changing as a repercussion of industrial gases released into the atmosphere.
The gases allow sun’s radiation to reach to the earth’s surface but these gases
trap the heat reflected into the atmosphere. The heat tends to increase around
the earth, global warming as an outcome of trapped heat is called global warming.
Green house gases in the atmosphere act like a mirror: reflecting back to earth
part of heat radiation, which would otherwise be lost to the space.
The causes
of global warming and eventually climate change include;
·
Carbon
dioxide from industrial exhaust gases after burning fossil fuels
·
Methane
gas produced by decaying organic matter
·
Chlorofluorocarbons(CFC’s)
used in refrigerators and spray cans
·
Water
vapour
The mitigation to climate change is to lower the rate of
release of green house gases into the atmosphere. This can be done by;
·
Promoting
afforestation since trees act as carbon absorbers
·
Banning
production and use of chlorofluorocarbons
·
Promoting
efficient use of energy in homes and industries
·
Slowing
population growth rate by prompting family planning-This reduces the number of
people likely to cause climate change
·
Creating
awareness of activities that cause global warming and suggest possible
solutions
The predictable effects of global warming and climate change
are warmer earth. The warmer temperatures may cause;
·
Increase
in the evaporation rate
·
More
areas will encounter forest and bush fires
·
Some
areas will become drier while others will become wetter
·
Heating
the sea water will cause it to expand thus raising sea level
·
Food
production will fluctuate, increasing in some areas and declining in others
·
Loss
of bio-diversity as a result of change in habitats
·
Extinction
of certain species
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