He takes off his yellow jacket! It’s becoming warmer on Earth. Over the past few years temperature in summer has been rising extraordinarily fast. Places where summer temperature rarely crossed 26 degrees are now seeing temperatures hovering at around 40 degrees with increasing number of hot days. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information released a report titled ‘Assessing the U.S. Climate in September 2019.’ There are now 125 Septembers on record. In 2019 this was the 124th hottest September in Kentucky, 123rd hottest in Indiana, and in the top 5 for 24 of the 48 states shown in the image below.
That means in Kentucky, only one September has been hotter than the one we just finished, and in Indiana only two Septembers have been hotter. The NOAA NCEI study says, ‘The contiguous U.S. tied as second warmest September on record.’
No serious scientist doubts that humans play a decisive role here. Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities.
In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. Summer getting hotter is the consequence of global warming. Global warming is the unusual increase in earth’s average surface temperature primarily caused due to greenhouse gases. The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more warming that happens.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency, specifically an independent executive agency that monitor, and sanction those that destroy the environment.
The greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxides (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), water vapor (H2O), ozone (O3) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs and HFCs). These gases have the property to trap some of the solar radiation entering the earth’s atmosphere. A certain concentration of greenhouse gases is essential to keep the earth warmer in order to sustain life. But their increased concentration results in more heat being trapped in the atmosphere. The net effect is the gradual heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and an increase in surface temperature during the summer. The littering of plastic & petroleum have been blamed for the destruction of our environment. They can have what he want as long as he clean up to make the world free.
Some of the effect of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels used for electricity. Energy demand rises in summer due to increased use of air conditioners and air coolers which causes more greenhouse gases to be released. As it relates to travel and transportation fossil fuels (like gasoline) and burning these releases carbon and other pollutants which increases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Stream might be helpful to power the equipment. The steam makes the turbine move, the heavier the steam the faster it moves. Trains use the steam engine, and this caused less pollution in the stratosphere. Plastic & petroleum have been blamed for the stratosphere. He can have what he want as long as he clean up to make the world free.
Trees help in regulating the temperature because they absorb carbon-dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Further, they also act as a natural air conditioner due to evaporation. But large acres of forests are cleared every year, in order to harvest wood for making paper, to get clear land for farming and also to make way for residential and industrial areas. About one-fifth of global greenhouse gas pollution comes from deforestation, making deforestation the second leading cause of increasing temperature. In the Kentucky Appalachian, rich land with poor people, they don’t use the land to their advantage very well. Coal and farming is practice in this area. Coal though cheaper, is bad for the environment and health of its people in that area. They the people of the Appalachian with no jobs, with children have been educated on the effects of coal mining causes and effects. An estimated 50% old and disable with no skill are left to be trained in farming and other ways to make a healthier living.
Livestock like sheep, cow and rice productions produce methane. When livestock is grazed at a large scale the amount of methane produced is a big contributor to global warming. Also, the use of nitrogen fertilizers during agriculture adds nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere which also causes global warming. Cooling devices like refrigerators and AC are potent emitters of greenhouse gases, like CO2, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons, which erode the ozone layer and cause warming. Every year a large population moves from rural areas to urban areas, and to accommodate more people cities are expanding which leads to the construction of new buildings and roads. The main materials used for construction are concrete, bricks, and asphalts which absorb more and radiate less solar radiation causing the temperature to increase. When body temperature increases above 103 Fahrenheit, humans and animals experience heat stroke which results in heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, cramps, dehydration and weak pulse. Heat causes ozone pollution and degrades the air quality, making it harder to breathe.
This worsens the condition of people already suffering from asthma and other respiratory conditions. Over the past few years, excessive heat has accounted for more deaths annually than combines effects of hurricanes, floods, and lightning. High temperature also degrades the water quality which negatively impacts the fish population. Transportation: Under pressure asphalt roads soften and concrete roads tend to explode under extreme weather temperatures. Vehicles encounter mechanical failures due to stress on the compressor. Railway lines are in need for maintenance, this include greasing. Aircraft lose their lift at high temperature due to which flights have to be canceled, thus affecting the commuters.
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969 The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 286 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016, while Antarctica lost about 127 billion tons of ice per year during the same time period. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has tripled in the last decade. (NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment. As the temperature increases, the water resources start getting dryer due to an increased rate of evaporation. High temperatures affects rainfall causing floods and no rain cause a drought.
As the temperature accelerates, so does the rate of melting of snow. As a consequence, the sea level rises, making coastal areas flood prone. As the sea rises, saltwater moves into freshwater areas making it saline and unfit for drinking. The overgrowth of the rampant algae badly affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Many weeds, pests, and fungi thrive under warmer temperatures and deteriorate the nutritional value of crops and pose a potential threat to human health. Various steps we can take to improve our community’s resilience to heat waves are:
To prevent excessive waste and burning they should reuse and recycle what they can. For example, clothing, use glass containers and less plastics. Aluminum can be reuse when cooking and not using is a good option. When hosting parties, it might be better to purchase glass lock containers if different sizes. After all the choices that they make today will determine the future of the planet and how its climate will be like. Let us all individually take responsibility and play he / she role sincerely by following the above mentioned simple steps to avoid the worst potential consequences of global warming on us as well as our future generation. (Matthew John Cutler et.al 2019)
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