Millions of acres of forest cleared due to devastating wild fires.
Tens of thousands of lives lost in catastrophic cyclones.
Thousands of climate change refugees seeking for asylum.
Hundreds of lives lost due to intense heat waves.
One thing is for sure, our climate is changing and it is changing fast. There is one term that tends to associate with all these natural calamities - Global Warming. There are strong indications that Global Warming is happening and it is led by anthropogenic processes.
The concept of Global Warming draws criticism mostly because of the time scale at which it operates. A chilly winter in a town will instinctively lead us to conclude that the theory is dubious. We fail to see the long term picture and the complex behavior of the nature.
Anthropogenic Causes
Fossil Fuels – Coal, Oil and Natural Gas are the foundations of the modern human society. Had it not been for fossil fuels, we would not see the myriad of human innovations around us. But it came at a cost – an imbalance in Carbon Cycle.
Forests of an area about the size of Scotland are destroyed every year [1] for building settlements and farmlands for our inflating population. This again has aggravated the imbalance in the Carbon Cycle.
Carbon Equation
43% of the extra CO2 has accumulated in our atmosphere, 28% in our ocean and 29% on our land [2].
The extra CO2 in ocean has turned it acidic and its pH has decreased by 0.1 [2] since the start of industrial era. This has posed a threatening condition for delicate marine organisms like corals and jellyfish.
The extra CO2 in our atmosphere is responsible for trapping more heat from the sun. Ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010. It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (0-700 m) warmed from 1971 to 2010 [2].
Climate System
Our climate system is an inexorably convoluted system involving complex interactions between atmosphere and ocean.
Some of the factors affecting global temperature are:
Negative Feedback
The negative feedbacks tend to soften any change in our climate system. For example, higher temperature leads to greater evaporation which in turn increases the amount of cloud in our atmosphere. This results in decreased insolation and thus helps maintain equilibrium [4].
Positive Feedback
On the other hand, positive feedbacks tend to aggravate any change in our climate system.
Environmental Repercussions
There have been several research papers on the environmental repercussions due to global warming. The conclusions are based on observations and modelling. Of course, no one can say anything for certain. But, we should regard these conclusions as a pin to break the shell of delusion that some of the critics are living in. In this fragile ecosystem, we must inhibit ourselves from being myopic and closed minded.
Couldn't we evolve?
Our planet has never been a constant. But, the natural change in the climate is a very slow process allowing species to adapt to the change. The atmospheric concentration of CO2 now substantially exceeds the highest concentration recorded in ice cores during the past 800,000 years. It is without any doubt that anthropogenic processes have caused changes to our environment that are unprecedented in the past 800,000 years [2].
250 million years ago, our planet was facing similar situation as today. Intense global warming and the positive feedbacks led to a tip-off point in the climate. The abrupt change in the environment didn't allow species to adapt. This came to be known as Permian–Triassic extinction event [10], the greatest mass extinction on our planet.
The species living 250 million years were not intelligent enough to understand the change or possibly do anything to evade it. But, we human beings are different and have enough knowledge and capability to hedge our risks. Shall we not take any responsibility to protect our legacy?
We buy all sorts of insurances - life insurance, car insurance, etc - in our lives. This implies we are investing for precarious events that might unfold in future. So, what makes people question the investment done towards sustainable environment and greener future?
Care About the Planet
Are we doing this to save our planet?
This is absolutely not a quest to save Earth! Our planet doesn't need our care! It is mighty enough to take care of itself. This is about us! This is about the greatest specie that has ever lived on this planet; the specie that cared to be inquisitive; the specie that cared to understand the nature; the specie that cared to think about the future.
Our planet has sustained complex life for last 500 million years. During these 500 million years, our planet has had several catastrophic events leading to tumultuous conditions. Species came, flourished and perished, yet our planet didn't lose its aura. It retained its capability to restore equilibrium and gave opportunity to different set of organisms to flourish.
The giant invertebrate insects ruled the planet 300 million years ago [11]. 100 million years ago, our planet favored the reptiles. The mammals are certainly the blessed ones in the current environmental condition. Who knows which group of animal is next on the list?
Our future is in our hand. If we do not take responsibility, a tip-off point in our climate system would not be a matter of 'if'; it will be a matter of 'when'!
Notes
Bibliography
Images
One thing is for sure, our climate is changing and it is changing fast. There is one term that tends to associate with all these natural calamities - Global Warming. There are strong indications that Global Warming is happening and it is led by anthropogenic processes.
The concept of Global Warming draws criticism mostly because of the time scale at which it operates. A chilly winter in a town will instinctively lead us to conclude that the theory is dubious. We fail to see the long term picture and the complex behavior of the nature.
Anthropogenic Causes
Fossil Fuels – Coal, Oil and Natural Gas are the foundations of the modern human society. Had it not been for fossil fuels, we would not see the myriad of human innovations around us. But it came at a cost – an imbalance in Carbon Cycle.
Forests of an area about the size of Scotland are destroyed every year [1] for building settlements and farmlands for our inflating population. This again has aggravated the imbalance in the Carbon Cycle.
Carbon Equation
| CO2 Released by Natural Processes [2][note] | + | CO2 Released by Anthropogenic Processes | > | CO2 Sequestered by Natural Processes |
| (439 Gt per annum) | (35 Gt per annum) | (450 Gt per annum) |
43% of the extra CO2 has accumulated in our atmosphere, 28% in our ocean and 29% on our land [2].
The extra CO2 in ocean has turned it acidic and its pH has decreased by 0.1 [2] since the start of industrial era. This has posed a threatening condition for delicate marine organisms like corals and jellyfish.
The extra CO2 in our atmosphere is responsible for trapping more heat from the sun. Ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010. It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (0-700 m) warmed from 1971 to 2010 [2].
Climate System
Our climate system is an inexorably convoluted system involving complex interactions between atmosphere and ocean.
Some of the factors affecting global temperature are:
- Concentration of CO2, CH4 and N2O in our atmosphere
- Aerosols, dust particles (due to volcanic activities) and clouds that reflect the sunlight back to space
- Solar Climate which is supposed to work in the cycle of 11 years [3]
- Ocean circulation cycles like El Nino, La Nina, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Atlantic Decadal Oscillation
Negative Feedback
The negative feedbacks tend to soften any change in our climate system. For example, higher temperature leads to greater evaporation which in turn increases the amount of cloud in our atmosphere. This results in decreased insolation and thus helps maintain equilibrium [4].
Positive Feedback
On the other hand, positive feedbacks tend to aggravate any change in our climate system.
- As the extent of ice sheets in the Arctic and Greenland is decreasing, the amount of sunlight reflected by the Earth’s surface is decreasing. This has resulted in decreased albedo and increased insolation.
- The appalling rate at which the ice sheets are melting is resulting in the formation of Moulin. Moulin creates a pathway for the melted water on the surface of ice sheet to its bottom. This leads to lubrication of the surface on which ice sheets move. Hence the rate at which ice sheets move towards the sea has increased dramatically [5].
- There is an immense amount of CH4 seated deep beneath the Alaskan and Siberian permafrost. As the permafrost are getting exposed due to melting ice sheets, their thawing could lead to emission of far more lethal greenhouse gas [6].
Environmental Repercussions
There have been several research papers on the environmental repercussions due to global warming. The conclusions are based on observations and modelling. Of course, no one can say anything for certain. But, we should regard these conclusions as a pin to break the shell of delusion that some of the critics are living in. In this fragile ecosystem, we must inhibit ourselves from being myopic and closed minded.
- As the upper ocean is getting warmer, it creates an appropriate precondition for the inception of cyclones. This could be the reason why we are witnessing high intensity cyclones for last few years.
- The surge in the sea level driven by thermal expansion and melting of ice sheets has claimed low lying lands and has begotten climate change refugees [7].
- The number of cold days and nights has decreased and the number of warm days and nights has increased on the global scale [2].
- Extreme heat waves and cold waves would be more frequent. The recent Polar Vortex in Northern America is one of its examples [2] [note].
- Due to the increase in moisture availability, the El Nino effect is likely to get intensified at regional level. This may lead to devastating effects on the Pacific coasts [2].
- A warm and dry condition in forests could be a perfect prerequisite for fire to escalate [8].
- A warmer environment would provide a preferable condition for mosquitoes and pests to flourish. This is likely to pave a path for Malaria epidemic in future [9].
Couldn't we evolve?
Our planet has never been a constant. But, the natural change in the climate is a very slow process allowing species to adapt to the change. The atmospheric concentration of CO2 now substantially exceeds the highest concentration recorded in ice cores during the past 800,000 years. It is without any doubt that anthropogenic processes have caused changes to our environment that are unprecedented in the past 800,000 years [2].
250 million years ago, our planet was facing similar situation as today. Intense global warming and the positive feedbacks led to a tip-off point in the climate. The abrupt change in the environment didn't allow species to adapt. This came to be known as Permian–Triassic extinction event [10], the greatest mass extinction on our planet.
The species living 250 million years were not intelligent enough to understand the change or possibly do anything to evade it. But, we human beings are different and have enough knowledge and capability to hedge our risks. Shall we not take any responsibility to protect our legacy?
We buy all sorts of insurances - life insurance, car insurance, etc - in our lives. This implies we are investing for precarious events that might unfold in future. So, what makes people question the investment done towards sustainable environment and greener future?
Care About the Planet
Are we doing this to save our planet?
This is absolutely not a quest to save Earth! Our planet doesn't need our care! It is mighty enough to take care of itself. This is about us! This is about the greatest specie that has ever lived on this planet; the specie that cared to be inquisitive; the specie that cared to understand the nature; the specie that cared to think about the future.
Our planet has sustained complex life for last 500 million years. During these 500 million years, our planet has had several catastrophic events leading to tumultuous conditions. Species came, flourished and perished, yet our planet didn't lose its aura. It retained its capability to restore equilibrium and gave opportunity to different set of organisms to flourish.
The giant invertebrate insects ruled the planet 300 million years ago [11]. 100 million years ago, our planet favored the reptiles. The mammals are certainly the blessed ones in the current environmental condition. Who knows which group of animal is next on the list?
Our future is in our hand. If we do not take responsibility, a tip-off point in our climate system would not be a matter of 'if'; it will be a matter of 'when'!
Notes
- Including forest fire and volcanic activity (250 Mt per annum) [ref]
- The atmospheric current called Jet Stream and the oceanic current called Gulf Stream are the major forces responsible for keeping Northern America and North Western Europe warm. Jet Stream prevents the cold air over the Arctic to come south and Gulf Stream distributes the warm equatorial water to the North Atlantic coasts. Due to the warming Arctic and the loss in temperature differences, the Jet Stream and the Gulf Stream are getting weak and hence breaking the engine that keeps the North Atlantic coasts warm.[ref]
- Future Map of Sea Level Rise [ref]
- Key takeaways from IPCC AR5
Bibliography
- BBC - Power of the Planet
- IPCC
- NASA
- Robert Hazen – The Story of Earth
- NASA
- United Nations Environment Programme
- National Geographic
- National Geographic
- World Health Organization
- National Geographic
- BBC - How to Grow a Planet
Images