What is Global Warming?

A Swedish chemist, Svante Arrhenius, was the first to describe Global warming and greenhouse effect in 1896. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapour and methane are greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere which help to trap heat and stop too much of it to escape into space. Without these gases, the Earth would not have been warm enough for us to live in.

The problem starts when too much of these greenhouse gases gets released into the atmosphere from human activities, which in turn causes too much heat to get trapped. One of the main causes of worry here is carbon dioxide pollution. The three main sources of Carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution in the atmosphere are: burning fossil fuel (coal and oil), cement manufacturing, and gas burning. Animals, forest fires, and other sources produce carbon dioxide naturally. But, fact remains that this natural production has been overtaken by transport, manufacturing and other such human activities. Therefore, simple equation is this: 

more Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the amount of heat absorbed, and this leads to global warming.

Here are some facts regarding global warming:

The earth became 0.5 degree Centigrade warmer during the 20th century and a further rise of even a couple of degrees will damage its natural balance.

Polar ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise and many areas will be flooded.

Changing climates will also affect plants and animals, which might not be able to adapt quickly enough to new conditions.