Causes and Effects of Global Warming

Global warming is defined as the increase of the average temperature on Earth. As the Earth is getting hotter, disasters like hurricanes, droughts and floods are getting more frequent. Over the last 100 years, the average air temperature near the Earth's surface has risen by a little less than 1 degree Celsius or 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Deforestation increases the severity of global warming. The ocean is a huge carbon sink, holding about 50 times as much carbon as the atmosphere. The oceans are no longer able to store carbon as they have in the past. Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. The climate change would increase the number of people suffering from death, disease and injury from heatwaves, floods, storms and droughts. Floods are low-probability, high-impact events that can overwhelm physical infrastructure and human communities. Major storm and flood disasters have occurred in the last two decades. One can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely.