Essay on Global Warming

Global warming is the latest alarm bell for the earth’s environment. Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth’s surface during the last century, from 1900-2000. Earth’s surface’s temperature has increased more than one degree Fahrenheit since 1900. Global warming is alarming because of its adverse effects on the ecological balance of the earth. The resultant ecological imbalance, due to global warming, is the root cause of various natural calamities like floods, famines, etc. also it is the root cause of various environmental threats like increase in sea level, glacier melting, changes in quantity and pattern of rainfall, heat waves, extreme seasons, etc. this is why global warming is the buzzword of almost all environmental talks, projects, and discussions, etc.

Global warming is a threat to the very existence of life on earth. Not only humans but any other form of life, be it flora or fauna face a threat in the face of global warming. Hence, it has become the pungent need of the hour to root out the causes of this threatening phenomenon.

The most evident causes of global warming are industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, sophisticated human lifestyle and related human activities. These human activities and trends have led to increased emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous in the average temperature of the earth’s surface, hence global warming. The greenhouse effect is a natural process wherein sunlight passes through the atmosphere, warming the earth’s surface. Then, the earth’s surface and water bodies release energy in the form of heat or infrared radiation into the atmosphere and maintain balance with the incoming energy. Greenhouse gases can absorb some of the infrared radiation. But the increase in greenhouse gases has led to more absorption of infrared radiation which in turn has led to the increase of earth’s surface temperature. 

There is no doubt that the ever-increasing phenomenon of global warming would lead to the total extinction of any form of life from the earth’s face. Global warming depletes the ozone layer and might lead us to doomsday. It is a wake-up call for us to amend our ways of living to limit the use of products that contribute to the increase in global warming. For our sake and existence of all life on our heavenly planet earth, it is the need of the hour that we are heavenly planet earth, it is the need of the hour that we make sincere efforts and attempts to contain the monster called ‘global warming’.

Eco-Friendly living and Sustainable Development

“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.” – Kenyan proverb

The above-quoted Kenyan proverb aptly marks the pungent need of the hour, i.e. ‘sustainable development’ and ‘eco-friendly living style.’

Eco-friendly or ‘going green’ is the latest way of life. ‘Eco-friendly’ refers to those goods and services which are considered to have negligible or no harm to the environment.

Sustainable development refers to a system that uses resources in such a way as to preserve the resources for both present and future generations. ‘Using alternative and renewable resources of energy’ and ‘conservation’ are two aspects of sustainable development. ‘Rainwater harvesting’. ‘Saving trees’. ‘Conserving energy’, etc. are modes of sustainability. 

Some of the most important natural resources are limited and non-renewable like fossil fuels, etc. The need and desires of human beings are ever-increasing so there is an increasing trend in demand for natural resources. Hence, the natural resources are depleting at a rapid pace.

According to various scientific studies, natural resources would soon deplete completely. And the result will be no power and total blackout and collapse of a sophisticated lifestyle and activities of mankind.

Not only the depletion of natural resources but also awareness about environmental degradation has led the society to look for alternative resources that are both eco-friendly and renewable at the same time.

In a bid to save the environment, more and more people are opting for eco-friendly goods and services. There are a host of eco-friendly goods and services available these days. To save non-renewable resources, alternative resources of renewable energy are being used. Hydropower, solar energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy, oceanic energy, etc. are being used as they all are natural, eco-friendly and renewable sources of energy.

Societies world over have become more aware of the alarming depletion of resources and environmental degradation. Hence, minimizing the use of plastic bags, using natural fabrics like khadi, jute, cotton, use of paper bags, jute bags, use of CNG, banning the use of poisonous chemicals as DDT, use of eco-friendly furniture, paints, etc. are the need of the hour. Even eco-friendly services like ‘eco-health’ and ‘eco-tourism’ are much in demand.

It is good to see these welcome modifications happening in our lifestyle and habits. Eco-friendly living and sustainable development are surely two of much-needed novice ways to save mother earth. And this again is good for us and our comfortable survival on earth. It is our turn now to contribute our bit to mother earth by adopting measures of eco-friendly living and sustainable development.