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What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how can they be arrested?

Global warming is a problem that threatens the whole world. Though it has had little noticeable impact on the world so far, its potential impact could be disastrous which is why global warming has become an issue ever present in the media and for governments. Global warming is not a new phenomenon. The sun warms the Earth's surface and to stop it over-heating the heat energy is radiated back through the atmosphere and into space. Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap some of this heat thereby warming the lower atmosphere, which in turn warms the Earth's surface. This is the 'greenhouse effect' and is essential to life, as without it the earth would be so cold it would be uninhabitable. However global warming is attributed to the greenhouse effect as the increase in greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere by humans slowly warm the Earth, potentially changing the world's climate to more erratic, forcing many species into extinction, and making life much harder especially for people in developing countries (Woodford 2006).

The prime potential consequence of the global warming in the context of climate change is the rising of the sea level. It happens when more sunrays in the form of infrared are trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide. Cores of polar ice show that carbon dioxide is much, much higher than ever before in a quarter of a million years. It was once thought that such things went in cycles but not anymore as carbon dioxide content keeps growing higher (An Inconvenient Truth 2007). Then, the ice sheets, glaciers and icecaps like Greenland and west Antarctica will melt little by little and will directly increase the volume of the sea water. The melting process of the icecaps will become faster when larger surface area of the sea is exposed to the sunrays which result to a warmer ocean. Hence, the sea level will also increase as the water expands when it is being heated (Woodford 2006). According to Al Gore in an Inconvenient Truth, major cities like Beijing and countries like Netherland will be entirely submerged if Greenland is completely melted. The melting of either icecap could raise global sea levels by approximately 20 feet (6 m), flooding coastal areas and producing 100 million refugees (An Inconvenient Truth 2007).

Due to global warming, our planet experienced 10 hottest years within a decade which occurred in the last 14 years (An Inconvenient Truth 2007). With the continuous rising temperature, more frequent heat waves will be produced (Riebeek 2007). Massive heat waves can be a disaster to us especially in this condition of atmosphere. It had already happened in India and the European countries in 2003 and killed thousands of people. Other than the continents in the world, the ocean also faces rising temperature in recent years. According to Al Gore, the warmer ocean will produce a stronger storm. When the storm goes through warmer water, the wind velocity and the moisture content will increase. So, the storm will gain greater energy and turn into a deadlier hurricane. In 2004, big hurricanes have made all time record in various countries.

Eventually, there is still hope to address this global problem if we act right now. The damage is still reversible. What to do in the face of this global threat? We must reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (Woodford 2007). Use or support the development of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and nuclear. Drive only hybrid and electric cars. Higher subsidies should be provided by the Government to public transit and fares. Save energy in your houses; you can start by turning off the lights when they are not needed. All of the citizens in the world should take a big heed before it's too late. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, humankind has about ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send the entire planet's climate system into an epic destruction involving extreme weather, droughts, floods, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced – a catastrophe of our own doing.