Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global warming - Research Paper Example All these have contributed to increased production which threatens the environment. In a study released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (as qtd. in Kim et al. 64), scientists are one in saying that the world must take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but achieving this will cost a lot for the global economy. The estimated cost will be about 500 to 550 parts per million (ppm) carbon dioxide (CO2) which, when converted to the global GDP, is approximately 5%. The IPCC estimated that by 2050, the global mitigation toward stabilization is â€Å"between 1% gain and 5.5% decrease of global GDP† (qtd. in Kim et al. 64). Globalization has negative effects. Standardization and adaptation result in the choice of countless products. Markets are integrated and widened. The result is a unified spectrum of consumerism, multiple products invading supermarkets and retailers that are competing for the best. The world needs to create a green environment, an atmosphere f ree of the pollutants to control sea temperatures and protect the ecosystem and the ozone layer. The world’s program of activities has worsened the dim scenario. We depend much on fossil fuel as eighty percent of energy comes from fossil fuels. Our dependence on fossil fuel and coal as energy source exacerbates the situation. This essay will focus on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced by vehicles and non-moving structures like plants and industries as one of the causes of global warming. First, definitions and concepts of global warming are provided and will be followed by a discussion on gas emissions of vehicles and industries. Literature Review The Earth’s ecosystem, to include the forests, fisheries, wetland and fresh water resources, are about to lose significance to human existence. Global warming and climate change must be given attention by policy makers. Business and organizations should focus on sustainable and green environment. Air pollutants are incre asing because of our use of fossil fuels for energy, continuous deforestration, and industries increase greenhouse gases that produce the greenhouse effect. GHGs trapped in the atmosphere exacerbate the greenhouse effect directly as they interact with radiation, but indirect effects are produced in the form of chemical transformations and when gases are mixed with other gases. A gas can affect cloud formations and atmospheric processes that affect the radioactive balance of the earth. Other gases like â€Å"carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), indirectly affect land and/or solar radiation absorption, because they share in the formation of substances in the atmosphere with a climate change impact† (Giuffre and Grana 67). Concepts on Global warming Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas as it is released and stay concentrated in the atmosphere. It constitutes about 77% of the produced global greenhouse gas emissions. This concentration in the atmosphere creates global warming, which in turn creates the ozone hole. The ozone hole is caused by global warming and not the other way around. Reducing CO2 is the best way to reduce global warming (qtd. in Reinfried et al. 156). Other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere include methane (CH4),