“Global Warming: Causes, Effects and Solutions”

In the partial
fulfilment of the Degree of
Master of Business Administration
Semester- II

Prepare By:
HARDIK TANK (23044311172)

Under the Guidance of:

Prof. Pratima Talreja
Ganpat University - V. M. Patel Institute of Management

Submitted to:
Prof. Pratima Talreja
Ganpat University - V. M. Patel Institute of Management

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INTRODUCTION

The continuous rise in temperature of the planet is really upsetting. The root cause for this is
global warming. Global warming begins when sunlight reaches the Earth. The clouds,
atmospheric particles, reflective ground surfaces and surface of oceans then sends back about
30 % of sunlight back into the space, whilst the remaining is absorbed by oceans, air and
land. This consequently heats up the surface of the planet and atmosphere, making life
feasible. As the Earth warms up, this solar energy is radiated by thermal radiation and
infrared rays, propagating directly out to space thereby cooling the Earth. However, some of
the outgoing radiation is re-absorbed by carbon dioxide, water vapours, ozone, methane and
other gases in the atmosphere and is radiated back to the surface of Earth. These gases are
commonly known as greenhouse gases due to their heat-trapping capacity. It must be noted
that this re-absorption process is actually good as the Earth’s average surface temperature
would be very cold if there was no existence of greenhouse gases. The dilemma began when
the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was artificially increased by
humankind at an alarming rate since the past two centuries.

As of 2004, over 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide was pumped thermal radiation is further
hindered by increased levels of greenhouse gases resulting in a phenomenon known as
human enhanced global warming effect. Recent observations regarding global warming have
substantiated the theory that it is indeed a human enhanced greenhouse effect that is causing
the planet to heat up. The planet has experienced the largest increase in surface temperature
over the last 100 years. Between 1906 and 2006, the Earth’s average surface temperature
augmented between 0.6 to 0.9 degrees Celsius, however the last 50 years saw the rate of
temperature increase nearly doubling. Sea levels have shown a rise of about 0.17 meters
during the 20th century. The extent of Arctic Sea ice has steadily reduced by 2.7 % per
decade since 1978.
out per year Millions of pounds of methane gas are generated in landfills and agricultural
decomposition of biomass and animal manure. Nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere
by various nitrogen-based fertilizers including urea and diammonium phosphate and other
soil management utilizations. Once released, these greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere
for decades or even longer. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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(IPCC), carbon dioxide and methane levels have increased by 35 % and 148 % since the
1750

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

While other planets in the solar system of the Earth are either roasting hot or bitterly cold,
Earth's surface has relatively mild, steady temperatures. Earth enjoys these temperatures
because of its atmosphere, which is the thin layer of gases that cover and protect the planet.
However, 97 % of climate scientists and researchers agree that humans have changed the
Earth's atmosphere in dramatic ways over the past two centuries, resulting in global warming.
To understand global warming, it is first necessary to become familiar with the greenhouse
effect. As Fig.1 depicts, the natural greenhouse effect normally traps some portion of heat in
such a way that our planet is safe from reaching freezing temperatures while human enhanced
greenhouse effect leads to global warming. This is due to burning of fossil fuels which
increase the amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and oxides of nitrogen)
present in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse Gases:

A Hazard There are many greenhouse gases which are mainly emitted by human activity.
The first and foremost in the list is carbon dioxide. Excessive burning of fossil fuels like coal
and oil is the major factor for producing this gas. Moreover, deforestation i.e. removal of
trees for acquiring lands also causes large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Cement manufacture also contributes carbon dioxide to atmosphere when calcium carbonate
is heated generating lime and carbon dioxide. The second culprit gas is methane, commonly
known as natural gas. It is produced as a result of agricultural activities such as livestock
digestion, paddy rice farming and use of manure. Methane is also produced due to improper
management of waste. Nitrous oxides are generated mainly by fertilizers. Moreover,
fluorinated gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are chiefly a result of various industrial
processes and refrigeration shows pictorially the distribution of greenhouse gases. These
gases are playing their negative part in increasing the havoc of global warming. They are
continuously causing an increase in the earth’s temperature.

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CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING

The major cause of global warming is the greenhouse gases. They include carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxides and in some cases chlorine and bromine containing compounds. The
build-up of these gases in the atmosphere changes the radiative equilibrium in the
atmosphere.

Their overall effect is to warm the Earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere because
greenhouse gases absorb some of the outgoing radiation of Earth and re-radiate it back
towards the surface. The net warming from 1850 to the end of the 20th century was
equivalent to nearly 2.5 W/m2 with carbon dioxide contribution about 60 % to this figure,
methane about 25 per cent, with nitrous oxides and halocarbons providing the remainder. In
1985, Joe Farman, of the British Antarctic Survey, published an article showing the decrease
in ozone levels over Antarctica during the early 1980s. The response was striking: large scale
international scientific programmes were mounted to prove that CFCs (used as aerosol
propellants in industrial cleaning fluids and in refrigeration tools) were the cause of the
problem. Even more important was abrupt international action to curb the emissions of CFCs.

The second major cause of global warming is the depletion of ozone layer. This happens
mainly due to the presence of chlorine-containing source gases. When ultraviolet light is
present, these gases dissociate releasing chlorine atoms which then catalyses ozone
destruction. Aerosols present in the atmosphere are also causing global warming by changing
the climate in two different ways. Firstly, they scatter and absorb solar and infrared radiation
and secondly, they may alter the microphysical and chemical properties of clouds and
perhaps affect their lifetime and extent. The scattering of solar radiation acts to cool the
planet, while absorption of solar radiation by aerosols warms the air directly instead of
permitting sunlight to be absorbed by the surface of the Earth. The human contribution to the
amount of aerosols in the atmosphere is of various forms. For instance, dust is a by-product
of agriculture. Biomass burning generates a mixture of organic droplets and soot particles.
Many industrial processes produce a wide diversity of aerosols depending on what is being

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burned or generated in the manufacturing process. Moreover, exhaust emissions from various
sorts of transport produce a rich mixture of pollutants that are either aerosols from the outset
or are transformed by chemical reactions in the atmosphere to form aerosols.

GLOBAL WARMING: THE EFFECTS

Predicting the consequences of global warming is one of the most difficult tasks faced by the
climate researchers. This is due to the fact that natural processes that cause rain, snowfall,
hailstorms, rise in sea levels is reliant on many diverse factors. Moreover, it is very hard to
predict the size of emissions of greenhouse gases in the future years as this is determined
majorly through technological advancements and political decisions. Global warming
produces many negative effects some of which are described here. Firstly, extra water vapour
which is present in the atmosphere falls again as rain which leads to floods in various regions
of the world. When the weather turns warmer, evaporation process from both land and sea
rises. This leads to drought in the regions where increased evaporation process is not
compensated by increased precipitation. In some areas of the world, this will result in crop
failure and famine particularly in areas where the temperatures are already high. The extra
water vapour content in the atmosphere will fall again as extra rain hence causing flood.
Towns and villages which are dependent on the melting water from snowy mountains may
suffer drought and scarcity of water supply. It is because the glaciers all over the world are
shrinking at a very rapid rate and melting of ice appears to be faster than previously
projected. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), about one-sixth
of the total population of the world lives in the regions which shall be affected by a decrease
in melting water. The warmer climate will likely cause more heat waves, more violent
rainfall and also amplification in the severity of hailstorms and thunderstorms. Rising of sea
levels is the most deadly effect of global warming, the rise in temperature is causing the ice
and glaciers to melt rapidly. This will lead to rise of water levels in oceans, rivers and lakes
that can pilot devastation in the form of floods.

As evident from Fig. 5, temperature anomalies are projected to increase in coming years.
Before, the 20th century, the situation was well under control but the beginning of the current
century, the situation started to worsen. This was all due to increase in global warming

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majorly due to the fact that new industries and power houses started operation and emitted
harmful gases which cause the planet to heat up. This data is based on the research carried
out by different climate and environmental research agencies.

SOLUTIONS
As elaborated earlier, toxic emissions are a major
cause of global warming, A likely solution to reduce
harmful emissions is to cut the usage of vehicles
which produce them. This has not been met with
much success as many people refuse to cut down their
practice of using cars. No doubt, some people have
started to use bicycles and public transport, whereas
some other prefer to walk but these numbers are
relatively small. It should be noted that fuel economy
and emission rates are chief factors to consider
regarding the car choice. Hybrid cars have higher
efficiency and lower emission rates. Keeping the tires
inflated will help improve mileage and air filters should be frequently replaced to cut down
harmful emissions. People should share the ride with friends or co-workers to reduce the total
number of vehicles on the road. Print and social media can play an effective role in curbing
the problem.

It should use the philosophy of automobile advertisements to encourage drivers to conserve

energy and reduce pollution. Awareness campaigns can be started using placards, posters and
logos similar to shown in Figures 12-14. They are a very useful way to demonstrate that
global warming is not good for the planet. Recycling is also a good way to reduce global
warming. People should use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Quality
products should be bought that have a long life. Shopping should be done from local markets
which reduce transportation. Even small individual efforts like lowering the thermostats in
winter and using compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps can aid to address

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the issue of global warming. Reforestation schemes must be started to grow a large number
of trees. Forest degradation and deforestation must be discouraged at government level.
Nuclear power is also a possible solution as this power results in fewer emissions but this
method should be used with care as it can lead to severe accidents therefore, the major hurdle
is to overcome the security, propagation, waste disposal and high costs of nuclear power if
this method has to be made practical.

CONCLUSION

The scientific and environmental community is on the same page regarding the bitter reality
of global warming and the involvement of human factor in it. The paper discussed here has
only dented the surface of what is a very intricate line of scientific and engineering
exploration. Global warming is a big hazard and appropriate measures must be taken to
tackle this serious problem. This problem is not only causing trouble to the human beings but
also to animals and plants. Melting of polar ice caps will lead to floods which can cause
mayhem everywhere. Rise of sea levels will devastate agricultural and fishing activities. To
embark upon these problems, some remedial steps must be timely taken which include but
are not limited to the use of renewable sources of energy and stopping deforestation.
Innovative solutions must be brought forward to end this hazard once and forever.

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