THE CAUSES & EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING Sait Sarr Undergraduate Student Kentucky State University March 27, 2015 THE CAUSES & EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Introduction Global warming is the most popular topic among modern scholars today, and various studies have shown environmental changes on an unprecedented scale in human activity. Rising sea levels and mass extinction are typical examples. I conducted the research mainly focusing on the elements, causes and solutions to the risk of Global warming in our lives and environment. The recent and historical data for last 50 years was collected and analyzed from different regions of the world- Africa, Europe, The Americas, Australia and Asia and descriptive statistics were compared and contrasted at the continent level.

Introduction (Contd.) Global warming is defined as the steady increase in earth’s average temperature mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuel. Global warming poses severe threats on our planet, and the world is not ready for the impacts, including severe weather. The signs of the impacts are already out there with the spread of diseases in some parts of Africa, deaths in North America due to wildfire, falling food production in South America, decline in forest productivity in some parts of Europe, increase in the number of floods in some coastal parts of Asia and loss of biodiversity in some sites of Australia.

Literature Review The Causes & effects of global warming have been studied in different perspectives: In 2000, Tett et al. used an optimal detection method to measure GHGs in the atmosphere, aerosols from volcanic eruptions, solar irradiance, human aerosol emissions, and atmospheric ozone changes. Meehl et al. estimated that about 80% of the global warming from 1890 to 2000 was due to human effects. Over the most recent 50 years in their study (1950-2000), Meehl et al. concluded that human caused more than 100% of the global warming over that period.  In 2011, Huber and Knutti estimated that since 1850 and 1950, approximately 75% and 100% of the observed global warming is due to human influences, respectively.

Objectives The objectives of this study are: To investigate or identify the elements of global warming. To discuss the effects of global warming on our planet. To examine the ways people can reduce global warming.

METHODOLOGY The recent and historical data for last 50 years was collected and analyzed from different regions of the world- Africa, Europe, The Americas, Australia and Asia, and descriptive statistics were compared and contrasted at the continental level. I also compiled information from the EPA, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and UNEP. Data were mainly recorded in temperature scales, weight for green house emission amounts, length for sea level rise. Assessment of the regional effects of global warming were compared with changes in average temperature in different continents.

Fig1: Causes and effects of global warming (Source:EPA) Results & Discussion The pollutants that contribute to global warming are commonly known as the greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is probably the best known greenhouse gas. Fig1: Causes and effects of global warming (Source:EPA) As shown above, it is indicated that rising sea level, temperatures and human emissions of greenhouse gases are the main causes of global warming. Total emissions from industrialized nations was at 17.3 billion tons in 2012 according to the IPCC climate experts.

Results & Discussion According to climate scientists, our world is highly likely to continue to warm over this century and beyond(fig2). This conclusion is based on scientists’ understanding of how the climate system works and on computer models designed to simulate Earth’s climate. Results suggest that our planet’s average temperature could be between 2 and 9.7°F (1.1 to 5.4°C) warmer in 2100 than it is today. Sea level is also projected to rise as shown in fig3 above. Fig2- Projected global temp. rise (EPA) Fig3-Global avg. absolute sea level rise (IPCC)

Fig 4: Terrors of global warming RESULTS & DISCUSSION Global warming has impacted our agriculture and food production, increased frequency of extreme weather events, food security, water supply, and our overall health. We should expect more and more hurricanes as climate change advances, especially in the Atlantic. Agriculture, mostly from the management of agricultural soils, livestock, rice production, and biomass burning have also contributed to the problem. The way in which we use land is also an important source of CO2, especially when it involves deforestation. Land can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere through reforestation and improvement of soils. Fig 4: Terrors of global warming

Conclusion Global warming will continue to pose serious threats to our environment and our lives. Necessary measures/steps have to be taken. These includes: Nations have to take drastic actions and measures to limit, reduce or trade emissions for a better environment. Stricter policies have to be enforced to make sure climate change agreements are implemented. To avoid losing most of our habitat, we have to stop our rainforest destruction at any cost. Climate mitigation and adaptation strategies have to be adopted. Because of the physical, ecological, social, and large scale impacts of Global Warming on our planet, people need to be more educated about the hazard and the continuous threat it poses on our lives and the future generation.

References CSIRO. (2009). SEA LEVEL RISE. http://www.cmar.csiro.au/sealevel Accessed January 18, 2015. EPA. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions. Accessed January 27, 2015. Thompson, Andrea IPCC Report: Major Greenhouse Gas Reductions Needed to Limit Global Warming. Accessed February 29, 2015. www.wunderground.com/news/ipcc-report.....limit-global-warming- 20140413Accessed January14,2015. Hijioka, Y., E. Lin, J.J. Pereira, R.T. Corlett, X. Cui, G.E. Insarov, R.D. Lasco, E. Lindgren, and A. Surjan, 2014: Asia. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1327-1370. Kovats, R.S., R. Valentini, L.M. Bouwer, E. Georgopoulou, D. Jacob, E. Martin, M. Rounsevell, and J.-F. Soussana, 2014: Europe. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 1267-1326.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Advisor - Dr. Buddhi R. Gyawali, Assistant Professor, College of Agriculture, KSU Dr. Teferi Tsegaye, Dean, College of Agriculture, KSU Ken Bates, Geospatial Extension Specialist, College of Agriculture, KSU. National Science Foundation (NSF)- HBCU-UP- Target Infusion Program Grant, 2014-2017 (PI B. Gyawali)

Thank you! Questions???