INTRODUCTION

The earth supports life, yet it is the third planet from the sun. It is neither too hot like mercury and venus nor too cold as are Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. It is just the perfect temperature that supports life; we owe this to the Earth’s atmosphere. However, in recent years there have been changes in the atmospheric conditions threatening our existence and our planet.

SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING?

Many of us have heard about global warming and its negative effects on our climate. Still, most of us do not know or do not care what it is, its specific negative effects on our environment, and what roles we should play in stopping this drastic effect. We simply leave it to our governments to find solutions to this menace. However, are the efforts of the government enough to save our planet? We often watch on the News that our government leaders have been attending conferences meant to discuss this gnawing issue. However, we rarely follow up to know what was discussed in such conferences and what part we as individuals should play to help put this pressing issue to rest.

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

Global warming occurs when the earth bounces off some sun rays back into space; then, the rays get emitted back onto the Earth’s surface by greenhouse gasses in excess, leading to much higher temperatures. The greenhouse gasses ( Carbon dioxide, methane, hydrochlorofluorocarbon, water vapour etc.) naturally emit the rays reflected in outer space by the earth back to the earth. This is so the earth can be kept warm. However, some human activities lead to the excess emission of these gasses into the atmosphere, leading to too much retention of this heat on the Earth’s surface and rising temperatures that lead to global warming.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming has the following effects: the thawing of ice hence less ice, more droughts and wildfires, changes in animal migration, changes in the animal and plant life cycles leading to loss of species, higher temperatures and more heat waves, changing rain and snow patterns, stronger storms, damaged corals, rising sea levels and warmer oceans.

 CONCLUSION

With all these effects, we must realize that we can not solely depend on our governments to protect us from global warming. Do you think signing treaties such as the Kyoto protocol that pledge a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is enough to save our planet? One must take on a personal responsibility to help stop global warming. No effort is too little in this war. We must realize that we are the world, so we must be the change we wish to see in it. We should therefore aim to plant more trees, reduce waste generation, reduce the use of products that generate greenhouse gasses, use energy-efficient appliances, increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles and use more renewable energy for a better tomorrow.