(Newswire.net — September 5, 2019) — Global warming can be quite a contentious subject and many different countries around the globe are tackling this in very different ways. Some are going full steam ahead and making many industry, cultural and environmental amendments and tough targets to reduce their carbon emissions as an example. Other countries are either in denial that global warming is having such an impactful effect, or they are not as committed to doing anything about this. There are many catastrophic things that affect the rise in temperature that scientists continue to warn us about therefore the time to act can only be now before it is irreversible. Generally, this is far more of a priority not only for governments and businesses but for people and consumers. This comes on the agenda a lot nowadays as people feel more accountable to make a difference.
Melting Ice
You will no doubt have seen images on the television where you see the earth changes in ice movement over the past century. The biggest changes have been in the last few decades where the ice has been melting at a significant rate in the polar regions due to the increase in the temperature. The impact of this can be devastating in terms of animals that rely on this ice but also the rising sea levels as a result. The latest analysis shows that global sea levels are rising at 3.2 millimetres per year and this rise has been increasing more in the most recent years.
Transportation
There has been a massive adjustment (and more to come) in terms of how people are moving from A to B. A lot of this is to do with the influence of global warming flowing down to business. For example, air travel – this is one of the most polluting sources and the industry has been forced to react. You will notice that if you book a flight anywhere in the world, tax is added to this – some countries even have the tax weighted in such a way that the more pollution the journey will make, the higher the taxes. This then affects the industry who are currently looking tediously at how they can reduce pollution and make their engines more effective. Companies such as GE and Rolls-Royce already have invested a large amount of research and development funding into how they can produce electric engines which is far less impactful to the environment.
The motor vehicle industry is also taking some major steps to modify their vehicles and fuel efficiency. Simple modifications have been made in recent years to cars which includes things such as the ignition going off when the car is not moving to reduce any emissions, but also the incorporation of many instruments and visuals on the dashboard to show how efficient the vehicle is running which then allows the drivers to make alterations to things such as speed and acceleration rates. In terms of fuel, clearly petrol is a big player in terms of the environmental damage that it makes via emissions and electric cars are something that are coming more and more into play. If you look at some European countries like the UK, they are a lot more mature than other countries where they have a big push on electric car sales which include charging stations in many public places. They even have reduced taxes on people with electric cars to add to the incentive. In the next decade, we expect to see electric cars be far more visible and petrol cars may even become a thing of the past. All of this clearly has a positive effect on global emission targets, but the question is, are we doing this quick enough to make the impact that is needed?
The governments are making some drastic changes to their roads also to play a part in emissions which include introducing “congestion” zones where there is a significant amount of motor vehicles present. This clearly impacts the quality of the air for anyone walking in these areas and this will support pollution reduction. As an example, in London, they have a very large zone where any car or motorbike that want to use it will require to pay a congestion charge. This is quite a significant charge in order to try and deter people from using it. Anyone that does use these zones without prior payment or approval will be subject to large fines. In order to make these sorts of initiatives appealing, it is important that the local public transport networks surrounding them are also up to scratch so that people can still commute in a reliable fashion.
Weather
There have been some catastrophic and extreme weather events in the last few decades where scientists are trying to pinpoint this to global warming. This includes more frequent and more significant in strength hurricanes, tsunamis and tornados. It is not 100% proven that global warming is the root cause of these events, however, the step change in the impact of these is a good indication. You will find that there is a lot of evidence over the past decades to also show that not only are some summer seasons a lot warmer, but the winter seasons are also a lot more extreme and unpredictable in terms of temperature and rain. The weather clearly has changed in recent years.
Household / Business Energy
The energy released from households may not seem a lot but it certainly adds up. Heating households in certain parts of the world (and in certain seasons) can take quite a lot of energy to do so. That is why it is crucial that both households and business do all they can to minimise any release of energy and try to keep it all contained indoors. There have been some significant inroads in this which include double glazing windows and doors that help keep that heating in.
In terms of powering the home or business, many people are moving to solar panel installation where they are using the sun’s rays to generate energy which in turn heats the home. The cost of solar panels Ontario are significantly cheaper when you take into consideration the return for money investment. If you manage to install these into your home at a one-off price, you will then see a significant reduction on your annual bills moving forward. Solar companies in Ontario are clearly taking advantage of this as the weather is good here and consumers are already seeing the clear cost benefits and how this improves their global footprint. Consider looking here for more information on the benefits and costs.
There are some states in the US and other countries around the globe that have government schemes that help on the installation costs to try and incentivise people to using this method. This then also helps the solar panel industry get their products out in the market and ultimately consumers will spend a lot less on their monthly energy payments. One of the myths around the solar panel installation is that it is time-consuming and somewhat intrusive. This is not true. The solar panels for your home could be installed in a day and depending on how your roof is slanted or situated, this will generally be hassle-free. You can speak to the representatives well in advance who will come out to your home and assess the installation project and give you projections and risks.
Animal Welfare
As already stated earlier, the removal of ice is having a direct impact on the habitat of some of the animals there, but this is not the only effect. In the polar region, we are seeing animals such as the polar bear appearing on the endangered species list where we are expecting to see a reduction of the current 22,000 animals by two thirds by 2050. We also have the grey headed robin which lives mainly in Australia that is in danger. This bird is restricted to rain forests and due to the reduction in the rain, it is finding surviving extremely challenging. Finally, we have the Hawksbill Turtle that has been affected by more frequent storms. This then impacts its nesting areas. The rising sea temperatures also then lower the amount of coral available which is their main source for food.
Death Rates
People may not think that global warming contributes to death rates, but it does in many ways (directly and indirectly). Scientists have said that global warming is the “biggest global health threat” in today’s world. Due to the change of climate, some people are not prepared, and it is said that hundreds of deaths per year in the USA are as a direct consequence of global warming as heat exhaustion, heatstroke and cardiovascular diseases are more common. The only way to really make an impact on any of these is to address the causes of global warming and try to make a difference this way.
Dirtier Air
If you have ever been to some Asian countries such as China or Japan, you will see that many people will wear face masks when out in public. There are several reasons they do this which include the risk of not getting an infection but also to protect their health from dirtier air. You hear the complaints of people in highly congested areas that they (or their family) are having health implications due to the dirtier air – this can include things such as asthma. The dirtier air is not only as a result of motor vehicles but also industry emissions.
Businesses are also responsible for emitting smog into the atmosphere and you will find that in some areas, companies that do this will be fined. The governments are putting a lot of emphasis on companies to make sure they are taking extra measures to reduce any environmental impact of their industry. Companies have “cleaner air” initiatives where they can transfer their energy sources and incentivise their employees to come to work in a more environmentally friendly way. This can include projects like “Cycle to Work” schemes. Everyone has a part to play in this and if every person around the globe invested their time in things such as this, the global warming impact would be significantly reduced.
Droughts
Due to the rise in the overall temperature and the reduction of rain, this then influences the amount of water available in some areas of the globe. If you take Africa as an example. This continent has a very large land mass and the climate here is warm and humid. The countries in Africa that are not near a coastline may then rely on water from lakes and rainfall. If there is no rainfall (or at least a lack of it) this then affects the amount of water available in these sources and in turn affects the water available to people and animals. Specifically, for animals, this causes quite a crisis each year where they will walk hundreds of miles on occasions in order to find some sort of drinking water to feed them and their family. This, unfortunately, leads to a lot of these animals dying as a result. Humans don’t tend to be affected as much as they will have pipes connecting them to water sources even hundreds of miles away. With global warming increasing, we can only expect the droughts to be more severe and impactful and even the landmass of desserts will increase as a result of this.
Summary
There are clearly a lot of different things that scientists believe affect global warming and we are already seeing some of the drastic effects of this. There are actions that people can take on an individual level to make a difference – even if it is only fitting a solar panel to their home. Make sure to consider the impacts of global warming when going about your daily life as this is so important.