Global Warming

BY
KELSEY FESTER
GRADE 11

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Humans need food to survive and most of the food we eat comes from the agricultural sector. This sector of the economy is under enormous strain in recent years caused by the following factors:

a. Global warming
b. El Nino
c. Bad farming practices

We will look more closely at Global Warming in this book.

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What is it and how is it caused?

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The graph shows us how the Earth's temperatures have been steadily rising over the years. There has been a definite increase in temperatures and this is known as Global Warming or Climate Change

Watch the video on the next page carefully to fully understand what this means.

This video by National Geographic will help you understand the concept of Global warming

Definition of global warming:

1. an increase in the air temperatures over the last couple of centuries
2. a change in weather patterns such as temperature and precipitation which directly influences the climate in different regions of the Earth
3. an increase in the average temperatures by 1,1 degrees mostly caused by Human activities

One of the main causes of Global warming is The Greenhouse Effect

What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The Greenhouse effect is a natural process whereby the Sun's energy(heat) is reflected form the surface of the Earth back into the atmosphere where some of it is captured to keep the Earth warm. The heat is captured by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

So greenhouse gases are natural and needed. However, human activities in the last couple of centuries has caused an over abundance in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels and other air pollution is results in too much greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This results in too much heat from the Sun being caught in the atmosphere and this is causing the Earth to heat up!

Polar caps are melting

Animal migration patterns are changing

Extreme weather patterns such as colder winters and warmer summers

An increase in temperatures is the one effect that everybody is noticing

These are some of the effects of global warming on our planet but the way it will affect people is probably the worst of all.

The effects of global warming

The effect of global warming on agriculture is very serious as this impacts food security.
Droughts, severe weather patterns, an increased number of pests of different kinds, a low groundwater table and the loss of good farming land leads to crop failures and lowered livestock numbers. This leads to an increasing loss of food for people to eat which in turn could eventually lead to social unrest.

Human health is also affected as global warming also sees a rise in diseases caused by mosquitoes. The Zika virus of 2016 is one of these diseases. Longer, hotter summers caused by global warming create perfect environments for mosquitoes to be able to live longer in places they would not normally live in.

So what is the solution to global warming and its effects?

Nobody has the perfect solution yet but here are a few things that the average person in the street can do to help.

Watch how you travel:
Ride a bike to work, car pool or use public transport, stop or reduce the number of times you fly in an aeroplane. Buy a hybrid car that uses electricity as well as petrol

Stop wasting!
Reuse and recycle as much as possible

Become more energy efficient:
Use energy efficient bulbs; unplug appliances when not in use; don't use a heater or other appliances which use lots of energy

Save water!! Cape Town's drought is a symptom of global warming. Help out by not wasting water unnecessarily.

Become involved.
Do your bit, make sure you know as much about this as possible and find out how you can make a difference.