What are the ways development, globalization and overpopulation are connected with the Climate change?

 

What are the ways development, globalization and overpopulation are connected with the Climate change?

The earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. In this age earth has faced many climate changes. Even the climate has changed so many times before humans. Earth’s climate changes naturally, it has been a snowball and a hothouse at different times in its past. But the current global warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming. It is occurring because of the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Humans have added a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. And this carbon dioxide has caused climate change, as carbon dioxide is a long-lasting greenhouse gas that blocks heat that tries to rise off the planet. And development, globalization and overpopulation are all connected with climate change.

Firstly, there are many unsustainable development practices responsible for triggering the global warming effect but the use of fossil fuel as a source of energy is one of the main reasons for triggering the global warming effect. In order to develop, the world is burning lots of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. Energy gained from burning fossil fuels is converted to electricity and heat in commercial power plants. And burning fossil fuels adds a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. When fossil fuels are burned carbon and hydrogen react with oxygen in the air to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). And this long-lasting carbon dioxide blocks heat that tries to rise off the earth. It traps infrared radiation emitted by the earth after the sun’s rays hit it better than a lot of other gases. That is why global temperature is increasing faster. As global temperature is increasing and the earth has been getting warmer, glaciers are melting, the pattern of rainfall is changing and the sea level is increasing rapidly. When temperature rises and ice melts more water flows to the seas from glaciers and expands in volume. Though sea levels have risen and fallen substantially over earth’s 4.5 billion years history, the recent rate of global sea level rise has departed from the average rate of the past two to three thousand years and is rising rapidly. That is why developing countries like Bangladesh face many problems to develop because of climate change. Climate change is slowing down global development efforts. For example, the construction of the much-discussed Padma bridge is being impacted by climate change. Many expensive materials such as slabs, railway girders and pipes have been lost into the Padma river due to bank erosion. Even engineers have to increase the height of the bridge for climate change in future.

Furthermore, globalization is also responsible for triggering the global warming effect. Globalization is causing carbon emission and therefore climate change. The developing and developed countries both have been satisfying their needs in terms of globalization. But this increasing pattern of globalization has also put consequent effects on our environment. Countries become more industrialized and increase the production of their products in order to overcome demand. These industries in turn emitted various greenhouse gases, which acted as a major contributor to climate change. Even the structure of the atmosphere is altering due to the emission of tons of greenhouse gases through various activities like production, transportation, agriculture, and consumer practices. Our atmosphere is gradually warming due to the accumulation of these gases. Though there are negative effects attached to globalization but at the same time its positive side and benefits from it cannot be ignored. Globalization has helped human beings to receive quality education and progress. It also helped the nations to come together over the serious issues and help each other by forwarding global policies and protocols that will in turn preserve the environment and will help to revive it, which has been continuously exploited by us for decades. Globalization also helps in the invention of new technologies which will help to use our limited resources in a very efficient way. So, it is not possible to stop the development we are going through but it would be wise to preserve the environment and resources and also to maximize the positivity of globalization and regulate the negativity so that it has the least possible impact.

However, overpopulation is the root cause of climate change. In 1950, there were about 2.5 billion people scattered around the globe and the carbon dioxide level was in the range of 300310 parts per million. Now, there are approximately 7.6 billion people around the world, and the carbon dioxide level is over 400 parts per million. Since populations are increasing, aviation, transportation, use of fertilizer, deforestation is also increasing. And more people mean more demand for oil, gas, coal, and other fuels mined or drilled from below the earth’s surface. When it burns enough carbon dioxide is added into the atmosphere to trap warm air inside like a greenhouse. So, population change is causing climate change. And, glaciers are melting, sea level is increasing because of climate change. As sea level is increasing the countries like Bangladesh are facing many disasters. For example, every year Bangladesh has to face a huge flood, many people lose their home and land due to bank erosion. Even many people die in this disaster. So, climate change is also causing population change. But overpopulation is most vulnerable to climate change because more population means more transportation, aviation and more demand for fossil fuels. And these things add a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And carbon dioxide traps infrared radiation emitted by the earth after the sun’s rays hit it better than a lot of other gases. That’s why global temperature increases and causes global warming.

At last climate change becomes a serious issue now. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, global warming would continue to happen for at least several more decades. But it may not be too late to avoid or limit some of the worst effects of climate change. To protect our earth from climate change we have to reduce the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and have to increase the use of renewable energy such as wind, solar energy and hydroelectricity. We also have to stop cutting down trees. As trees take a lot of carbon dioxide inside, it will be good for our planet if we plant more trees.