Global Warming
P.A. Vidhey

Global warming is the most dreadul phenomenon threatening our planet with unimaginable destruction. Scientists all over the world are quite convinced that the culprit is the ever-increasing carbon emissions due to human activities. 
Having known the reason so clearly, should it not be easy for us to control the same and save ourselves? But, on the contrary, we remain indifferent and silent spectators. There are summit meetings in which different countries participate and such meetings mostly end without any concrete decisions. If we do not act fast, we will not be able to avoid the worst effects of climate changes triggered by global warming. 

What is global warming?
When we burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. A lot of carbon dioxide -- nearly half the weight of the fuel used -- goes out the exhaust pipe of vehicles. And there is no filter we can fit on the exhaust pipes or most other sources of carbon dioxide. Since carbon dioxide is an inevitable byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, the only way to reduce it is to burn less coal, gas, petroleum products, oil, etc.
The molecular structure of carbon dioxide is such that it traps heat that would otherwise radiate back out into space. It acts as an invisible blanket in the atmosphere. There is always some carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a good thing -- without it, the Earth wood get very cold at night. But ever since the start of the industrial revolution, we have started to burn fossil fuels in alarmingly large quantities. There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than there has been for millions of years, and this has caused the global warming.
Scientists tell us that we have so far raised the average temperature of the planet about 1 degree Celsius, roughly from 15 degree C. The strong scientific consensus is that unless we act very quickly and sincerely to reduce the amount of fossil fuel we are burning, we will raise the temperature another 2-3 degrees in the course of the century.

1 degree doesn't sound like much ...?
Yes, 1 degree may not sound like much. But it is indeed very devastating and already we can see the effects of this small increase. Every thing frozen on Earth is melting; statistical data show that we have both more droughts and more floods; hurricanes are getting stronger and lasting longer.
All this with just 1 degree. Three more degrees would make the Earth warmer than it has been since long before humans arrived here. Scientists warn that it could create a Totally Different Planet. Perhaps it may cause a terrible extinction of many many species. The changes would be so large it may be hard to even imagine them: an Artic without summer ice, for instance, appears to be not a distant possibility but a near-future one.
Researchers predict uncontrollable increases in diseases such as malaria, higher rates of crop failure, repeated devastations from floods and storms. Such changes will also make economic growth in poor countries such as ours more difficult. Even in affluent countries, many regions could experience such harsh conditions for prolonged periods of time.

Could this be part of natural cyclical change?
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), a body formed to assess global warming, issues a comprehensive report every five years. Their Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) provides a clear and up to date view of the current state of scientific knowledge relevant to climate change. The Synthesis Report (SYR) which integrates and synthesizes all the material for policymakers will be finalized on 31 October 2014. Their report highlights that there is virtually no possibility that the warming seen can be explained by any thing other than human activities.
The impact of global warming will be larger in the most populated parts of the globe -- the coastal plains of the tropics. Billions of people live on and depend on food from land near the sea. Many will simply have to leave -- the United Nations predicts hundreds of millions of refugees by mid-century.
The fact remains that the people in these tropical countries are among the poorest in the world and that they have done nothing to create this problem. The culprits are the people of the affluent countries.
Global warming can causewinters to become shorter and perhaps disappear altogether. Heat waves and extreme heat may cause wildfires apart from causing trouble for agriculture. Disease-causing mosquitoes may spread steadily. In coastal areas, water levels will rise ever higher. This is the most controversial part of climate change forecasting. Ice-sheets melting in the sea will not be a problem, but when ice-sheets melt over land, the water flows into the sea and causes the levels to rise.

Can we stop such catastrophes?
Unfortunately, we cannot stop all the effects of global warming. Scientists believe that we have already released enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to add another degree rise to the global temperature. But this is still less than the upto 3 degrees rise we will face if we do not act sincerely now. This can mean the difference between a difficult future and a catastrophic one. But we need a plan to cut carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050 to slow down global warming.

What would it cost?
The price tag is one reason why developed countries hesitate to take serious action on global warming. Perhaps it might seriously harm their economy -- it will certainly damage industries such as coal mining, etc.

Could nuclear power be an alernative?
Nuclear plants produce relatively low-carbon electricity (less carbon dioxide emission per unit of electricity produced). But nuclear power plants are expensive: they burn money! A nuclear reactor comes with its own inherent risks. But a new coal-fired power plant comes with a guarantee of destruction. There are many cheaper options, starting from conservation itself. The real answer to global warming is neither nuclear power nor coal power: it is to work on conservation and on renewable energy sources such as solar energy.

First things we need to do
. An immediate moratorium on coal-fired plants
. Preventing carbon emission levels from increasing
. A commitment to produce 25% of the country's requirement from
renewable sources such as sun and wind by 2025.
. A real commitment internationally to invest in a rapid and fair transition to a clean energy future and transfer of relevant technology to developing nations.

Starting at home
Even small efforts can make a difference. Avoid wasting power, use public transport where available, avoid air-conditioning, cut down on your power needs. Ask your parents to purchase energy-efficient appliances (these are rated with stars), install solar panels on your roofs, switch to low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), car-pool if there is no public transport. Even so small a thing as keeping vehicle tyres to the specified air pressure can save fuel! Go on, do it: the future is in your hands!