How we are the cause of global warming and climate change (pt 2). A seven minutes read.

Greenhouse gases ghg trap the sun's radiation within the Earth's causing continuous warming. Humans contribute to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases like the methane, carbon-dioxide,water vapour, nitrous oxide e.t.c through deforestation,  vehicle emissions,  energy production and waste disposal. 

Several things used everyday in your home produce gases like those that contribute to global warming. Certain lights has been thrown to this subjects in the last post, we will try to elaborate on what has been said and more.

photo credit: e.education.psu.edu 

The Air condition system

Cooling your home uses energy in the form of electricity or natural gas. Your air condition contains refrigerants like the chlorofluorocarbons CFCs, that if allowed to escape into the atmosphere; which eventually happens, contributes heavily to global warming by depleting/damaging the ozone layer, depending on the age of the unit. 

Let me explain this! when CFCs goes into the stratosphere( a layer in the atmosphere ), it is broken up by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and when this occurs, chlorine is been release that catalytically destroys the ozone layer; it does this by creating hole in the stratosphere that allows excess ultraviolet rays to find its way to the earth surface. Hence, increases chances of skin cancer, irritation and skin burns-----mostly with individuals low on melanin.

Light

Electricity use in houses in Nigeria/Africa contribute its own quarter to global environmental crises, as many are dependent on ac generators, as a result of lack of supplied electricity. Nigeria reliance on industrial and household ac generators, if recorded, causes so much environmental imbalances like the: noise pollution, sooth, carbon emissions and health disadvantages. The more we use more energy consuming bulbs and appliances, the more load we hand to the generator, which in turn, works more and emit more. Now! replacing this energy consuming bulbs with the energy saving ones can significantly reduce home electricity use and save you money while simultaneously making a positive impact on the environment. Also, if more can be done for the importation and promotion of solar power ( renewable energy ) against the use of ac generators mostly in Nigeria, as this can also go a long way in reduction of environmental degradation. This change would be in the hands of policy makers and government, as the average man would prefer to keep blind to the use of solar, because he/she believes the ac generators are more cheaper compared to the solar panels in Africa/Nigeria. 

Waste

When household waste ends up in a open landfill/dumpsite like the ones we have in big cities like Lagos      ( epe, ewu elepe, olusosun, solluos 1,2 and 3 waste dumpsites ). It decomposes and produces greenhouse gases including methane from manures of both man and animals. Reduce, reuse and recycling of waste are ways the people can help the environmental issues of today. 

There is also the need for the government to put infrastructures, awareness and set departments that would be responsible for this type of sustainable waste management, and also the need to educate everyone on domestic waste topics like difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste; to assist in reaching this environmental objectives. 

photo credit: dailypost.ng 

Note: if you have notice in my post, i use global warming with climate change in a way that it seem like am referring to both topic/problems as one. although both represent separate problem that fuels each other. 

Global warming is the environmental problem that occurs and still occurring as a result of the atmosphere been occupied with large amount of gases ghg that absorbs excess heat, and later extend it to earth surface continuously, when there exist no way for such heat to escape the earth surface  

 ( our environment ). ------ causing warming.

Climate change is the aftermath of global warming, as the earth keeps warming and getting hotter, the climate keeps changing.  The hot climate keeps causing evaporation increase( increase rainfall ), melting of glaciers and the ice-caps, which were so much thicker many years ago. It is feared that by the year 2o4o these ice might completely melt--------i guess you are asking how the melting ice-caps and glacier concerns you, relax let me explain.

Sea level around the world has been increasing as a result of global warming, this has been a major contributor to flooding as water from the sea come closer to shore and settlement( people's houses ) around and beyond. During intense rainy season with addition to the increasing sea level, flood becomes inevitable. 

The melting of ice caps and glacier in the north pole keeps dissolving and adding to the already existing sea level by increasing it's height, that is not the only cause of rise in sea level. The warming climate increases evaporation rate by channelling water vapour from the planetary surface( Land/Earth ) to the planetary atmosphere ( the skies ); hence, it continues to increase the sea level--------causing flooding, which displaces people from their houses, and cause ill health and environmental problems.

keywords: 

cfcs  ---- are chlorofluorocarbons is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine and fluorine.  It is widely used as a refrigerants for refrigerators, because of the damages it causes to the ozone layer, and has been replaced with hydro-fluorocarbons hcfs, although so many are still using the old refrigerators and other product that uses cfcs.

glaciers  ---- a dense body of ice that is constantly moving under its own weight as it forms accumulated snow.  Below are pictures to show .

A melting glacier
Photo credit: beforeitsnews.com

Ice cap
Photo credit: Climate change guide

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How we are the cause of global warming and climate change (pt 1). A four minutes read.

In the last post we talked a little about global warming and climate change, then towards the end i told you, that we are part of a problem, a contributor to the larger scale problem. Our burning of waste/bushes, deforestation and burning of fossil fuels( oil, natural gas and coal ) are chief culprits; not to forget our careless disposals of waste in an open dump-site. Okay let me explain briefly with picture illustration.

photo credit: ppsthane.com

 

The market trader

Disposes waste openly on the road side and at times burn it, which in turn emits carbon and turns waste into ash and heat, which are added to already existing green house gases ghg; and in turn thickens the planet atmosphere. One more addition is the fact that some of this waste are wash off when it rains into streams and ground water, which are later consumed by the municipal people and in turn harmful to public health.

The daily auto mobile emission from different exhaust 

The trucks, buses, trailers and cars emit carbon dioxide and water vapour when engine are working properly and the carbon is been oxidized, but discharges carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and soot ( the black stuff that comes out like a smoke ) during incomplete combustion, which is as a result of carbon not been oxidized or engines not well serviced. Aside the degrading and warming potential of these gases, the carbon-monoxide gas is toxic to human health when exposed. Imagine the health implication of people that are constantly been exposed to the every day traffic like that of major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Los Angeles, and New York.

We the people

We continue to be responsible for the global environmental problems, like the floods, hot temperature, acid rain and death in so many agricultural produce and ocean life. We live our every day life ignorant of the problems that the generations before our generation has cause to the environment, and the problems that we too have help in creating. We only fear disease, war and terrorism. Which to an extent is reasonable and because we  frequently see the casualties through the media, we watch the chaos in Syria and Sudan and also see the Boko haram, Isis, Taliban, Al-shabaab constitute serious threats and damages to the society, and also we see campaigns like #Bringbackourgirls #Prayforparis and say to ourselves that this are major threats; well! they are as well but still, lets put this on the table.

 The threats that global warming and climate change present is one that is constantly increasing the temperature of the earth, and you know with intense heat comes fire. Imagine the catastrophe, not even five to ten nuclear bombs would be compared to the direct sun radiation that would occur when the planet ozone layer would be completely or severely degraded. There are so many ways we can contribute to environmental degradation with out been aware, we often degrade our health and the environment by our misappropriate waste management methods, burning of charcoal, bushes, refuse and properties, not to forget often our disposal of liquid waste into gutters that leads to canals. At times this canal run into streams, that later becomes accessible to an individual at the other end. Cases like typhoid, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and so on --- are diseases and illness caused by polluted water. We are, our environmental problems. As custodians of the environment around us, we affect it in so many ways possible, a little awareness goes a long way to alert everyone of the problems on ground as many are ignorant of this. More light would be thrown on the next environmental post. If you find this post enlightening, feel free to share using the social media icons below. Until your next read, enjoy.

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