The greenhouse effect is constantly making the news and warning after warning is ringing our ears that keep emphasizing how it is to be blamed for global warming. If Hurricane Katrina and other strong hurricanes were not hurting us so bad, and sounding the warning of what could happen if we don' t do something about global warming, we would have maybe not given the effects of global warming a second thought and consigned them to yet another scientific myth.
Nothing New, You May Argue
You might argue that the greenhouse effect has been with mankind for more than four billion years and there has not been anything to worry about this far. The trouble is that the recent effects of global warming are a bit different because some of the activities that we humans are pursuing as well as certain practices are changing this as yet benign change in climatic conditions.
We have certainly been experiencing the effects of global warming for the past few years most noticeably in changes to climatic conditions. The circulation of the oceans is changing, the planet' s orbit is affected and there is also a change in the sun' s intensity. This is reason to consider what the ill-effects of global warming are, and do something serious to prevent, alleviate as well as reduce its adverse effects on humankind. There have been drastic changes to the globe and dire consequences will not spare humans as well as the millions of other species that are dependent on the earth for their very survival.
With glaciers melting and causing the sea levels to rise, we can see the perfect example of the effects of global warming in the rising sea levels. Though we cannot readily see or perceive these effects of global warming, they are still serious and may cause more land to go under the waters of the seas if we are not careful. This can be seen in the example when just a 0.3 meter rise in sea level will cause the swallowing up of fifteen meters of a beach. It certainly is reason to sit up and take notice before it gets too late.
Other effects of global warming are felt in the effect it has on agricultural practices that are dependent wholly on glaciers melting in a regular manner. There are a number of countries in the world that depend on melting of snows from mountains for irrigation of their plants and in generating electricity. If the melting occurs in periods of bad times, it would throw out of gear the planting as well as harvesting periods thus endangering the economy of these countries on both local as well as national levels.
Thus, we need to face the problem of global warming head-on if we want to escape the bad effects of global warming and survive for long on the planet.
