AECC-2 Project.

Topic:- Global warming and it’s impact on

the environment.
C.U. Roll No.:- 203613-21-0010.
C.U. Registration No. :- 613-1111-0258-20.
Stream:- BSc. (Honors).
Semester:-2.
Introduction:-
Our climate is determined by patterns of temperature, wind,
atmospheric pressure, humidity and rain over a long period of
time. There are different climates around the world, such as
tropical, dry and moderate. As a large country, Australia has a
variety of climates.

The climate of an area determines its seasons and when they

come and go. This, in turn, affects the type of plants that grow
and which animals survive. The species and places we love
depend on intricate ecosystems, and even small changes to the
climate can disrupt the delicate balance of nature.

Global warming, caused by greenhouse gas pollution, is causing

immediate and direct changes to the planet.

The Earth's temperature had already warmed by 1°C compared to

pre-industrial levels. This temperature rise may appear small, but
small rises in temperature translate into big changes for the world’s
climate. This is because the amount of extra energy needed to
increase the world’s temperature, even by a little, is vast. This extra
energy is like force-feeding the global climate system.
Many people think of global warming and climate change as
synonyms, but scientists prefer to use “climate change” when
describing the complex shifts now affecting our planet’s weather and
climate systems. Climate change encompasses not only rising
average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting
wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas, and a range of other
impacts. All of these changes are emerging as humans continue to
add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

The above graph shows how temperature has increased

proportionately due to global warming since 1880.

This proportionate increase in temperature has lots of adverse

effects. Some of them include:-
• Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This
includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica
and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. In Montana's Glacier
National Park the number of glaciers has declined to fewer than
30 from more than 150 in 1910.

• Much of this melting ice contributes to sea-level rise. Global sea

levels are rising 0.13 inches (3.2 millimeters) a year, and the
rise is occurring at a faster rate in recent years.

• Rising temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats.

Vanishing ice has challenged species such as the Adélie penguin
in Antarctica, where some populations on the western
peninsula have collapsed by 90 percent or more.

• As temperatures change, many species are on the move. Some

butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have migrated farther north
or to higher, cooler areas.

• Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe,

on average. Yet some regions are experiencing more severe
drought, increasing the risk of wildfires, lost crops, and drinking
water shortages.

• Some species—including mosquitoes, ticks, jellyfish, and crop

pests—are thriving. Booming populations of bark beetles that
feed on spruce and pine trees, for example, have devastated
millions of forested acres in the U.S.
• The oceans have absorbed most of extra heat and
carbon dioxide (CO2) so far – more than the air – making
the seas both warmer and more acidic. Warming waters
are bleaching coral reefs and driving stronger storms.
Rising ocean acidity threatens shellfish, including the
tiny crustaceans without which marine food chains
would collapse.

• The length of the frost-free season (and the

corresponding growing season) has been increasing
nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases
occurring in the western United States, affecting
ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States,
the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.

• In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions

continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the
lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are
projected across most of the U.S. by the end of the
century, with slightly smaller increases in the northern
Great Plains. The largest increases in the frost-free
season (more than eight weeks) are projected for the
western U.S., particularly in high elevation and coastal
areas. The increases will be considerably smaller if heat-
trapping gas emissions are reduced.
Global warming, like elsewhere, has made it’s impact felt in
India too. Some of these impacts are as follows:-

• Floods in India:- India is the most flood distressed state

in the world after Bangladesh, accounting for 1/ 5th of
the global deaths every year with 30 million people
displaced from their homes yearly. Approximately 40
million hectares of the land is vulnerable to floods, with
8 million hectares affected by it. Unprecedented floods
take place every year at one place or the other, with the
most vulnerable states of India being Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and
Jammu & Kashmir. The climatic history of India is
studded with a very large number of floods, which have
wreaked havoc on the country’s economy.

• Increase in the number of climatic disasters:- The effect

of global warming on the climate of India has led to
climate disasters as per some experts. India is a disaster
prone area, with the statistics of 27 out of 35 states
being disaster prone, with foods being the most
frequent disasters. The process of global warming has
led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of
these climatic disasters. According to surveys, in the
year 2007-2008, India ranked the third highest in the
world regarding the number of significant disasters, with
 18 such events in one year, resulting in the death of
1103 people due to these catastrophes.
The anticipated increase in precipitation, the melting of
glaciers and expanding seas have the power to influence
the Indian climate negatively, with an increase in
incidence of floods, hurricanes, and storms.
Global warming may also pose a significant threat to the
food security situation in India.According to the The
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, if the
process of global warming continues to increase,
resulting climatic disasters would cause a decrease in
India’s GDP to decline by about 9%, with a decrease by
40% of the production of the major crops. A
temperature increase of 2° C in India is projected to
displace seven million people, with a submersion of the
major cities of India like Mumbai and Chennai.

• Droughts: Of the total agricultural land in India, about

68% is prone to drought of which 33% is chronically
drought prone, receiving rainfall of less than 750mm per
year. This is particularly the states of Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa. The World Record for Drought was in 2000 in
Rajasthan, India.
According to researches, unabated global warming will
lead to exacerbation of the droughts, cutting down the
water availability in the plains of Pradesh and Bihar.
India’s initial National Communication to the United
Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate
Change projects that Luni; the west flowing rivers of
Kutchh and Saurashtra are likely to experience acute
physical water scarcity. The river basins of Mahi, Pennar,
Sabarmati and Tapi are also likely to experience
constant water scarcities and shortages.
The Indian economy is considered as one of the fastest
growing major economies. However, the country is
plagued by climatic disasters that continue to wreak
havoc on its economy. As a result, majority of the
people of India continue to live in poverty, with
malnutrition and diseases corroding the society. In this
light, a comprehensive mitigation and adaptation plan
needs to be drafted and implemented for better
preparation and response to such climate disasters that
are generated as a result of global warming.
Ways of preventing global warming:-
There are lots of steps which all of us can take at a
personal level to stop global warming.
These include:-
• Change a light:-Replacing one regular light bulb
with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150
pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

• Drive less:- Walk, bike, carpool or take mass

transit more often. You'll save one pound of
carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive!

• Recycle more:-You can save 2,400 pounds of

carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of
your household waste.

• Check your tires:- Keeping your tires inflated

properly can improve your gas mileage by more
than 3 percent. Every gallon of gasoline saved
keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere.
• Use less hot water:-It takes a lot of energy to heat
water. Use less hot water by taking shorter and
cooler showers and washing your clothes in cold or
warm instead of hot water (more than 500 pounds
of carbon dioxide saved per year).

• Avoid products with a lot of packaging:-You can

save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you reduce
your garbage by 10 percent.

• Adjust your thermostat:-Moving your thermostat

down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in
summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon
dioxide a year.

• Plant a tree:-A single tree will absorb one ton of

carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

• Turn off electronic devices:-Simply turning off

your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer,
when you're not using them, will save you
thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
International agreements and
protocols to stop global warming:-
Many international treaties and protocols have been
signed from time to time to prevent global warming.
Some of these include:-
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), 1992:- Ratified by 197 countries,
including the United States, the landmark accord
[PDF] was the first global treaty to explicitly
address climate change. It established an annual
forum, known as the Conference of the Parties, or
COP, for international discussions aimed at
stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere. These meetings produced the
Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

• Kyoto Protocol, 2005:-The Kyoto Protocol [PDF],

adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005,
was the first legally binding climate treaty. It
required developed countries to reduce emissions
by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels, and
established a system to monitor countries’
progress. But the treaty did not compel developing
countries, including major carbon emitters China
 and India, to take action. The United States signed
the agreement in 1998 but never ratified it and
later withdrew its signature.

• Paris Agreement, 2015:- The most significant

global climate agreement to date, the Paris
Agreement requires all countries to set emissions-
reduction pledges. Governments set targets,
known as nationally determined contributions,
with the goals of preventing the global average
temperature from rising 2°C (3.6°F) above
preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to keep it
below 1.5°C (2.7°F). It also aims to reach global
net-zero emissions, where the amount of
greenhouse gases emitted equals the amount
removed from the atmosphere, in the second half
of the century. (This is also known as being climate
neutral or carbon neutral.) Every five years,
countries are supposed to assess their progress
toward implementing the agreement through a
process known as the global stocktake; the first is
planned for 2023. Countries set their own targets,
and there are no enforcement mechanisms to
ensure they meet them. The United States, the
world’s second-largest emitter, was the only
 country to withdraw from the accord, a move by
former President Donald Trump that took effect in
November 2020. However, President Joe Biden
reentered the United States into the agreement
during his first months in office. A few countries
have not formally approved the agreement:
Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, Turkey, and
Yemen.

Conclusion:-
Thus we have seen how global warming can adversely impact
our lives. Only international treaties are not enough to
combat global warming. We should ensure that all of us do
our part in combating global warming. Little but impactful
endeavors at a micro level will surely ensure that we leave
behind a better world for our future generations.