Global Warming

Global warming is a term that refers to the gradual increase in our planet’s average atmospheric temperature. This temperature increase poses many significant threats for our planet and the future of humanity. Global warming occurs due to greenhouse gases that are caused by increased air pollution and increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Ultimately, global warming is undoubtedly the greatest man-made ecological peril our Earth has ever seen. Soylent Green may have come off as ridiculous and exaggerated to its audiences in the 1970’s, however it provides a speculative scenario in which our planet may very well be headed if global warming continues at this rate. If global warming continues, the global temperature will continue to rise and will eventually lead to problematic weathering conditions that will prove to be detrimental to agricultural industries. In such a case, the food supply will become scarce while the population size will continue to increase. As this occurs, a vital equilibrium will be breached and we will live in a world that is environmentally unfit to support the rapidly growing human population. Similar hypothetical future scenarios can also be observed in speculative fiction novels such as Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.

Why is global warming occurring?

Scientists have been able to confirm increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO² through direct gaseous measurements and also through measurements of CO² through ice cores. Their research confirms that the atmospheric concentrations have been steadily and quickly rising, resulting in CO² levels that are a staggering 30% higher than the highest recorded natural level of atmospheric CO² in the past 800,000 years of our planet’s history. These emission levels have been linked and attributed to coal, oil, and other human related activity.

What are the effects of global warming?

The effects of global warming pose many severe threats to our planet as well as humanity. Global warming has been correlated to human population growth, and both are steadily and rapidly rising. Global warming has been linked to the decrease in biological diversity among our plant and animal species. If species extinction continues at this pace, our agricultural industries could be heavily compromised, which in turn would affect our food supply. Projected effects of global warming include but are not limited to:

- Higher maximum temperatures, more hot days and heat waves over nearly all land areas

- Increased deaths and serious illness in older age groups and urban poor

- Increased heat stress in livestock and wildlife

- Shift in tourist destinations

- Increased risk of damage to a number of crops

- Increased electric cooling demand and reduced energy supply reliability

- Higher minimum temperatures, fewer cold days, frost days and cold waves over nearly all land areas

- Decreased cold-related human morbidity and mortality

- Extended range and activity of some pest and disease vectors

- More intense precipitation events

- Increased flood, landslide, avalanche, and mudslide damage

- Increased soil erosion

- Increased flood runoff

- Increasing recharge of some floodplain aquifers

- Increased pressure on government and private flood insurance systems and disaster relief

- Increased summer drying over most mid-latitude continental interiors and associated risk of drought

- Decreased crop yields

- Increased damage to building foundations

- Decreased water resource quantity and quality

- Increased risk of forest fire

- Increase in tropical cyclone peak wind intensities, mean and peak precipitation intensities

- Increased risks to human life, risk of infectious disease epidemics and coastal erosion

- Intensified droughts and floods associated with el Niño events in many different regions

- Decreased agricultural and rangeland productivity

- Increased Asian summer monsoon precipitation

“Trends such as the loss of half of the planet’s forests, the depletion of most of its major fisheries, and the alteration of its atmosphere and climate are closely related to the fact that human population expanded from mere millions in prehistoric times to over six billion today,” says Robert Engelman of Population Action International.

How hot are we talking?

Researchers and scientists predict a temperature rise of a little over 4°C by the year 2100. To put that into perspective it should be noted that the average global temperature has risen less than 5°C over the last 20,000 years.

How does population growth fit in to the picture?

Humanity currently experiences approximately 140 million births each year and only around 60 million deaths. This means that we experience a net gain of approximately 80 million humans each year. Our planet’s population has doubled since the year 1966; it has increased by 1 billion in just the last 12 years. However, it is quite obvious to researchers that population growth in certain regions is more likely to add to global warming than others. For instance, between 1980 and 2005 Sub-Saharan Africa was responsible for 18.5% of the world’s population growth but only 2.4% of the increase in CO² levels. On the contrary, North America turn was responsible for only 4% of the population increase, but a staggering 15% of the extra carbon dioxide emissions.

This chart gives us an idea of which regions are contributing the most to global warming

	Country	Total Emissions (Million Metric Tons of CO2)	Per Capita Emissions(Tons/Capita)
1.	China	6534	4.91
2.	United States	5833	19.18
3.	Russia	1729	12.29
4.	India	1495	1.31
5.	Japan	1214	9.54
6.	Germany	829	10.06
7.	Canada	574	17.27
8.	United Kingdom	572	9.38
9.	Korea, South	542	11.21
10.	Iran	511	7.76
11.	Saudi Arabia	466	16.56
12.	Italy	455	7.82
13.	South Africa	451	9.25
14.	Mexico	445	4.04
15.	Australia	437	20.82
16.	Indonesia	434	1.83
17.	Brazil	428	2.18
18.	France	415	6.48
19.	Spain	359	8.86
20.	Ukraine	350	7.61

When compared to the 1.3 billion people of China, the mere 290 million Americans in the U.S. emit over 7x as much greenhouse gases per person. When compared to the 1.1 billion people of India, the 290 million Americans emit over 20 times as much greenhouse gases per person.

What exactly is giving off so many greenhouse gases?

The following chart gives us an idea of how exactly we are producing these gases.

How do we produce carbon dioxide?

Carbon dioxide emissions can be either direct or indirect. Direct carbon dioxide emissions refer to the consumption of energy derived from fossil fuels (i.e. gas in cars, heating or cooling our houses, using light electricity). The average household in America produces around 12.4 tons of carbon dioxide just from its household operations and around 11.7 tons just from automobile and transportation usage. Indirect carbon dioxide emissions refer to the energy that is consumed in the economy, that is to say not directly by the consumer (i.e. buying certain manufactured products, visiting an air-conditioned store). The average American household is responsible for approximately 35 tons of carbon emissions.

What does this mean about for our food supply?

Droughts and other global warming-related conditions have been observed in some agricultural areas. Global warming seems to have already taken a toll on agriculture in Texas and other southern states, as well as in other places throughout the world.

Solution?

Many scientists and environmental activists believe that the most reasonable solution to slowing global warming is population control. Countries such as China have put population control policies into practice by only allowing their citizens to have one child each. Other countries have practiced experimental trials of forced sterilization to help slow down population growth. However, it is important to also focus on the population growth of other high-contributing countries such as the United States. Population control seems like a taboo concept in our society, but it is in our country that it might matter the most. Simple ways to help promote population control include easier access to contraceptives as well as abortions. Family planning is seen by many activists and scientists as the most effective way to keep our population growth in check and to relieve some pressures of global warming.

“Family planning and reproductive health should be part of larger strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Slower population growth will make reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions easier to achieve.” – Signed letter by United States Democratic officials.