Global warming is the extra heat within the earth’s atmosphere which has caused the rise in global temperature. Global warming leads and continues to cause climate change. Climate change can cause rising sea levels, destruction of communities, as well as extreme weather conditions. Here are 10 causes of global warming that are contributing to the climate crisis. 

10. Overfishing

Fish is one of humans main sources of protein and a lot of the world now rely on this industry. Due to the amount of people buying and consuming fish, there is now a reduced amount of marine life. Overfishing has also caused a lack of diversity within the ocean.  

9. Industrialization 

Industrialisation is harmful in a variety of ways. The waste this industry produces all ends up in landfills, or in our surrounding environment. The chemicals and materials used within industrialisation can not only pollute the atmosphere but also the soil underneath it. Manufacturing and construction are less often discussed than transit, but they contribute nearly as much to climate change: 13.3% of emissions, WRI says. These activities are the third-biggest contributors of heat-trapping emissions. Some emissions can’t be tied to a particular country. These “bunker fuels,” in industry-speak, include ships in international waters as well as international flights, according to the World Resources Institute. They account for 2.2% of climate change emissions.

8. Farming

Farming takes up a lot of green space meaning local environments can be destroyed to create space for farming. These animals produce a lot of greenhouse gases for example methane, as well as this they also produce an extreme amount of waste. Factory farming is responsible for even more climate issues because of the extra pollution it produces and the more animals it can hold. The use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers increases the amount of heat cropland can store. Nitrogen oxides can trap up to 300 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Sixty-two percent of nitrous oxide released comes from agricultural byproducts.

7. Consumerism 

Due to the innovations in technology and manufacturing customers are able to purchase any product at any time. This means we are producing more and more products every year, and over producing them. Most items we purchase aren’t very sustainable, and because of the reduced lifetime of electronics and clothing items, we are creating more waste than ever.

6. Transport and Vehicles 

The large amount of transportation is done through cars, planes, boats and trains, almost all of which rely on fossil fuels to run. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon and other types of pollutants into the atmosphere. This makes transportation partly responsible for the greenhouse gases. This effect could be reduced with the introduction of electric vehicles.

5. Oil Drilling 

Oil drilling is responsible for 30% of the methane population and around 8% carbon dioxide pollution. Oil drilling is used to collect petroleum oil hydrocarbons in this process other gases are released into the atmosphere, which contribute to climate change, it is also toxic to the wildlife and environment it surrounds. outed as a cleaner fuel source, natural gas drilling causes massive air pollution in states like Wyoming; the hydraulic fracturing technique used to extract natural gas from shale deposits pollutes ground water sources as well.

4. Power Plants 

Power plants burn fossil fuels to operate, due to this they produce a variety of different pollutants. The pollution they produce not only ends up in the atmosphere but also in the water ways, this largely contributes to global warming. Burning coal which is used in power plants is responsible for around 46% of total carbon emissions.  Burning fossil fuels for electricity and heat is, by far, the main driver of climate change. Emissions from those sectors account for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute. These activities are the biggest climate villains, statistically speaking.

3. Waste  

Humans create more waste now than ever before, because of the amount of packaging used and the short life cycle of products. A lot of items, waste and packaging isn’t recyclable, which means it ends up in landfills. When the waste in landfills begins to decompose/break down it releases harmful gases into the atmosphere which contribute to global warming.

2. Deforestation

Deforestation is the clearance of woodland and forest, this is either done for the wood or to create space for farms or ranches. Trees and forests turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, so when they are cleared like the stored carbon is then released into the environment. Deforestation can also occur naturally which has a greater effect because of the fumes released from the fire. Forests trap carbon, so chopping down rainforests contributes considerably to the climate change problem. Estimates vary, but WRI says deforestation accounts for 5.7% of emissions linked to climate change. Other estimates put the number closer to 20%. Burning other types of fuel, including wood, accounts for 8.2% of emissions. Also included in this category are fuels burned in commercial and residential buildings, as well as burning fuel for agriculture and deep-sea fishing.

1. Oil and Gas

Oil and Gas is used all the time in almost every industry. It is used the most in vehicles, buildings, production and to produce electricity. When we burn coal, oil and gases it largely adds to the climate problem. The use of fossil fuels is also a threat to wildlife and the surrounding environments, because of the toxicity it kills off plant life and leaves areas uninhabitable. Gas flares, and other emissions associated with energy production, create 5.3% of greenhouse gas emissions.

11. Permafrost

This is an alternate top 10 cause of glogal warming.

The melting of permafrost releases tons of trapped green house gases which further speeds up the melting of more permafrost. Scientists calculate that approximately five-hundred gigatons of carbon is trapped in the Siberian permafrost alone. A single gigaton equals one billion tons.

12. Volcanic Eruption

This is another alternate top 10 cause of Global warming.

Volcanoes expel large quantities of carbon dioxide when they erupt. Volcanoes have an overall small effect on global warming and an eruption causes a short-term global cooling as ash in the air reflects greater amounts of solar energy.

Resources

sustainabilitymag.com, “Top 10 Causes Of Global Warming.” By India Berry; sciencing.com, “The Top 10 Causes of Global Warming.” By Joe Kelly; cnn.com, “10 climate change villains.”;