Global warming is a part of climate change and is partially caused by increased greenhouse gases from burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture and other industrial activities.

Global warming is one of the major issues we are being faced with. Global warming has caused changes in the climate of earth, causing temperatures to rise. The scientific consensus on climatic changes related to global warming is that the average temperature of the earth has risen between 0.4 degree Centigrade and 0.8 degree Centigrade over the past 100 years. Scientists from the intergovernmental panel on climate carrying out global warming research have recently predicted that average global temperatures could increase between 1.4 and 5.8 degree centigrade by the year 2100.

Effects of global warming include;

For well over a century it has been widely known that carbon dioxide absorb infra-red light reflected from the earth’s surface. The higher the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, the warmer the surface temperature gets, a phenomenon known as “global warming” which has a number of effects including; (a.) Ocean warming (b.) Loss of land-based ice and permafrost (c.) climate change (d.) sea level rise. The following is the outline of these effects.;

(a.) Ocean warming.
Most of the additional heat generated by rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. As a result sea surface temperature is rising and causing;
1.Thermal expansion.
2. Coastal erosion.
3. Arctic Erosion.
4. Warmer bottom water.
5. Coral die-off.

(b.) Ice loss.
Mountain glaciers store water which flows into rivers on which human populations depend for portable water, irrigation, food production and generating energy, often in areas of dense population.

These glaciers are storing less water and melting more rapidly, so that in the future sufficient water may not be available for an expanding human population and its increasing demand for food and water.

(c.) Climate change.
The temperature of the troposphere is now slightly under 1 degree centigrade above the pre-industrial and is continuing to rise due to increasing emission of greenhouse gases. This warming is characterized by less predictable, increasingly severe weather events, which include;
– High temperatures.
-Droughts
-Evaporation
-Strong wind events.
-Shortage of rainfall.

(d.) Sea level rise.
We know that thermal expansion caused by ocean warming and loss of mass from ice sheets and glaciers are the primary causes of sea level rise. Less certain is the speed with which these causes take effect.
Many climate scientists specialising in this area notably those contributing to IPCC assesment reports, are of the view that these are relatively slow processes indicating sea level rise of (0.52-0.98) metres by year 2100.