Category Environment

            The Industrial Revolution, which began in the mid-18th century, set the wheel of rapid economic growth in motion world over. Scientific advancement and inventions of innumerable machines greatly emphasized this development. However, there were disadvantages to  this high-speed growth rate.

            During the time of Industrial Revolution, numerous factories had sprung up. Coal and wood were used in these factories as fuel. People cut trees extensively and destroyed forests. The period witnessed burning of more and more fossil fuels, deforestation and the adoption of new industrial processes and agricultural practices.

            While there are naturally occurring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that help keep the earth warm, additional amounts of these gases in the atmosphere lead to more heat being trapped in the planet. That is exactly what the Industrial Revolution did.

            More and more carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere by these factories. This increased the level of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. These gases enhanced the greenhouse effect and warmed up our planet. This phenomenon is still happening and our earth is going to face disastrous consequences.

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              We have learned that humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which is harmful to our body. Scientists say that carbon dioxide can be harmful not only to the human body, but to the environment in general.

              The level of carbon dioxide in the air was not same throughout the history of our planet. It has fluctuated; and in fact, it was much lower thousands of years ago. Studies of the Ice Ages have shown that levels of carbon dioxide in the air were significantly low during those periods.

              However the amount of carbon dioxide in the air gradually increased by almost 25 per cent. This is mainly due to human intervention. The burning of forests, the use of fertilisers, use of fossil fuels in cars and oil in power stations have contributed to the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

              Now, since the climate has become considerably warmer because the levels of carbondioxide increased in the atmosphere, it is more or less certain that carbon dioxide does play a role in the higher temperatures that are present worldwide.

              Unless Man learns a lesson and controls his activities that result in the production of this substance, time would soon run out even to plan a probable escape route.

            We have often heard our parents or eiders say that sudden change in climatic conditions may be the cause of the onset of a fever or a cold. Shifting weather and fluctuating climate can, in fact, affect our health and habits. So is the case of cur planet and the environment when there is a large-scale change in climate. The health and habits of our planet and, in turn, our own existence will be at risk when rapid alterations affect the existing climate.

            Scientists tell us that the earth is becoming warmer every year. This phenomenon is caused mainly by human intervention in nature. One of the chief reasons of global warming is that the air is growing more polluted with gases that trap the earth’s heat. As a result, the earth is turning hotter. The water in the oceans gets warmer too.

            When the planet’s climate be-comes increasingly warm, it affects the land and the ocean in many ways. The ice at the poles and in glaciers starts melting and flowing into the sea. This causes the sea level to rise, and widespread flooding of coastal area during storms.

            At the same time, the climate is becoming drier in places away from the sea. There is an alarming rate of droughts in such places. Dry spells become much more common and the land turns infertile and unable to support crops and cattle.

            The outermost part of Earth is where we live. Our home, school, play-grounds and all of human civilization is built up on this layer of earth. Lithosphere is one of the non-living parts of the environment.

            Lithosphere represents the solid, outer portion of the earth. It includes the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust and the outer most layers of the earth’s structure. Lithosphere is connected to the atmosphere above and asthenosphere, another part of the upper mantle, below.

            The cool brittle lithosphere is just one of four great spheres that shape the environment of the earth. The other spheres are the biosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. These spheres are instrumental in regulating various climatic conditions on our planet. They interact with each other to influence diverse elements such as ocean salinity, biodiversity and landscape.

            The lithosphere also interacts with the atmosphere and influences temperature difference. For example, tall mountains play a significant role in the temperatures of the valley.

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                We know that there is no single climate across the globe. When there is monsoon in India, there is heat and drought elsewhere in the world. In the case of our planet, it has faced prolonged periods of climates, which persisted for very long time.

                Several types of climates can be found on Earth. The difference in climates depends on the distance of a particular region from the equator, altitude, moisture, wind-pattern, soil, vegetation, pollution etc. Thus, there are many forces that control and change the climate. The climates will gradually alter when these factors undergo change.

                The extended climatic changes also depend on the different ages Earth has gone through over the period. For example, Ice Age was a period of prolonged extreme cold climatic condition. It was an age marked by vast snow and ice sheets all the year round. The earth has experienced many Ice Ages. The most recent Ice Age occurred in the Pleistocene period. However, it was thousands of years ago.  

                Besides closeness of the earth to the sun, volcanic eruptions and certain other natural phenomena can also cause changes in the earth’s climate.