Greenhouse emission is a major global problem. Due to the increasing human population, there is an increase in human activities leading to the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The rate of global warming has been on the rise over the last five, an issue that has become a major concern to the UN. The emission of greenhouse gases has been more serious in developing countries due to the rapidly growing population and lack of control of emissions. Ethiopia is an example of countries that experiences the highest emission of greenhouse gases. With a rapidly growing population, Ethiopia has witnessed a rapid rise in human activities leading to high emission. The paper focuses on fossil fuel combustion and deforestation as the major cause of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The paper first examines the background of the topic and then proceeds to analyze how emission causes the problem to the developing countries. The paper finally discusses the causes of greenhouse gases and then proposes solutions to the problem. Shifting towards renewable sources of energy and forestation can help solve the problem of greenhouse effects.
Section I: Background
Greenhouse gases can absorb and radiates the infrared radiations emitted from the surface of the earth. The process leads to the greenhouse effect, which usually leads to global warming. The major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere include carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor ( Tiemeyer et al., 2016 ). The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has a serious environmental impact. These gases can absorb the radiation from the sun and then emit the heat back to the atmosphere. The major effect of this process is global warming, which is the rise in atmospheric temperature. For example, Ethiopia has reported 61% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from human activities ( Tiemeyer et al., 2016 ). The rate usually corresponds to the GDP and the mitigation strategies that have been put in place by the individual country.
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Global warming takes place as a result of the greenhouse effects due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is mainly the warming of the earth's surface when the atmosphere traps greenhouse gases. Global warming occurs when these greenhouse gases trap the heat radiated from the surface of the earth towards space. These gases allow the sunlight to pass to the atmosphere but then trap the radiated heat from getting into the space leading to global warming. The major gases that trap the radiated heat include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and CFCs. The rising population in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, and minimal mitigation strategies has led to increased accumulation of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere ( Butler & Montzka, 2016 ). With a reported 86% increase in greenhouse emission between 1993 and 2018, Ethiopia has witnessed rising temperatures as a result of increased human activities.
Section II: How Emissions Cause Problems for Developing World
Large emission of greenhouse gases occurs due to industrial activities and the burning of fossil fuel. The world-leading countries in the emission of these gases are China and India, which are the most populated and having high levels of industrial activities. China alone emits 9.8 billion metric tons, with carbon dioxide from coal combustion being the major greenhouse gas ( Wurzel, Connelly & Liefferink , 2016). India has also been on the path of industrialization and has witnessed increased emission of greenhouse gases. With more industrial activities and combustion of coal for fuel, India emits more than 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere tends to have more harmful effects than benefits to the economy. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has led to global warming, which continuously affects agricultural production ( Handrich et al., 2015 ). The majority of the developing nations rely more on the agricultural sector, and with the earth warming, it poses a great threat to the economy of such nations. Also, acidic rain that results from the emissions has hurt aquatic life, thus affecting the fishing sector. For example, Ethiopia has reported climatic changes in the past few years, and this has greatly affected its food production and food security.
Emissions of greenhouse gases lead to climatic change, which has destabilizing effects on national security. Climatic change has led to damage to the national security infrastructure at the military bases. Effects such as hurricane harm the infrastructure and threaten the military preparedness. Climatic change is harmful to national security as it affects the stability of the whole population, from agriculture to the economy ( Handrich et al., 2015 ). For example, the climatic change, such as floods and other disasters, has led to the destruction of infrastructure, thus affecting the security preparation in Ethiopia.
The emission of greenhouse gases has also led to the introduction of local and international policies to govern emissions. Due to the rising greenhouse effects, policies on the regulation of the rate of emission and the need to develop mitigation strategies have been derived. For example, Ethiopia has introduced its national environmental policies with the aim o reducing the rate of emissions. Also, the emission of greenhouse gases seems to change international politics and relations. There is a call for every nation to develop mitigation strategies that would minimize the global impacts of emissions.
Section III: Causes of Greenhouse Gases and Solution to the Problem
One of the causes of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Fossil fuels account for more than 60% of global energy consumption ( McGlade & Ekins , 2015). Burning of these fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causing greenhouse effects. The second cause of greenhouse gases is deforestation. Cutting down trees for especially to provide wood, has led to an increase in the greenhouse effects. Trees absorb a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The solution to the problem of greenhouse emission through fossil fuel combustion is to divert more to renewable and clean sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, and hydrothermal tend to have very minimal impact on the environment because they do not release any pollutants to the atmosphere ( McGlade& Ekins , 2015). Also, planting more trees can help solve the problem of greenhouse gases that occur due to forestation. Logging in the main forest areas should be regulated, and people should plant more planting trees. Population growth is directly related to the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. As the population increases, human activities such as agriculture and industrialization also increases ( Owusu & Asumadu-Sarkodie, 2016 ). Every person represents a specific percentage of greenhouse emissions. Population control can, therefore, help in the regulation of the greenhouse emission.
Conclusion
Greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere have been on the rise over the past few years as the global population continue to rise. The increase in human activities such as transportation, industrialization, and agricultural activities has led to a rapid increase in greenhouse effects. Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are some of the major causes of the concentration of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. There is a need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable and clean sources of energy. The renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, tend to have very minimal emissions into the atmosphere. Also, there is a need for regulation of forestation and planting more trees to help minimize the effects of greenhouse gases due to deforestation. These will help cut on the carbon emission, thus reduced greenhouse effects.
References
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