GLOBAL WARMING

GLOBAL WARMING IS A PHENOMENON OF CLIMATE CHANGE CHARACTERIZED BY A GENERAL INCREASE IN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES OF THE EARTH, WHICH MODIFIES THE WEATHER BALANCES AND ECOSYSTEMS FOR A LONG TIME. IT IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE INCREASE OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, WORSENING THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.

DEFINITIONS

• CLIMATE CHANGE ■the complex shifts now affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems—in part because some areas actually get cooler in the short term.
• GLOBAL WARMING ■those changes are emerging as humans continue to add heat-trapping greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely on.

RESULTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

• ■Rising Surface Temperatures: The surface temperature of Earth has in­creased 0.45 - 0.6 degrees Celsius
• ■Rising Sea Levels: The average sea level has risen globally by 10 - 25 cm over the past century.

PRIMARY SOURCES

• ■Increasing of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere (30%)
• ■Diminished Atmosphere: The reflectivity of our upper atmosphere has diminished due to the depletion of certain gases.
• ■Retained Heat: The amount of heat retained by the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

A GREENHOUSE GAS IS A GAS THAT ABSORBS AND EMITS RADIANT ENERGY WITHIN THE THERMAL INFRARED RANGE. THE PRIMARY GREENHOUSE GASES IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE ARE WATER VAPOR, CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE, NITROUS OXIDE AND OZONE. WITHOUT GREENHOUSE GASES, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF EARTH'S SURFACE WOULD BE ABOUT −18 °C, RATHER THAN THE PRESENT AVERAGE OF 15 °C (59 °F).
THE ATMOSPHERES OF VENUS, MARS AND TITAN ALSO CONTAIN GREENHOUSE GASES.

GLOBAL WARMING CAUSES

FOSSIL FUELS
■The massive use of fossil fuels is obviously the first source of global warming, as burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide - the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere - as well as nitrous oxide.

DEFORESTATION
■The exploitation of forests has a major role in climate change. Trees help regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut down, this positive effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere.

INTENSIVE FARMING
■Another cause of global warming is intensive farming, not only with the ever-increasing livestock, but also with plant protection products and fertilizers. In fact, cattle and sheep produce large amounts of methane when digesting their food, while fertilizers produce nitrous oxide emissions.

WASTE DISPOSAL
Waste management methods like landfills and incineration emit greenhouse and toxic gases - including methane - that are released into the atmosphere, soil and waterways, contributing to the increase of the greenhouse effect.

MINING
■Modern life is highly dependent on the mining and metallurgical industry. Metals and minerals are the raw materials used in the construction, transportation and manufacturing of goods. From extraction to delivery, this market accounts for 5% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

OVERCONSUMPTION
■Finally, overconsumption also plays a major role in climate change. In fact, it is responsible for the overexploitation of natural resources and emissions from international freight transport, which both contributes to global warming.

GLOBAL WARNING EFFECTS

BIODIVERSITY
■The increase of temperatures and the climate upheavals disturb the ecosystems, modify the conditions and cycles of plant reproduction. The scarcity of resources and climate change are changing life habits and migratory cycles of animals. We are already witnessing the disappearance of many species - including endemic species - or, conversely, the intrusion of invasive species that threaten crops and other animals.

OCEANS
■Because of global warming, permafrost and ice are melting massively at the poles, increasing the sea level at a rate never known before. In a century, the increase reaches 18 cm (including 6 cm in the last 20 years). The worst case scenario is a rise of up to 1m by 2100.

HUMANS
■Human beings are not spared by these upheavals. Climate change is affecting the global economy. It is already shaking up social, health and geopolitical balances in many parts of the world. The scarcity of resources like food and energy gives rise to new conflicts.

THE WEATHER
■For decades now, meteorologists and climatologists around the world have been watching the effects of global warming on the weather phenomena. And the impact is huge: more droughts and heatwaves, more precipitations, more natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, storms and wildfires, frost-free season, etc.

GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS IN KYRGYZSTAN

GLACIERS MELTING
Global temperature increases will invariably lead to the melting of glaciers. In particular, approximately 2,000 snow caps have disappeared in Kyrgyzstan over the past 50 years. According to climate scientists' calculations, Kyrgyzstan may be left without glaciers at all.

Specialists from the Climate Change Centre have calculated that average annual temperatures in the region have increased by 0.8 degrees in the last 100 years. If this continues, by 2050 the volume of glaciers in the Tien Shan and Pamir will decrease by 60 percent.

CHANGES IN THE FLOW OF RIVERS
The flow of rivers will change, if now in Kyrgyzstan it is within 47 cubic kilometres per year, then by 2100 it may drop to 30 cubic kilometres. Under the influence of these factors, yields will change, mudflows, landslides and breakthroughs in alpine lakes will become more frequent.

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE It will also affect the seasonal distribution of river runoff, which is unfavourable for agriculture. Climate dryness will increase as rainfall increases slightly. A 1 degree increase in temperature will increase the number of malaria mosquitoes, rodents, ticks and other vectors of deadly infections by a factor of 10.

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
Higher temperatures will change the amount and seasonal distribution of precipitation, prolong dry periods.
Already, there is a shortage of forage for spring and autumn pastures, amounting to about 20 samples. If the number of animals is maintained, and even more so if the population increases, the deficit of forage will increase.

SOLUTION

• ■Renewable energies
• ■Energy & water efficiency
• ■Sustainable transportation
• ■Sustainable infrastructure
• ■Sustainable agriculture & forest management
• ■Responsible consumption & recycling