nvironmental issues were not a matter of concern in the years gone by.

People were not aware of

the grave implications of environmental degradation. Lack of awareness leads to more damage to
the environment. With the rise of the internet, everyone is aware of environmental issues today.
Not all of them understand the deeper meaning of each one of those issues. However, given the
state of the earth, people realize that all is not well.

There is a way in which every person cares for the environment. Some people respect it. Some
try to nurture it. The crucial issues related to the situation today are mainly global warming,
greenhouse effect, and climate change. Global warming is the increase in temperature of the
earth due to the overconsumption of resources. It leads to other environmental issues like
changes in temperature, soil erosion, and abnormal rainfall. Global warming can be tackled
through control of pollution levels, lower vehicular emissions, and a person’s carbon footprint.

The green-house effect is named after the greenhouse arrangement. Such an arrangement is
usually made for the growth of plants. It consists of a non-permanent structure with sturdy
enclosures. The green-house effect refers to the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We all
know that human beings take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide. Similarly, plants take in
carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. Rapid deforestation leads to a reduction in the number of
trees and plants in the environment. Therefore there are very few plants to take in the carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. We must remember that humans are not the only source of carbon
dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere through factories too. There are other reasons for
the emission of carbon dioxide into the air. This carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere if not
taken in by the trees. Excess carbon dioxide can lead to breathing problems and other medical
problems in the future. Greenhouse gases constitute not only carbon dioxide but other harmful
gasses like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These gases are released into the atmosphere
through the various chemical plants. The best way to minimize the effect of green-house gases is
afforestation programs.

Already a large number of afforestation programs have been taken up by the Governments of
various countries. Social forestry programs and community forestry programs can also help in
rapid afforestation. Also, to check the spread of harmful gases in the atmosphere, environmental
laws can be made more potent and effective. Climate change is a relatively new environmental
issue. There is already a large number of researches going on concerning climate change.

The definition of climate change makes it clear that climate change affects human lives slowly.
This includes a change in climatic patterns and behavior that can affect the human settlement.
Climate change is a problem that has both the elements of global warming and the greenhouse
effect. It is expected to cause massive scale displacement in the coming years.