Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and changes in

land use, have increased the abundance of small particles in the

atmosphere. These particles can change the amount of energy that
is absorbed and reflected by the atmosphere. They are also believed
to modify the properties of clouds, changing the amount of energy
that they absorb and reflect. Intensive studies of the climatic effects
of these particles began only recently and the overall effect is
uncertain. It is likely that the net effect of these small particles is to
cool the climate and to partially offset the warming of increasing
concentrations of greenhouse gases.

Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels,

deforestation, and various industrial practices are the major
causes of global warming. Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil
fuels are burned to produce energy used for transportation and
manufacturing. The burning of trees, which is deforestation, is
also the major causes of carbon dioxide emission into the
atmosphere. Overall, the increasing number of cars and
industries leads to a large fuel consumption and high level of
carbon dioxide emission. Then the emission of carbon dioxide,
leads to global warming.

When the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and

oceans increases, the phenomenon is called global warming.
Though our planet has warmed and cooled several times, yet now
there seems to be a rapid warming, all due to our activities.
Causes of warming: The chief causes are burning fossil fuels,
such as coal, oil, and natural gas, and releasing them into the
atmosphere, and the emission of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases due to human activities such as industrial
processes, fossil fuelcombustion, and deforestation.
Gas and environment pollution

No matter which activity during the day or night keeps us busy,

we are always consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide.
So, when we breathe in pollutants in the air, it becomes very
significant, as compared to the same levels of pollutants that
might be present in our food.
Through our activities, we increase air pollution-for example,
combustion of fuel. We burn almost 15 kg air while burning one
litre fuel in our cars. In the process, our cars emit carbon
monoxide, lead and hydrocarbons in great proportions in petrol
combustion. This can lead to a loss of accuracy of vision and
mental alertness.
Coal, oil and natural gas are the three different forms of fossil fuels that are
widely used. They are formed by the process of anaerobic decomposition
of organic matter under the surface of the earth for millions of years. Large
scale use of fossil fuels started since industrial revolution. Today, they are
the most cheap sources of energy available for the use of both personal as
well as commercial purposes. Petroleum is used to fuel our vehicles while
coal and natural gas are used to produce electricity for our homes and
offices. Statistics show that almost three-fourth of the demands of the
energy in the world is fulfilled by fossil fuels. Let us find out the relationship
between fossil fuels and global warming.

How does Burning Fossil Fuels Contribute to Global Warming?

The main function of the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere is to

trap the heat obtained from sunlight and do not let it go beyond the
atmosphere. It is because of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that our
planet is warmer than any other planet of the solar system. When there is a
rise in the percentage of carbon dioxide in the air, the amount of heat
captured by the carbon dioxide also increases. This in turn contributes
towards overall rise in the surface temperature of the earth which is also
known as global warming. Read more on global warming and carbon
dioxide. 

On burning of fossil fuels, various types of gases like carbon dioxide,

carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc., are released. A significant
proportion of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is by burning
of the fossil fuels. Evidence obtained from various research studies suggest
that since the middle of the nineteenth century, there have been at least 25
percent increase in the carbon dioxide content in the atmospheric air. This
is all because of extensive use of fossil fuels across the globe. As a result,
in the last 150 years, the temperature of the earth has already increased
more than 1 degree Fahrenheit. Moreover, it is going to increase further in
the next hundred years. Thus our planet will be much more hotter in the
next century. Read more on greenhouse gases.

This will have a severe effect on the climate of the earth. The weather
conditions of various places of the earth will change
drastically. Droughtsand floods will occur more frequently in many inland
areas that have extreme weather condition which will badly affect the
agriculture. All the glaciers of the earth will be melting at a much faster
pace. As a result, the areas nearby the water bodies like the coastal
regions and the banks of the river will get submerged under water. Many
deltas, islands, thickly populated cities are likely to go under water. Thus
you can see that the issues of fossil fuels and global warming and climate
change are all interwoven with each other. Read more on

 Climate Change
 Melting Glaciers

Fossil Fuels and the Environment

Combustion of fossil fuels not only gives out carbon dioxide into the air, it
also releases many other harmful acidic substances like sulfuric acid and
carbonic acid and cause air pollution. When in air, these gases undergoes
some chemical changes and return to the surface of the earth in the form
of acid rain. This has a huge impact on the entire environment. It affects
soil and plant life and causes water pollution. Large areas of land surfaces
are dug up for the purpose of extraction of fossil fuels from their deposits
under the earth. After the removal, this land becomes unusable and thus
causes a permanent damage to the land and causes frequent earthquakes.
Fossil fuels are transported from one place to another by tankers and
ships. Any leakage in these tankers causes oil spills. Such type of
accidents have occurred a number of times in the past. This not only leads
to water pollution but also poses a serious threat to marine lives. Read
more on environmental pollution.

Hope you have understood the relation between fossil fuels and global
warming. We all have a role to play in controlling global warming. If we take
some small measures from our side, then we can save our planet from
disaster. For this, we have to reduce our huge demand for energy. We
have to decrease energy consumption in our homes, use our vehicles only
for traveling short distances. We also have to stop cutting trees and plant
more number of trees because they can absorb carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere Trees play a vital role in the equilibrium of the
ecosystem. Deforestation is a process of cutting trees to make space for
pastures or for industries and households of the ever-increasing human
population. Excessive cutting of trees for urban use and other purposes is
detrimental to the environmental balance. It is needless to say that
deforestation has several adverse effects on the environment. I am sure
you would like to read more about the causes and effects of deforestation.

One of the major disadvantages of deforestation is that it disrupts the water

cycle. Trees are responsible for drawing up water from the soil and
releasing moisture into the atmosphere. Deforestation causes a
disturbance in the water cycle and makes the environment drier. Climate
change is a severe outcome of excessive cutting down of trees. Forests
lock up atmospheric carbon during the process of photosynthesis. Trees
contain a major portion of carbon from the atmosphere. 

Clearing of the forest cover has a contrary effect on the environment. It

results in an increase in the amount of carbon and other greenhouse
gases in the environment. Burning of forests results in the emission of a
large amount of carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases like the oxides of nitrogen and methane are known to
trap atmospheric heat, thus increasing the average temperature of the
Earth’s surface. This increase in the temperature near the Earth’s surface
and oceans is termed as global warming.

The rise in the average temperature of our planet is bound to cause the sea
level to increase. Global warming has already begun causing themelting of
glaciers and of the ice at the poles, thus adding to the rise in the sea level.
This phenomenon is a serious threat to the life on Earth and it is we, who
need to take the right measures to prevent it from happening.

We should not forget that trees add to the biodiversity in nature. Animal life
thrives on vegetation. By cutting down trees, we deprive animals of their
sources of food and cause the destruction of animal life. It can lead to the
extinction of a variety of animal species. Global warming that is largely
caused by deforestation further endangers plant and animal life, thereby
disturbing the balance in nature. 

It is believed that the use of fossil fuels and the burning of oil and gas
cause global warming. It is true that pollution caused by the burning of oil
and gas and the release of pollutants causes global warming. But research
has revealed that deforestation is one of its major causes. It is the main
reason behind the rise in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
leading to the greenhouse effect.

Extreme weather conditions, changing agricultural yields and increase in

the disease vectors are some of the other effects of global warming.
Deforestation, being the primary reason behind global warming, we need to
show greater concern towards the felling of trees. We need to take quick
measures on preventing deforestation so that we can hope for an
environment conducive INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The transition from a worker-based cottage industry a to machine-
based economy, with the growth of factories and mass production,
is traditionally known as the Industrial Revolution, which began in
England and brought about the most fundamental changes to
society since the development of agriculture thousands of years
earlier. Accompanying the Industrial Revolution was a massive
growth in energy consumption, largely through the burning of coal,
a fossil fuel. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of the
period during which mankind began substantially altering the
composition of the atmosphere.

The earliest beginnings of industrialisation can be traced to the

development of the cotton industry in England in the first half of the
18th century. Cotton was imported from the United States to
Liverpool and transported to Manchester and other Lancashire
towns, where the first cotton mills were built. Rapid growth in
industrialisation began in the late 18th century, the period often
considered as the start of the Industrial Revolution. By the
beginning of the 19th century, inventions were not just limited to the
cotton industry. Steam engines were invented, providing a faster
mode of transportation, instead of the use of horses and carriages.
Steams engines and other machinery, of course, required coal as a
fuel source, releasing the first emissions of carbon dioxide and other
gases which led to declining air quality in many cities.

e to live in.and thus check its level from rising.

Deforestation is the permanent loss of forests and woodlands. Tree farms
are not included in this definition, since they are farmed rather than
naturally occurring. Naturally occurring forests and woodlands cover about
21% of the earth’s land mass. Unfortunately, about 1.8 million square feet
of natural forest is being destroyed every minute!

Deforestation is not a naturally occurring event; it is a result of human

actions. Most deforestation happening today is in the moist tropical forests.
Forests are being cleared for lumber and to provide agricultural space for a
growing population. In areas with little or no regulation, deforestation
continues unhampered.

Although building materials and home heating account for a portion of the
deforestation of our planet, agricultural needs have prompted the clearing
and burning of forests. This uncontrolled burning is responsible for millions
of tons of carbon gases in the atmosphere as well as the loss of natural
habitat for a diverse number of organisms.

Forests work like filters to remove CO2 from the air and store it in the trees.
When the trees are burned, huge amounts of CO2 are released into the
atmosphere at a rapid pace. These CO2 deposits become greenhouse
gases contributing to the problem of global warming. Likewise, bio-diversity
suffers as a result of deforestation as entire species are often lost when
their unique environment, such as rain forests, are destroyed.

When forests are destroyed to create farm land, the soil does not support
agriculture for very long and more land is cleared to create fresh farm land.
The previously deforested area then risks desertification. These previously
moist forests are no longer moist and the earth’s temperature and humidity
are altered. In addition, fewer forests mean fewer CO2 filters and an
increase in CO2 gases (which become greenhouse gases).

It is clear that deforestation compounds the danger of global warming.