Climate changes pose clear, catastrophic threats. To better understand the issue, we must first study what are climate changes and which factors are responsible for them. Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer). Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns.
Earth maintains its average temperature by a natural and self-automated warming system of gases which surround it. Carbon dioxide and other gases like methane, Nitrogen dioxide and Chloro Flouro Carbon (CFC) keep the earth warm by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere.
The history of the planet has been characterised by frequent changes in climate. Apparently, climate change is a natural phenomena occurring since several thousand years. Needless to say, time has proved this estimations erroneous since signs of the climatic changes due to increased earth temperature have accelerated alarmingly in last two centuries.
There are a number of natural factors responsible for climate change. Anthropogenic factors are human activities that change the environment and influence climate. Various assumptions for human-influenced climate change have been debated over the years but it is only now widely accepted without any doubt that the major cause of climate change are the human activities. The invention of the motor engine and the increased burning of fossil fuels in form of coal, oil and natural gas have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
One of the other major factors of climate change is Increased Land Use.
“Carbon sinks”. As a result,that the extra carbon dioxide produced cannot be changed into oxygen. The change was attributed mostly to extensive human development of the landscape.
Since high temperatures will increase wind speed multiple times, these high speed winds will result in region losing most of its vegetation cover and hence, becoming less feasible for indigenous peoples living in the region.
In North America, heat waves will increase evaporation and deplete the underground water resources.
The Polar Regions that is the Artic and Greenland is experiencing some the most rapid and severe climate changes on earth. The First World Climate Conference recognized climate change as a serious problem in 1979. In 1988, a body of more than 2,500 of the world’s leading climate scientists, economists, and risk analysis experts from 80 countries was formed as The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This Panel was given a mandate to assess the state of existing knowledge about the climate system and climate change; the environmental, economic, and social impacts of climate change; and the possible response strategies. In 1992, The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) was signed at Rio de Janeiro by 154 states, including the US.
In December 1997, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted a code of behavior by consensus which contains new emissions targets for developed countries for the post-2000 period. Bio-Energy is the energy made available from materials derived from the biological sources. It is actually the energy produced from the bio-mass. Biomass is the material derived from living organisms, which includes plants, animals and their byproducts such as wood.
Burning biomass efficiently results in little or no net emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, since the bio-energy crop plants actually took up an equal amount of carbon dioxide from the air when they grew. However, burning conventional fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, coal or natural gas results in an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the major gas which is thought to be responsible for global climate change. Wood, construction waste, landfill gas, and liquid bio-fuels like bio-diesel and bio-oil can be used to produce energy that can be converted into electricity and heat. Liquid bio-fuels like ethanol, bio-diesel, and bio-oil can be used to power cars and other transportation. Being the fourth largest resource of energy after coal, oil and natural gas, the energy produced from the bio-mass can fulfill up to 14% of the world’s total primary energy demands and recent statistics show that only 10-15% of the total potential bio-energy sources have been used so far by the human population worldwide.
Along with its remarkable and efficient outcomes in decreasing the world’s carbon emission and fulfilling a considerable portion of the global demand for energy, Bio-Energy from the bio-mass also has several major socio-economical benefits. On individual level too, we should adapt to these climatic changes and change our live styles in order to bring the total carbon emission under control. Driving less, driving a fuel-efficient car, preferring gas over oil, saving electricity, using lesser papers and planting more trees can be some of the small choices each human can makes to save the earth from rapid destructions of the climate change.
Challenges of Climate Change and Bio-Energy
BIO-DIVERSITY
It embraces all life forms from plant and animal life to micro-organisms and the water, land and air in which they live and interact. The richness of the living organisms in a particular habitat is called bio-diversity. That is, the totality of genes, species and ecosystem in a region refers to the term bio-diversity.
ECOSYSTEM
In a particular habitat one could see varieties of plants and animals living.
FOOD CHAIN
The green plants are the producers. They convert the radiant solar energy into chemical energy by photosynthesis process. Herbivores are the animals feed on plants. Life would cease.
LOVE BIO-DIVERSITY
Do replenish the food and water supply. Do not allow your pet animals to scare away the birds or animals.LOVE YOUR PLANTS AND TREESTake care of your plants daily.
