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GLOBAL WARMING AND ITS EFFECTS ON MIGRATION IN SOUTH ASIA
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Abstract
The history of the earth has been faced with natural calamities. The earth has
experienced episodes of warming and cooling time to time. Whenever the orbit of the earth
shifts, and the sun's intensity has changed leading to the warming of the earth and the climate
change at large. It is on this that the research is based (Butler et. al 2014). The research will have
five major parts. The first part will be the introduction, and it will have a punch line on the topic.
It will include primarily the awareness that the reader needs to connect with the subject of
research. The second part will contain the goals and the objectives of the study therein. The
second part will explain the general and the specific aims of this particular research on global
warming.
The different chapter arrangement will each be done separately as analysis of each is
fixed. The study will also cover the theory and results of the research. It is here that the problem
statement and findings will be unveiled and discussed in details. The particulars of this chapter
will include the greenhouse effect among other causes and impact of the global warming in the
selected area of study. The final part of the research paper will deal with conclusions. This
section will give a recap of the findings and the deduction of the study as far as the project of
research is concerned.
Introduction
Global warming starts when the sun’s rays enter the earth’s atmosphere and finds its way
into the earth’s crust. The clouds and humidity in the atmosphere absorb only about 30% of this
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light and energy while the greater percentage finds its way into the earth is surface and absorbed
by both land and oceans on Earth .
. The remaining little amount of the radiation is reflected back into space. The radiation
that finds its ways into the earth’s surface heats up the surface of the earth and the atmosphere
resulting to unbearable life on the earth. The earth gets warm and as it attempts to cool, the
radiation tries to be radiated back into space as infrared heat. In the event of thermal radiation,
the radiation is reabsorbed by the atmospheric water vapor, the environmental carbon dioxide,
and other atmospheric gasses. These environmental gases are referred to as greenhouse gases
because of their ability to trap heat. It is necessary that re-absorption take place to maintain the
earth’s average temperature. The tragedy is when the re-absorption raises the temperature of the
earth past the average temperature thereby increasing the levels of heat past the standard
quantity.
Findings
Causes of global warming
There are many causes of global warming. The causes can be hugely classified into
natural causes and man-made causes.
Natural causes
Natural causes occur naturally without the influence of the activity of human. Therefore,
the human has no power to regulate the natural causes of global warming. One main cause is the
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release of methane gas from the arctic tundra. Methane is one of the gases referred to as
greenhouse gases . A greenhouse gas can trap heat in the atmosphere of the earth. The earth is
known to go through a cycle of climate change, which takes approximately 40,000years
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Man-made Causes
Man-made causes are the most dangerous because they are responsible for the great
damage observed on earth today. There are several man-made causes. Among the biggest is
pollution. Pollution is making the environment unclean owing to the activities of man on earth.
Pollution comes in different aspects. The main causes of air pollution are the burning of fossil
fuels. The fossils fuels are organic in content and therefore when burnt they emit the greenhouse
gases majorly the carbon dioxide . During mining of coal and petroleum, methane escapes to the
surface of the earth because the both contain organic substances and methane is no exception.
One big issue of concern is how the methane escapes. Methane is found in the ground.
During mining of the fossils, methane finds its way out and spread all over the atmosphere of the
earth. The more the quantity of the methane gas goes up in the atmosphere the more danger it
poses on earth .
The population is another cause of global warming. When the earth experiences a
population growth, it means that more food will be required to feed the swelling population.
Consequently, transportation using vehicles and even train among other modes of transport will
be needed to take food to the destinations of the earth where the population is. Because of
burning fossils in the vehicles, methane is emitted into the atmosphere and more global warming
is experienced because methane is indeed a greenhouse gas. More agriculture will be observed to
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feed the swelling population(Butler et. al 2014).. One thing that is of concern is that to harvest
more than manure and fertilizers will be us. If we use manure to grow crops, and manure is
organic, then apparently methane will find its way out of the organic manure. Therefore, manure
is one source of methane that must be known. It is important to note that during transportation as
well, the gases exhaust from the cars cause air pollution and released gases. The gases can also
trap heat and increase the rate of warming of the earth’s atmosphere. The fact that many people
have more than one car each also contributes a great deal to the pollution effects in Asia.
Carbon dioxide is one main cause of global warming because it is one primary content of
the greenhouse gases. An increase in population becomes very dangerous and a major cause of
the global warming because when we breathe out, we exhale carbon dioxide, and that means that
a large population will result in a lot of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Man has also
resorted to cut down trees without climate considerations . Trees are a very important commodity
when it comes to purification of the environment. However, the rate at which trees are cut has
put the earth in a daring danger of the global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis and consequently, give out oxygen. Oxygen is harmless and reduces the
atmospheric content of the carbon dioxide. When trees are absent, then carbon dioxide is never
absorbed from the environment and this means that, the global warming will be at its height. We
actually are required to replace each tree e cut down by two trees.
Consequences of global change
The occupants of the earth have already felt the dire implications of the global warming.
Trees and plants are flowering earlier not like it used to be previously. Glaciers are also melting
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leading to the increase in the ocean water levels. It consequently leads to flooding. Ice on rivers
and water bodies also disintegrate earlier than usual(Butler et. al 2014)..
There have been experiences of intense heat waves; the levels of the sea waters have also
raised at an alarming rate and sea ice have also disintegrated. The predictions by the scientists
are that there will be a continued rise in the global temperature mainly owing to the greenhouse
effects because of the human activities. There is a forecast of a rise of 2.5 degrees to 10 degrees
in the next century .
Going by the results released by IPCC, the climate change effects will alter according to
the adaptation of every part of the environment. The yearly net cost as predicted by scientists
will increase as the global temperature rises(Butler et. al 2014). The damage cost of the
environment will be very costly . Taking a look at the effects of the global warming in a few
countries as shown.
In North America, the snow back decrease has been recorded to decrease in the western
mountains. Rain-fed agriculture has increased thereby leading to an increase in yield by about
five to ten percent. There has been increase length of time of the heat waves and the intensity of
waves(Butler et. al 2014).
In Latin America, there has been significant replacement of the tropical forest vegetation
in Amazonia. There has also been extinction of some species leading to loss of biodiversity. The
has also been changes in the water availability used by the human for agriculture and even
domestic purposes. If this is not enough, there have been cases of losses of species and reduction
of productivity and yield from the crop harvests
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In Europe, the change is not any better, inland flash floods are experienced as the storms
and the levels of sea have risen. Glaciers in the mountains have recorded retreat as snow cover
during winter seasons reduce.
In Africa, it is projected that by 2020, there will be increased inadequacy of water and the
agricultural yields will reduce by 50%. The food situation in Africa will be completely
compromised and access to food will be a nightmare(Butler et. al 2014)..
In Asia, which is our region of study in this case, the availability of water will be
compromised in Central Asia, East, and Southeast Asia by 2050 . The coastal areas of Asia
however will experience massive flooding and increase in the death rate because of waterborne
disease associated with flood. Finally, some regions will experience droughts if the residents are
not careful(Butler et. al 2014).
Global Warming Impacts
To feel the urgency of global warming, we ought to understand how it affects us in the
world. The sea levels are increasing as glaciers melts. The high temperature and severe rainstorm
are becoming an everyday occurrences in the area(Butler et. al 2014).. To find practical solutions
to these problems, scientists are evaluating the extent and effects of climate change across the
globe. At this juncture, we are going to look into the connections between the climate data we
have around us and the projected changes that are yet to be recorded(White et al, 2011),.
Melting of polar ice caps and flooding
When evaluating the effects of the global warming, it is widely experienced in the poles
more than every other place. The ice that is all over is melting, mountain glacier notwithstanding.
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The melting ice leads to an increase of sea level thereby causing unnecessary melting. When the
melting takes place then the ability of the ice to reflect light goes down and this means that much
heat will b absorbed as a result and the rate of global warming will escalate even further.
There are cities that have shown signs of sinking due to the melting of the ice. Venice and
Guyana have exhibited such characteristic. If we look at the report of 2001, the sea level has
roughly climbs at a rate of 0.2 inches annually(Shah et al. 1994).
Irregular Weather Patterns
The rate of precipitation has gone up significant in the whole world. There are also
widespread irregular weather patterns, which have diverse effects on human beings. There have
been storms, which have damaged property worth millions . The rate of heat will increase
evaporation and this will be the reason of increase in the rain. Because of this effect, animals can
never adapt to rains and snow hence the only option will be to migrate to other safer places. If
this does not take place then the animals will die and plants will automatically die because they
are, immobile .The ecosystem will face very adverse challenges(Dharampal, Gita, Monika ,
Rachel and Jahnavi et al. 2016).
Another dangerous experience will be Hurricanes and storms. The water from oceans will
warm up and evaporate leading to heating up of the air around and this will result to hurricanes.
An increase in temperature means that more water will evaporate and that hurricanes will be
experienced in even more stronger intensity .There are very devastating effects of hurricanes that
are worth noting. First, hurricanes destroy massively properties; leads to displacement of settled
people also destroy general structure that is meant to help humans in their day-to-day activities.
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An example of a famous hurricane that ever took place was the Katrina hurricane.\ and its
diverse effects are still felt today all over the world.
Changes in Food Production
The human population in the world is to blame for the food problems that have been
experienced in the past. It is predicted that the future of the world and food will be a big
problem. In fact, food issue is one huge problem.
Due to increase in temperature, plants will not cope and many plants will die. Most plants
are used by humans for consumption. In fact, they are used either as food or for medicinal value
(Miller & Debra 364). If the plants die then it means that man will not only suffer from hunger
but also from shortage or absolute lack of medicine. In biology, green plants make their own
food in the presence of sunlight. The process is known as photosynthesis. Human who are
heterotrophic, directly depend on the plants for food. When the temperature is very high, the
process may not take place because photosynthesis is enzyme controlled. The enzymes involved
will be denatured by the height temperature hence the process will fail to complete. The result
will be lack of food for the plant itself also for the human. Pests that depend on the plant for food
will also migrate because they will be lacking food. It is obvious that when the pests get to a new
area they will spoil and damage vegetation of such new areas.
. Plants create food for themselves through a process called photosynthesis. The enzymes
that are needed for photosynthesis die when exposed to high temperatures. Pests may also
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migrate to new areas and destroy the crops there . Pests may migrate from tropical countries to
temperate countries.
Droughts and Desertification
Droughts are occurring in more and more places in the world due to higher temperatures.
Droughts mean there is no water for plants to grow . Agriculture would be severely affected.
When there are no plants, humans have nothing to eat. There are also no plants to feed animals
and so humans cannot eat animals either. The high temperatures can also cause heat strokes and
other illnesses to humans.
It is therefore clear that drought will be common on earth. Ethiopia for instance will
experience a decrease in amount of rainfall by about 10%. In fact as at now, Ethiopia is
experiencing serious droughts.
Changing Ecosystems
Animals have migrating to new areas and strived to adapt to the areas. Foxes have moved
to cooler areas in order to have a good climate change. Migration evidently destroys the balance
of the ecosystem . When a specific species migrates then it is obvious that the niche and the role
of that trophic level are deleted from the ecosystem. The rest of the trophic levels will have to
abruptly change their ways and are likely to die. It means that the ecosystem is completely
destroyed. The impact of this change to the environment would affect every other aspect of life.
Human beings will also be affected especially when it comes to food and medicine.
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As a result, the species that are symbiotic will possibly be incompatible. For instance,
plants will bloom earlier before the insects are ready for pollination and this will automatically
change the ecosystem because the symbiotic roles of the insects and the plants will have changed
and will no longer get along in the ecosystem. For this reason, some species will have to shift to
other places where they can take up their niche. This will lead to competition with the species
that take up the same roles in the new places they migrate to. Competition will therefore mean
that these who are ill adapted will naturally be selected against. If they die then it means that the
species will go extinct in the face of the earth(Shah et al. 1994) .
Human Health The rising temperatures will affect the human health and lead to outbreak
of diseases like skin cancer. The human body will be exposed to extreme temperatures, which
will contain varied rays from the sun, and these rays have different effects.
In 2003, it is in memory than heat waves struck Europe and many people died as a result.
Then when temperatures keep rising then more human population will experience deaths of
similar kind .
Diseases like malaria are also likely to spread because conditions will be favorable for the
breeding of mosquito. If parasites migrate from tropic al to temperate regions then the tropical
illnesses will find their way to the temperate regions. Asthma will also spread world over
because the causative allergens of such respiratory diseases will be at large (Bulliet, Richard
,Pamela , Daniel , Steven ,Lyman and David et al. 2014 ).
Changes are likely to take place if the rate of emission of the carbon dioxide and methane
take place. One thing is that these gases are very toxic and this means that they are likely to
poison the human beings . When the poison gets into an ecosystem and along the food chain then
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we are likely to experience a change in the ecosystem. Heavy metals and radiations will also
affect the ecosystem that will be self-pollution(Faris et al. 2009). The poisons run down the food
chain f4om one trophic level to another, this becomes highly toxic, and finally the ecosystem is
destroyed.
In the overall, there are plentiful ecological impacts as a result of increase in temperature,
climate change, and global warming. The impacts could be avoided if the human population
could take good care of the environment.
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Causes of Climate Change
Global warming cause’s climate change when the incoming energy can never be
sustained. The factors that cause climate change can also be divided into natural and human
factors
When we look at natural causes of climate change, we can cite continental drift,
volcanoes, earths tilt among others. Continental drift is simply the separation of the earth surface
into different landmasses known as continents. Apart from the normal global warming effect, the
drift caused the changes in the climate change throughout the continents. Volcanoes, which also
cause global warming lead to the climate, change, the green house effect notwithstanding. When
volcanic eruptions take place, green house gases are emitted and this increases the amount of
heat held on the atmosphere and as a result, global warming sets in and climate change is the dire
consequence(Faris et al. 2009).
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Effects of global warming in rural development
Everyone goes through environmental problems to an extent, for instance, pastoralists
have been affected by the depleted vegetation due to global warming. Rural communities
therefore are also affected by this menace. The vulnerability of the people around the affected
areas has even increased due to impending effects. Global warming has changed the agricultural
patterns of the communities thereby leading to food insecurities and food scarcity(Shah et al.
1994).
. The result of this is that people in the rural areas have become so vulnerable that they
languish in abject poverty. All the forests and vegetation have faced damage from the looming
heat crisis leading to death of the pastoralist community across the world, Asia notwithstanding.
In Asia, such problems have resulted to people migrating to look for a better environment where
they can settle. Most Asians are observed to be seeking refuge in the United States and other
continents(White et al, 2011),.
Responding effectively to global warming
Climate change is a big threat to sustainable development and food and water security in
the world. The impacts of global warming have undermined human effort to make positive
changes on the surface of the earth. Ironically, human is the main cause of the global warming
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that is now threatening to poss. a danger to human. The development goals of the countries in
Asia and the international community(Faris et al. 2009) .
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Migration effects of Asian
Globalization is the interaction and integration in governments and people of different
nations with an aim to trade internationally and attaining of technological expertise. There are
factors like culture, which receive a big blow from the climate change. There is a
misinterpretation of looking at culture as having only been influence by global warming. To an
extent, (Faris et al. 2009) it is true, environmental degradation has affected the culture of the
Asian people. Many researchers have found out that the nomadic communities in Asia have been
affected. The effects have made sure the nomadic communities are always on their toes looking
for pasture and water. Many people have been forced to embrace the nomadic pattern of life to
counter the adverse effects of global warming . Migration is one human solution to the effects of
global warming because if they do not migrate and change environment then they will face death
and get extinct. Culture is an important aspect of human life and should be preserved. The global
warming problem therefore affects culture too. It is evident that there are many people from Asia
migrating due to the rise in temperature and atmospheric heat content to other continents that
they feel are safer. In the event of migrating, they tend to loose their culture owing to the
intermingling with people of different culture where they go. Some people are forced to change
their religion in order to suit the environment and because of vulnerability, they comply to get
along (Shah et al. 1994) .
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Global warming and economy
Global warming can affect the economy positively or negatively. In Asia, we shall look at the
negative effects of global warming on economy (Faris et al. 2009). People think the extent to
which global warming has gone is irreparable and any attempts to do salvage the earth is
impossible . However, it is more costly to watch than to put effort to counter the effects. The
effects of global warming could bring an economic disruption similar to the one witness during
the world wars(White et al, 2011),. The effects in Asia the climate change have affected access
to food and water. Health access and the general environment have been affected hence greatly.
The effects have in turn led to economic down fall because if the population cannot access health
care then it is not a productive community . When Asians cannot access good food production
then their economy is dwindling because economy relies largely on agriculture and food
production. In 2001, it was seen that the GDP of the country was at risk. It is for this reason that
many Asians opted to migrate to salvage their dwindling economy also seeks medical care. They
went to Europe and the United States where they felt they were safe (Davies, Mark, Christophe
Béné, Alexander , Thomas, Andrew, and Cristina et al. 2013) . The demand for fundamental
elements that are required to sustain life will keep growing as the population of Asia also grows .
It is of course expected that population keeps growing because Asia consists of a highly
productive population. If population increases in future then the prediction is that there will be
land shortage. Food will be a problem as much as water(Hossain, Moazzem, Tapan Sarker, and
Malcolm et al. 2013 ).
Apparently, there are major effects on the environment of Asia. As anticipated, more
effects on environment are likely to be observed. The researchers who study economy have
proven that the effects of the expected severe storms in the content will be so severe that more
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people will be expected to migrate . It will even grow worse as the population also grows.
Hurricanes are expected to severely affect the economy of the continent.
One other problem that has been observed in Asia is desertification. It is a situation where
there is water shortage in Asia and brings about general shortage of food supply. Food prices
have increased before due to this problem. The crops around such places have matured quicker
than before but with little yields (Shah et al. 1994). It therefore forced people who could not
adapt to the environment to migrate to other places with favorable climate. This affects the
economy of Asia because the task force is running away.
As known also, it is clear than if the water levels raised Asia, there was a severe damage
of structures and loss of land. The efforts to try reclaim the lost land under the sea was so costly
and they had to loss the fight against the reclamation of the submerged land, Consequently, there
was mass wastage of funds, sewer systems found its way into the land. The land that to have
been used for agriculture could no longer is productive. The infrastructure on the land was
destroyed thus giving Asia a fresh start on such vital aspects of economy in their country. The
roads were spoilt and due to all these problems(White et al, 2011),, they were forced to move to
a better place where they could adapt to the environment and move on working on their
economy.
The general solution to the economy of the areas stricken by the adverse effects of the global
warming is the salvage of the planet earth . Taking care of the planet is one healthy thing that the
occupants of the planet can do to make the planet a better place to be. We should make the earth
safer and less costly to life (An, Zhisheng, Youbin, Hong, Peizhen, Xiaodong, Yanjun and
Zhangdong, et al. 2014). Life on planet will be adversely affected if we do not embrace new
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ethics and practices of handling our activities on earth. We should shun activities that will allow
more global warming to make the earth a better place. We should work on reducing the effects of
the global warming rather than merely thinking that there is little we can do. We are the agents of
change on the planet earth and unless we act, no one will. Many things can affect the way the
earth progresses in 20 to 100 years to come.
Conclusion
Everybody should take action, make the earth better place for our children, and try to
avoid calamities that could happen as a result of the global warming menace. In as much as the
earth seems to have been damaged and the damage is irreversible, we can work together for the
human race to ensure that not more global warming takes place. It is evident that we are part of
the destiny of the earth and the decisions we make today will affect the future of the earth. It is,
therefore, important to note that Asia has suffered the effect of climate change when there is a lot
they could do to help the situation. We need to learn from Asia that migration may be a shortterm solution to the global warming problem. What is important is the action we take after the
problem has occurred IT is (White et al, 2011); therefore, important to try to reach a solution
though not permanent those, which will carefully help, reduce the completely human activities
that put the planet in the danger zone.
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