Global Warming and the Dark Forecasts for the Future of the Earth

Prologue

The title of the article may sound too much, ambitious and emotional. But calm down, this article is not clickbait. To tell you the truth, global warming is a nightmare. If you feel that the dream of being scolded by your boss is worse than global warming, it means you don't know how scary global warming is. How do you want to know how scary it is if you don't know what global warming is. Right?

Read this article and take a deep breath to understand it. If necessary, share the article with your family through WA group, youth group, elementary, junior high school alumni group and other groups, so that more people will know.


Global Warming vs Corruption Crime

If you ask what is there correlation is between the two, the answer is there isn’t. By definition, global warming is a phenomenon that the earth's temperature increases slowly but consistently as a result of the high content of greenhouse gases (especially CO₂) that accumulate in our earth's atmosphere. So it is clear that global warming and the crime of corruption have absolutely nothing to do with it.
 
From the definition of global warming earlier, you could say that the earth is getting warmer day by day, and the cause is greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases, what are these? Greenhouse gases are the names for gases that can cause the greenhouse effect when these gases are in the atmosphere.

What is the Greenhouse Effect? The name of a band, right?

"Wait a minute, why is this so confusing? There's global warming, there's greenhouse gases, and now there's the greenhouse effect. What is this connection?''

If you guys are confused, I'm also confused about how to explain the correlation. Look, let's play an analogy. You know the greenhouse, right? Those are often found in gardens or in plantation areas. The function of the greenhouse is to keep the temperature of the plants in it so that it is always warm, like the one in the picture below.
                                                                                                   
 Picture 1. Greenhouse for plans^[1]

 
Try to imagine that we have two plants, one plant is placed in the greenhouse (Plant 2), the other is outside (Plant 1). When the sun shines, the two plants receive the heat, the temperature is both rising. The difference is, the total heat that is actually absorbed by Plant 1 is smaller than Plant 2. How come? Yes, it could be the time of failure, because it has become a natural law if every object, including plants, radiates heat to its environment.
 
In other words, each of these plants not only absorb heat, but they also radiate heat. This means that the amount of net heat absorbed is: The amount of heat that plants receive from the sun, minus the amount of heat that each plant releases into the environment.

The heat released by Plant 1 can move freely into their environment because there is no other material that restricts this movement of heat. The temperature of Plant 1 also drops as a consequence of this heat loss. But, in Plant 2, the heat that comes out is not allowed to move any further from the greenhouse, withstand the heat emitted by Plant 2, so the heat doesn't go anywhere. Because the heat collects around Plant 2, eventually the heat returns to Plant 2. This means that with the greenhouse, the potential for heat absorption from the sun by the plants is greater.


Greenhouse Gas, how could you do this to me?

Now try to imagine Plant 2 as the earth, the greenhouse as the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the sun as the heat source. Every day, the earth receives heat from heat sources (it could be the sun, stars, other planets, asteroids) and also radiates heat to Outer Space (usually through radiation, try googling!).
 
The balance between the heat entering the earth system and the heat leaving the earth system makes the earth's temperature ideal and "warm" to become a habitat for living things. But, after the fire state attacked or when the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere started to increase, chaos starts to happen.

Actually, greenhouse gases have always been in the atmosphere, ever since the atmosphere first formed and enveloped the earth. It could be that this greenhouse gas also plays a role in maintaining the balance of temperature on earth. But, the problem is the amount of greenhouse gases, especially CO₂, tends to increase from year to year. Even in 2013, NASA announced that the amount of CO₂ in our atmosphere broke the record high in the last 400 thousand years[2] (OMG!).
 
Scarier, the amount of CO₂ is still increasing today. As of February 2019, NASA reported the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere of 411 ppm, which in 2013, the amount of CO₂ was roughly in the range of 400 ppm (you can check it yourself at https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon- dioxide /)


And now the question is how come the amount of CO₂ or greenhouse gases continue to increase? The answer is because of human actions themselves. Electricity generation, transportation and the manufacturing industry are predicted as three human activities that are responsible for the high CO₂ in the atmosphere. Why? Because the three of them still use massive fossil fuels (coal, gasoline, diesel, etc.) as their main fuel, especially in developing countries.

Your vehicles still uses fuel right? You know that the use of fuel releases exhaust gas, which is usually black, or white. Now, one of the contents of the exhaust gas is CO₂, which then moves upward to the atmosphere.
 
Apart from the three human activities that have been explained, there is one more thing that also has a big role in increasing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. What is it? The answer is deforestation. How come? You must have studied biology, don't you know that plants can absorb CO₂ in the atmosphere for photosynthesis, right? So if the forest is cleared, then who wants to absorb CO₂ in the atmosphere? The CO₂ emission has increased, the absorption is actually reduced. How more pathetic can this be?

Okay, now you know the situation with CO₂ emissions (let's just say CO₂ now, not greenhouse gases, to keep it simple, does this section title need to be changed or not? Let’s chose not to hehe) increasing because of human activities earlier. Then, what happens if it increases and accumulates in the atmosphere? Look at the image below. 
                                                                                           

Picture 2. Global Warming Illustration^[3]

 
Just like the role of the greenhouse in Plant 2, the CO₂ in the atmosphere traps the heat that should go out from the earth to outer space, and then is returned to the earth's surface. The more CO₂, the more heat that cannot come out of the earth. The net heat absorbed by the earth will increase. The balance of heat entering and leaving the earth is disturbed, the equilibrium point shifts. What is the result? Yes, the earth has become a system that is not ideal for its inhabitants. Earth has became too warm for us and other living creatures. Sad.

Don't exaggerate, so what if the earth gets too warm? A little bit of heat is no problem!
 
It's not that simple either. In 2015, approximately 196 countries sent environmental experts (not only environmentalists, diplomats and other negotiators) to Paris to participate in the annual climate conference organized by the United Nations[4]. The gathering resulted in an agreement called the Paris Agreement a the goal is to prevent the earth's temperature rising more than 2^o C relative to the average temperature of the earth before the industrial revolution (the 1.0, not 4.0, so yeah around the end of the 18^th century).
 
Wait, why is the reference to the year before the industrial revolution? Let me remember first. Oh yeah, because before the industrial revolution, the use of fossil fuels was still insignificant. The invention of the steam engine by James Watt in 1776 sparked an industrial revolution and resulted in the widespread use of steam engines in activities previously carried out by utilizing human or animal power. Consequently, the use of fossil fuels began to bloom after the industrial revolution, CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere and earth temperature began to show an increasing trend. Hence, in terms of environment and temperature, the period before the industrial revolution is considered an ideal condition and can be used as a reference.

Okay, back to topic. Previously explained the earth started to get too warm for us. In your imagination might seem too warm means the temperature has risen 10^oC or 20^oC, or even more, just drastically. If so, you should be surprised if it turns out that in the Paris Agreement, it was only agreed to increase by 2^oC. Ah, if it’s only that much, what's a bad dream? Ha ha ha Wait a minute, brothers and sisters, calm down. FYI, in 2017, the position of our earth's temperature was about 1^oC higher relative to the earth's temperature just before the industrial revolution^[5][6].
 
How bad will it be if the earth's temperature rises to 2^oC? A well-known magazine in the United States, New York Times, has made a summary of what will happen to our earth if the temperature rises to 2^oC^[7]. The reference used by New York Times to make this summary is from the Special Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) in 2018. The IPCC is an organization formed by the United Nations that focuses on global warming and climate change issues. So how much a nightmare is the impact of the 2^oC temperature rise, aka global warming?
 
The first and most famous is the melting of sea ice at the poles. If the temperature increases 2^oC, it is predicted that there will be no more sea ice in the Arctic during the summer. Are you scared yet? Not enough? Okay, this one is guaranteed to be scary, the increase in sea level. Imagine if this happened in Indonesia, where according to BPS, around 15.61% of administrative areas at the village level are located by the sea^[8]. Then what will happen to these areas? Totally drowned.
 
Is there anything more scary? Yes, there is. Global warming can cause drought or lack of water. This could be related to reduced productivity in the agricultural sector, especially in Southeast Asia. This means that food sovereignty is seriously threatened. Then what is no less scary is the more frequent and intense the phenomenon of heat waves or heat waves. Heat waves are simply a phenomenon when the weather feels really hot, like the heat is abnormally hot and lasting more than two days^[9]. It is estimated that an increase in the earth's average temperature of 2^oC causes 37% of the world's population to be affected by the heat waves^[7]. 
 
These heat waves are very dangerous for health, especially for those who are still toddlers and those who have entered an elderly age. One of the most well-known heat waves events occurred in Europe in 2005 which claimed as many as 70 thousand lives^[11]. Apart from what happened in Europe, another event that was no less well-known was that which occurred in India in 2013. Approximately 2300 people died because of the heat waves^[10]. Year 2018 also recorded the incidence of heat waves in Pakistan and Australia. In Pakistan, the temperature of the environment reached 44^oC which lasted for 3 days, it's crazy how it feels. The victims who died because of that were around 65 people ^[12]. At the end of 2018 or which means recently, heat waves also attacked Australia, more precisely in Adelaide which recorded a temperature of 46.6^oC^[13].
 
Heat waves don't just hit the land. The possibility of heat waves occurring in the ocean, known as marine heat waves, as a result of global warming is also very high. Scientists estimate that the oceans absorb more than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere^[14]. Ocean heat waves seriously threaten marine ecosystems rich in fish and coral reefs, including people who depend on their economies for marine products. The consequence of the  2^oC temperature rise is the destruction of coral reefs^[7].
 
In the United States, there is a program called The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). This program was mandated by the United States Congress to coordinate research and investment in the environmental sector. So, one of the agendas of the USGCRP is to make a four-year report on global warming and its impact on the United States. In a report published in 2017, it was stated that global warming and climate change could reduce the GDP of the United States by 10% by 2100^[15].
 
That's America, which is a superpower and strong economy country. The impact of global warming on Indonesia's economy could be even worse. How? That's enough to describe the horrors of this global warming impact. 

 
Epilogue

A famous German philosopher named Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz once said, "This is the best of all possible world". This means, according to Leibniz, the world that was created by God is the best world of all the alternative worlds that exist. Now, after conveying the terrible facts about the impact of global warming, still want to say that this world is the best world? Hmmm, yes, obviously you still want to because this world is the best. God, as the Almighty Essence, must have been the best architect and engineer who did not mean anything else when compared to Him.
 
God designed our earth in such a way that humans can always benefit from it. But, humans, as the caliph on earth, should not take it for granted. Because the earth is kind to us, we must be kind to the earth. Thus, global warming can be prevented. How do you prevent global warming? Look forward to the next article! Ha ha ha That's all in this article, it's already rich in length. Hopefully after reading this article, your awareness of global warming will increase. Let’s go!

 
Reference:
[1] https://news.trubus.id/baca/23337/4-manfaat-rumah-kaca-dalam-berkebun

[2] https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/

[3] http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/graphs-diagrams-of-global-warming-and-climate.html

[4] https://unfccc.int/news/finale-cop21

[5] https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/global-average-air-temperatur-anomalies-4#tab-dashboard-01

[6] https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperatur/

[7] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-report-half-degree.html

[8] Badan Pusat Statistik. (2017). Statistik Sumber Daya Laut dan Pesisir. Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.

[9] https://www.britannica.com/science/heat-wave-meteorology

[10] https://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/01/asia/india-heat-wave-deaths/index.html

[11] https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/summer-heat-wave-arrives-europe

[12] https://dailytimes.com.pk/245532/another-3-day-heatwave-to-hit-karachi-from-tuesday-pmd/

[13] https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/adelaide-in-the-grip-of-potentially-its-hottest-day-on-record/news-
story/fe3ee360aa41cd52588ba2e6f349b892

[14] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/climate/marine-heat-waves.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate

[15] foto thumbnail https://www.investors.com/politics/global-warming-hoax-climate-change-facts/