Yuraya O.

Palasan BSEST- IV

GLOBAL DIMMING: AN ANSWER FOR GLOBAL WARMING?

Global warming, as it was said, is the biggest environmental problem that the world is facing right now. It is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. Because of this phenomenon the world suffers from the effects that it brings; dreadful diseases, changes in rainfall patterns, melting of ice caps and glaciers and etc, are some of the effects of global warming. There are many solutions for global warming, one of which is reducing our carbon emission. But on the other hand, there is a silent phenomenon that is said to be an ironic saviour for global warming that is, global dimming. Global dimming is said to be the reduction of heat reaching the Earths surface. This is because of the pollution particulates (sulphur dioxide, soot and ash) from industries, power plants and even from human activities. When these particulates enter the atmosphere they absorb solar energy and reflect sunlight otherwise bound for the Earths surface back into space. Particulate pollution also changes the properties of cloudsso-called brown clouds are more reflective and produce less rainfall than their more pristine counterparts. Because of the cooling effect the global dimming gives we cant feel the extreme heat the global warming is giving. For this reason, other people think that global dimming is the answer for the global warming we are facing. As for me, as it might look like a saviour for the worlds problem, it still gives a tremendous effect that can kill us, as global warming can. Like for example the drought in Africa on 1970 to 1980, it is said to be an effect of global dimming. Because of the dimming, the water temperature decreases and causes failure of natural cycle of water that then causes lesser number of rains. As it maybe an answer, it still poses us danger. Because of these, both Anthropogenic Global Warming and the Dimming effect produced by our industrial pollutants are so intertwined that attempting to fix one without doing nothing about the other may very well bring about conditions able to further increase global temperatures. Controlling our emission of pollution wont kill us, instead it will saves us from the threats of the effects of it. A little discipline is wont harm us, if we wont start now, then in the next years we should ready ourselves for the guaranteed disaster it will bring us.