Man and the Environment – Global warming

The greenhouse effect is what keeps Earth warm enough for living things to survive! Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the Sun around Earth’s surface, retaining heat on Earth even when parts of it face away from the Sun.

Although the greenhouse effect is necessary to support life on Earth, too much of it causes average global temperatures to increase. This results in global warming, which can have harmful consequences for the environment and, as a result, mankind.

Huge fires that break out in rainforest areas of Indonesia release toxic smog which travel to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, causing haze.

Reptiles such as turtles and crocodiles do not have sex chromosomes which determine whether they are male or female. Instead, temperature of their surroundings as they develop in their eggs determines if the developing young will be male or female. As such, as global temperatures increase, a disproportionate number of sea turtles are hatching as females, causing male turtles to be increasingly rare.