Discuss how human activities increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. What would you do as an individual to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas?
Human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation have raised atmospheric CO₂ by about 35% since 1960. Much of our electricity generation is still powered by fossil fuels, which releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the air.
This excessive CO₂ intensifies the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming. The consequences include the melting of glaciers and Arctic sea ice, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather conditions. It also disrupts Earth's processes, like making ocean water more acidic.
As an individual, I would reduce emissions by conserving energy and switching to renewable energy resources like solar and wind power. I would also participate in planting trees to help absorb CO₂ and restore environmental balance.
Furthermore, I would focus on saving resources such as water, food, and energy in my daily life. I would also support and practise sustainable farming and saving water to help restore the Earth's natural systems.
Finally, I would actively minimize my carbon footprint by reducing waste, reusing, and recycling materials. Together, these individual efforts can help maintain the environmental balance on Earth.
Explanation
The answer is derived directly from the textbook context. The first part addresses how human activities like burning fossil fuels for electricity and deforestation have raised CO₂ levels by 35% since 1960, intensifying the greenhouse effect and causing global warming, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and extreme weather. The second part lists individual actions to reduce emissions as mentioned in the text, which include conserving energy, switching to renewable energy (solar/wind), planting trees, saving resources (water, food, energy), practising sustainable farming, and following the reduce-reuse-recycle principle.