Global Warming is the rise in temperatures of the earth’s Climate systems both the air near the earth’s surface and ocean temperatures (Drollette, 2014). The temperatures have been in the rise since early 20th century. The major increase in atmosphere temperature has been occurring since 1980. It has been noted that since 1850 each of the last three decades is warmer than the preceding decade.

                                         Climate Change and Global Warming:

Greenhouse gases and atmospheric gases from industries, motor fumes, households, wildfires and other sources of carbon IV oxide keeps our planet warm and prevents warmer air from leaving the atmosphere. This is the major cause of the rising global temperatures. Human activities like deforestation and burning of fossil fuel have promoted the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon IV oxide into the atmosphere. Normally, heat enters the atmosphere through short wave radiation. This radiation heats up the earth’s surface and the heat escapes the atmosphere in the form of long wave. Long wave radiation is more difficult to pass through the atmosphere as compared to the short-wave radiation. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases the long-wave radiation, therefore, trapping heat inside the atmosphere creating a general warming effect (Radovanović. 2014). On the other hand, climate change is the change in the distribution of weather conditions and these changes last for a long period. Climate change is caused by several factors that include; biotic factors, plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions and variations in solar reaching the earth.

                           Causes of Global Warming and Climate Change:

The rate in which Energy is received from the sun and lost from the atmosphere influences the average atmospheric temperatures and climate change. This energy is circulated around the earth by winds, ocean currents and other mechanisms, therefore, affecting the climate in different regions. There are several factors that cause climate change and global warming. These factors are referred to as climate forcing or forcing mechanisms. They include:

                                                     Greenhouse Gases:

Greenhouse gases are composed of gases such as carbon IV oxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide. These gases are released to the atmosphere by human activities such as burning of fossil fuel like coal, oil and natural gas, use of power plant, cars and other machines. These activities emit carbon Iv oxide and other greenhouse gases that lead to pronounced global warming. Other Human activities like use of fertilizers and chemicals and burning of organic materials also emit nitrous oxide to the atmosphere. These processes have been expanding since the early 20th century.

                                                             Deforestation:

Deforestation is the falling of trees without replacement. Forests are the major consumers of carbon IV oxide (Sharkawy, 2014). Trees are also ecologically important as they are crucial components of the water cycle. Trees absorb water from the deep soils and later on the water evaporates from tree surfaces there availing the water vapor that is crucial in rain formation. Continuous deforestation leads to a reduction in precipitation hence bringing about desert-like conditions. On the other hand, forest absorbs carbon IV oxide from the atmosphere to utilize it in food manufacturing. This process reduces the amount of carbon IV oxide in the atmosphere, therefore, reducing the rate of global

                                                   Solar Output:

The sun is the major source of energy input to the earth. A variation in solar intensity affects the global climate. It is believed that if the sun emitted the same amount of energy it is emitting today, there would be no liquid water. Some three billion years ago the sun emitted 70% of the energy it emits today (Sharkawy, 2014). 

                                                                Volcanism:

Volcanic eruptions release SO2 and other sulfate aerosols that strongly absorb or scatter solar radiation and also form a layer of sulfuric acid haze. The emitting of these gases leads to general warming and mass extinctions. Volcanic is eruptions are known to destroy vegetation and other life forms which may lead to climate change. 

                                                           Plate Tectonics:

Over the course of years (millions), the movement of tectonic plates reconfigures the global land mass and ocean beds and generates topography (Sharkawy, 2014). These changes in land configuration and topography can affect both global and local climate patterns. The position of continents and the geometry of oceans influence the ocean circulation patterns. Tectonic plate movements alter the position and geometry of seas and oceans and therefore affect the ocean circulations which in turn affect the global distribution of temperatures by oceanic winds. This would bring about global climate change.
Effects of Global Warming and Climate Change:
The increase in atmospheric temperatures has significant affects both the natural and human life. Some of these effects are:

                                              Melting of the Polar and Ice Caps:

The high atmospheric temperatures have led to the continued melting of ice and polar caps. The melting of these ice caps has led to the rising of sea levels that on the other hand results to coastal flooding, coastal erosion, increased salinity of rivers and shoreline retreat. This also disrupts natural ocean currents. Since these currents regulate temperatures by bringing cooler currents to warmer regions and warmer currents to cooler regions, any interference with this activity may lead to a serious climate change (Sharkawy, 2014). The melting of ice also leads to the change in albedo. Albedo is the rate in which the radiation is reflected by any part of the earth’s surface. Ice and snow have the highest albedo level meaning that it reflects the sunlight back into space, therefore, assisting in regulating the atmospheric temperature. As the ice and snow melt due to global warming and climate change, more radiation is absorbed into the atmosphere hence increasing the global warming

.

                                                         Wildlife Adaptation:

Global warming and climate change is greatly affecting the adaptations of various organisms to their environment (Timothy, 2012). Some organisms are being listed as endangered species due to the climate change and global warming. An example is the polar deer that is threatened to be extinct due to the melting of its sea ice habitats. Other organisms are invading new habitats, therefore, threatening the lives of the native species. It expected that in some years to come some organism will become extinct while others will migrate to regions they did not occupy before.
                               Oceanic Acidification and Coral Bleaching:
The increased carbon IV emission leads to acidification of oceanic waters. This acidification affects the ability of marine water organisms to absorb nutrients thus changing the chemical equilibrium of these waters. This has lethal effects on marine life (Radovanović, 2014). On the other hand, coral reefs are very sensitive to water temperatures over a long period, and they end up losing their symbiotic algae that provides nutrients to the corals. The coral reefs end up dying, and since numerous species rely on the reefs as their natural habitat, these organisms eventually die. The effects of the global warming on coral reefs have greatly resulted to biodiversity loss in our oceans.

                                                               Social Impacts:

Effects of the climate change will not only be on the natural world but also they will be experienced by human society (Drollette, 2014). Agricultural systems are likely to be adversely affected as there might be severe weather conditions, drought, increased number of pests and low groundwater tables and loss of arable land. These conditions could lead to crop failure and livestock shortage in the entire world. The decreased food security might in turn, create shortages in the international food markets and could lead to famines, food riots and political and civil unrest. Climate change and global warming could also adversely affect human health. It is expected that cases of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and chronic conditions like asthma are going to rise.

                         Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) and the `White Papers’:

In 2002, the UK government introduced the renewable obligations to give incentives to the development of large-scale renewable electricity in the country (MacLeay, 2010). The renewable obligation requires electricity suppliers to source a given proportion of the electricity they provide to their customers from an eligible renewable source. The renewable electricity generators are issued with renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) which they sell to suppliers to earn premiums in addition to the wholesale electricity price. United Kingdom has approved energy policies commonly known as white papers. 2003 White energy paper introduced the prospect of new nuclear power production in the UK that aimed at creating CO4 free economy. The white paper of 2007 sets out the strategies by the government to address the long-term energy challenges. The paper aims at reducing carbon IV oxide emission by 60% before year 2050 and to maintain reliable energy supplies( MacLeay, 2010). It also aims at producing and distribution of electricity to ensure that every home has affordable and adequate heating. In 2008, the government created the department of energy and climate change with a view of combining energy policy and climate change mitigation policy. This combination of the two policies would assist the UK ion achieving its goal of reducing the carbon IV oxide release to the atmosphere to reduce the rate of global warming.

                       Impacts of the Increasing Demand for Energy by China and India

China and India are the countries with strong economic growth. Due to the high rate of economic growth, the demand for energy will double by 2035 (MacLeay, 2010). The two countries account for one and half of the world’s energy growth. China is the highest energy consumer surpassing the U.S, and this is expected to rise significantly by 2035.inreasing demand for energy by China, and India will lead to rising of world energy prices. This will have an impact in UK in that the cost of production will go up due to rising in cost of energy. The rise in the cost of production will then lead to an increase in product prices. Similarly, increase in demand for energy will deplete non-renewable energy sources like coal and oil. Therefore, the United Kingdom will have to turn to renewable energy sources.

                               Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change

There is a number of renewable energy sources that can be used in production energy while having little contribution to global warming and climate change. These include:

                    
                                                          Wind power:

Wind can be used in generating electricity where turbines are tuned by strong wind. Wind as a source of power is cheap and is pollution free. But this source of energy has a limitation in that no all areas that experience strong winds to turn the turbines (Johansson, 1993). Also, the winds are not evenly distributed throughout hence the energy production is affected by nature.
                                                      

                                                     Solar energy:

Use of solar panels traps solar energy and converts it to electricity. The solar energy is cheap and pollution free but is adversely affected during cloudy days and in cooler regions.
                                                  Hydropower energy:

In hydropower energy, water is used to turn dynamo turbines that that generate electricity in large scale. Electricity is environmental friendly and cheap (Michaelides, 2012). However, energy production is affected during dry seasons when the water levels in dams go down. This is the best source of energy in our economy since we have plenty of rivers and lakes that can be used for this purpose.
                                                                 Biogas energy:

Animal and plant waste can be converted to energy. Farmers can use these materials to produce cheap heat and electricity. Like many other renewable sources of energy, biogas is pollution free, but electricity cannot be produced in large scale.

                                             Recommendations:

Due to the consequences of releasing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, the government should enact laws that will regulate the use coal as a source of energy in industries. The government should also encourage the use of renewable resources by giving incentives such as subsidies to renewable energy producers. Similarly, the government should allocate more money to the energy sector with the view of increasing the amount of electricity produced annually.

                                                       References:

Drollette J, (2014). Covering the hot topic of climate change by going to the ends of the Earth Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Vol. 70 Issue 4,
Johansson T (1993) Renewable Energy: Sources for Fuels and Electricity, Island Press USA
MacLeay L (2010) Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics 2010, The Stationery Office UK
Michaelides E(2012) Alternative Energy Sources, Springer Science & Business Media.
Radovanović M.; Ducić, M (2014) climate changes instead of global warming. Thermal Science. 18 Issue 3,
Sharkawy, M. (2014)Global warming: causes and impacts on agroecosystems productivity and food security Photosynthetica Vol. 52 Issue 2,

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