1. The atmosphere retains much of the energy radiated by the surface of the earth. This is also known as the greenhouse effect, a phenomenon of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide. These gases absorb infrared radiation and in the process, heats up the atmosphere.
2. Even though in the cartoon it’s only winter, the effect of global warming still exist. For instance, the rise of sea level as depicted in the cartoon. This is analogous to salt and pepper always being associated together. Global warming is causing extreme weather changes in all aspects. In this case, not only is the amount of snowfall tremendous, it can also be seen that the sea level has risen too.
3. Water molecules absorb the infrared radiation and as a result, interferes with the transmission of any messages intended to be sent to another party. In communication, we would want to get our message across clearly without any loss in transmission. Water molecule in the air can absorb infrared radiation when the resonance frequency of the infrared matches the inherent frequency of water molecule. This will result in the loss of infrared radiation.
4. In the short run, air quality would pose the most significant impact as the effects brought about by air pollutants such as Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide would inadvertently impact our daily life. For instance, Lead produced by smelters and battery plants would be transmitted through inhalation of air and ingestion of lead in paint, soil or dust. It will be accumulated in our bloodstream and affect our kidney, liver and nervous system. Whereas excessive exposure may cause anaemia, kidney disease, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments such as seizures, mental retardation, and/or behavioural disorders. Children may also suffer from central nervous system damage or slowed growth. In addition, Nitrogen dioxide aggravates environmental conditions by contributing to eutrophication and causing acid rain. Increased exposure to Carbon Monoxide will also cause visual impairment, reduced work capacity, reduced manual dexterity, poor learning ability, and difficulty in performing complex tasks. As such, the most serious problem in the short run would be air quality.
In the long run, the stratospheric ozone depletion affects its ability to filter out Sun’s potential shortwave ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes more UV rays to reach the Earth. Increased exposure to higher amounts of UV radiation would also result in serious impacts on human beings, animals and plants. It could cause harm to human health, resulting in skin cancer, sunburns and premature ageing of the skin. It also causes adverse impacts of various aspects of life, such as ecosystem and marine life. For example, several of the world’s major crop species are particularly vulnerable to increased UV, resulting in reduced growth, photosynthesis and flowering. In addition, the existence of planktons are threatened by increased UV radiation as well, which would disrupt marine food chains and lead to a loss of biodiversity in oceans. Hence, this would be the most impactful cause in the long run.