Global warming and landslides

Landslides in Chittagong on the night of 10-11 June, 2007 once again proved the severe effect of global warming. During the twenty four hours, rainfall was 267 mm highest in 25 years. Torrential rains sparked a series of devastating landslides in Chittagong, plunging Chittanging city into chaos, with power supplies snapped, the port and air port closed and killing 126 human souls and destruction of properties costing huge amount of money. Hills came crushing down after overnight rain, mud and debris buried the houses including their occupants while they slept giving no chance to escape.

Global warming means increase in temperature of the earth's atmosphere caused by the greenhouse gases ( carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide).The main cause of global warming is the sun, and the heat and light it sends to earth. Global warming or climate change is causing wild temperature swings and a dramatic rise in storms, heat waves, excessive rainfall and other extreme weather effects. It has brought catastrophe to millions, killing an estimated 150,000 people around the world each year.

The earth's atmosphere acts like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing much of the sun's solar radiation to travel through unimpeded, but trapping a lot of the reflected heat trying to escape back to space. This process raises the temperature just as it does in a greenhouse. The atmosphere is simply the layer of gases that surround the planet like a blanket which make up protective layer with right type of gas like ozone etc which support life on earth.

Since industrialization began, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) - in particular carbon dioxide - have significantly increased, primarily due to increase burning of fossils fuels. As a result, heat has been trapped in the atmosphere and earth's global surface temperature has begun to rise, reaching its highest level for 140 years. The temperature of the earth has risen 1.1 of during the last century.

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