The push is on to promote green living to help save the environment and stop some of the effects of global warming. So the question that still bugs many of us are - what is really global warming and how does it affects us? Is it some false alarm by scientists and political leaders out to win the voters heart? Are those threats real or is this just hype to further political awareness? Let us find out -

What is Global Warming - Global warming refers to the temperature of the earth near surface air. It allows the earth to be habitable, as it absorbs some of the heat from the sun.

Effects of Global Warming - Greenhouse gases that have been released into the earth's atmosphere are contributing to the rise in the surface air temperature. What impact is this having on earth right now? Scientists show that the average temperature has risen in the last century.

It is believed that most of that increase has come in the last couple of decades. With the increase steadily rising, scientists believe that it will continue to rise at an even faster pace for the future.

Rise in Sea Levels - With the melting of the ice, we are seeing a rise in the sea levels. Currently, the rise is a small amount, but since the temperatures are soaring at a fairly rapid rate, the rise will become a problem in the future.

The water level will be raised to a point where flooding will occur, which could make it difficult in pumping it out of the areas where people live. Precipitation is increasing as well.

Storms and Hurricanes - The amount of rainfall and snowfall is increasing over time. Storms are not only becoming more abundant, but we are starting to see them increase in intensity as well. Hurricanes will probably occur more often, be stronger and reach farther inland.

Floods - The warming temperatures are also causing more evaporation to occur. The more evaporating we see, the more chances for these storms to develop, which could ultimately result in the high category hurricanes, we are seeing today. The heavier rainfalls will occur, driving people from their flooded homes.

Animal Extinction - The ecosystems are seeing hardships, too. Some species of animals are slowly moving northward for livable conditions, while other species are slowly dwindling in numbers and struggling to survive extinction. Arctic ice is slowly disappearing over time. The warmer temperatures caused by the global warming effects are melting the ice. Polar bears are feeling the effects of the melting ice as they find themselves stranded in the middle of the open sea. Ultimately, these polar bears are losing their life by drowning in the seas trying to find more ice patches to climb onto.

Drought and Diseases - Changes in temperature could lead to drought, more disease and rising sea levels, which are likely to hit developing countries harder. There will be disappearance of some species and that vectors like the mosquitoes that cause malaria were getting more favourable habitats.Other than malaria, cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea were likely to become common as the low-lying areas were likely to get flooded after the melting of ice at the Arctic and Antarctica.

Global warming is showing some slow effects right now, but they are believed to increase over time unless we start to do something to reverse it. By using some green living methods in our daily lives, we can slow down those disastrous effects to save the planet for our heirs.