Are you to blame for climate change, or is it just a natural cycle of the Mother Earth it self. People have been burning and cutting down trees for as long as we've been here. Many people around the world are affected by it, for example a Mt.Edgecumbe alumni Nelson Kanuk(Supreme). Nelson’s remote village of Kipnuk has been affected by climate change by erosion of the bank, melting of permafrost, and flooding because of the warm temperatures causing the ice to melt too fast. His house is in jeopardy because his house on the bank of the river, the land is eroding away. Others disagree. Some may say this is a natural cycle of the earth, and that some natural factors are emitting CO2 into the atmosphere which causes the atmosphere to keep more heat in. While volcanos put out 315 million tons of Co2 every year, human activity such as motor vehicles, factories, and burning of fossil fuels all create an amount of 30 billion tons of Co2 annually(Climate). Our earth is fragile; consequently, resources are limited(9). To keep our earth from total destruction we as the humans of …show more content…
Right now it’s is rising at a rate of 3.4mm per year(NASA). Melting ice caps can be a contributive factor to this problem. Some may say we are just coming out of an ice age. I wouldn’t consider 11,700 years ago that close of a year too us. That is more than ten millenniums away from us. We need to relocate these people at some point they're not only going to lose homes, they are going to lose people, and ancient cultures. These are american citizens and they are our people too. Kivalina, Alaska, an endangered village, is in trouble(10). This village in northwest Alaska only has ten more years before it’s submerged under water and all is lost. President Obama proposed 400 million to Alaska to relocate these villages, and he also became the first president to visit Alaska and see these problems first
The gradual warming of temperatures doesn’t just effect us though, there are numerous other plants and animals that will be threatened, or even pushed to extinction due to these changes. I believe it is our duty to fix the problem that we created, but it is more easily said than done. Megablazes, droughts, or even species extinction due to human stubbornness is unacceptable. Although climate change is a gradual issue, the factors that contribute to it need to be managed right away. Again, Global warming is caused by UV radiation reflecting between the ozone layer and the earth. The ozone consists of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, which humans are the main source of. If we could better manage our carbon dioxide and methane output through less omissions or a carbon tax, I think we could effectively begin to curb the problem of climate
When the sun heats the Earth gases are released as well as water vapor. They go into the atmosphere and regulate the temperature. This is known as global warming or the greenhouse effect. Many of the environmental complications derive from the political and social involvement. The climate was not the only cause, but we had humans played a role on what had been occurring to the world. Earth has many different atmospheric layers that are influenced by the greenhouse gases. “Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have now increased nearly 30 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; methane levels have more than doubled; and nitrous oxide concentrations have risen by about 15 percent” (Fagan 209). The increase of these gases also enhanced the trapping of the heat. With more heat being trapped this lead to many coastlines to flood due to the melting of snow and ice. The increase of dangerous weather actions will pose as a threat also. These changes in the environment would eventually lead to political and social change of the people Overpopulation in certain areas and industry formation influence the greenhouse effect. We as a whole are destroying the place we live, the natural world. Although there are ways to prevent and reduce global warming, we cannot stop the natural occurrence of future climate. Climate is not the only factor, each individual that as
When people burn fossil fuels to accumulate and produce energy a substance called carbon is produced. Carbon is released into the air in a form known as carbon dioxide. Carbon moves throughout the biosphere on the planet as it is recycled and reused. Carbon exists in the earth’s atmosphere in two common forms which are methane and carbon monoxide. These gases absorb and retain heat in a process known as the greenhouse effect. The Planets natural greenhouse effect makes life possible by regulating our temperature. It turns out that adding too much to the greenhouse effect can have horrible consequences on the environment. Each year, five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning fossil fuels and of that three billion tons enters the atmosphere. The remaining carbon usually gets absorbed by the oceans.
Have you ever pondered the idea of why every year the temperature of our atmosphere rises? I have done tons of research and I am pleased to say I will be sharing my findings with you! Humans are the leading cause of global climate changes but little do they know everyday activities they participate in are the main offenders. From cutting down trees to driving gasoline powered cars, these activities can cause major changes in our global climates! As the very intelligent Bill Gates states “Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority.” Three major problems that lead to climate changes are deforestation, the burning of fossil fuels, and the use of hydro-carbons in aerosol cans.
The impact humans are having on mother Earth is increasing its effects with the rising of sea levels. Global warming is causing polar ice sheets to melt, which is a major cause of adding volume to our oceans. Furthermore, the troposphere thickens, due to greenhouse gases, increasing the amount of radioactive waves that causes the seawater to warm up, resulting in ocean expansion. Most climatologists are expecting a rise in oceans around the world to be between 1.5 and 5 ft by the end of this century.(Harkinson) Some members of our society feel that because climate change is not certain, they are not willing to make a difference to help. Many people are unaware of how rapidly we have impacted mother Earth. The melting of the polar ice sheets resulting in rising sea levels should not be taken lightly. NASA satellites show a 9% decrease in the ice cap each decade. Every six years an assessment report is conducted by scientists, who have noted the need to make a difference before it’s too late. The problem is uncontrolled human activity that takes for granted the resources Earth provides us with. Through this we are facing extinction of many types of flora and fauna, as natural habitats disappear. The IPCC has very high confidence that humans have created much of the global problem. The hottest years have peaked within the last 10 years.
Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, are not the only way people raise the climate. Ever since the industrial age, global climate change has been on the rise. Industrial factories are constantly burning fossil fuels and increasing the carbon in the atmosphere. The amount of greenhouse gases that are built up in the atmosphere has sped up the natural greenhouse effect the Earth has. The greenhouse effect is, “trapping of the sun 's warmth in a planet 's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet 's surface”. Because of the constant pollution that humans keep making, the greenhouse effect is happening faster than usual.
Earth’s climate is determined by the physics and chemistry of its atmosphere. Earth’s atmosphere consists of four layers; troposphere which is closest to earth, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. Hardy says, “During the past 100 years we humans, as a result of burning coal, oil, and gas and clearing forests, have greatly changed the chemical composition of the thin atmospheric layer.” There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to burning fossil fuels. The atmosphere is made up of many gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. It also consists of trace gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, chlorofluorocarbons and, ozone. The trace gases have the greatest effect on our climate (Hardy 5). Up to a certain level, these gases help to keep the planet warm by absorbing certain infrared wavelengths, so that there can be life on the planet. Thus, they trap heat in the troposphere and stop it from escaping to space (Hardy 7). Therefore, the greater amount of greenhouse gases, the more heat trapped in the atmosphere. Earth’s temperature is increasing due to increased levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide released into the air from burning fossil fuels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2001 report projects “global average surface temperature increases ranging from 1.4 to 5.8 degrees
The health issues of global warming are causing the human population rate to decrease over time. The health issues are caused by infectious microbes, pollution by chemical and biological wastes. Many of these diseases will cause illnesses or even death in the future. In fact, many scientists and doctors have discovered these diseases will cause human population to decrease by deaths as they are transferred from one person to the next either physical, eating animals contaminated, mosquitoes, or even blood transfusions though needles. Global warming has been discovered to be very dangerous to human health and is causing many deaths around the world. These tragic experiences in other countries are causing the health hazards to become more aware to humans and are giving the USA more time to plan cures for it before it becomes an issue for them.
Humans and animals breathe out Carbon Dioxide, often referred to as the greenhouse gas, as a waste product. Plants take in this CO2 and use it to make food. This is called photosynthesis. During this process oxygen is released which is then breathed in by humans and animals. This procedure is repeated over and over and a natural balance is obtained. However this natural balance is disrupted by human activity. People of the world are putting more than 5.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. 75% of this is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels are burnt all the time to run factories, power plants and vehicles. The main sources of CO2 emissions are electric utilities, residential buildings, industry and transportation. The other 25% is induced by the destruction of the world's forests. The reason for this is that there are less trees and plants to take in the CO2 but there is just as many, if not more, humans and animals to breathe it out.
Climate change (global warming) is a problematic issue, and this problem is growing. To make matters worse, this problem is a manifestation of human activities. People’s actions are resulting in devastating impacts to the environment. Unfortunately, not everyone concurs to this reasoning. Even with empirical data presented, there are skeptics who attribute climate change to natural causes rather than man-made causes.
Volcanic activity also causes the release of certain elements that may block the sun and also contribute to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The most destructive human contribution to climate change is fossil fuel combustion, which results in the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and halocarbon levels in the atmosphere cause an imbalance in the earth’s energy. This is because the gases alter solar radiation and thermal radiation, which regulate the earth’s energy.
Global heating and cooling has occurred on a cycle for millennia, however in the past thirty years the increased use of energy and fuels by humans has drastically changed this natural occurrence (Juerg, 2007). The largest cause of this warming is the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide levels are twenty-five percent higher than they were in 1957 (UCS, 2013). This seemingly insignificant change has caused a myriad of negative effects. The endangerment of species, rising sea levels, and increased natural disasters are just a few examples of change brought about by global warming (Juerg, 2007).
The earth is a complex system, which continues to evolve and change. Climate change and global warming are currently popular in the political agenda. But what does “climate” really mean? The difference between weather and climate can be conveyed in a single sentence: “Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.” Based on research of the geologic record, we know that climate change has happened throughout Earth's history and at present, ever-increasing evidence points to the roles that humans play in altering Earth systems. The Earth and its atmosphere receive heat energy from the sun; the atmospheric heat budget of the Earth depends on the balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation from the planet; which has been constant over the last few thousand years. However present evidence seems to suggest that the recent increase in temperature has been brought about by pollution of the atmosphere, in particular the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide, mostly through Anthropogenic Forcing (human activity) and other various internal and external factors. I...
Our planet warms due to Greenhouse gases. It exists naturally in our atmosphere. It trapped heat energy which comes from the sun. This process is called the greenhouse effect. If it is not present, the surface of the earth will be cold as surface of moon about –18 Celsius. Average temperature of the earth 's surface is about 15 Celsius. Measurement taken from all over the world has shown that global climate is changing. A half of the degree Celsius is increased from last 100 years. Humans have been releasing extra greenhouse gases during this time. In these gases includes carbon-dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. It is assumed that emissions of greenhouse are by man-made from the increased use of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are responsible for global warming during the 20th century. These gases are released by the exhausts of motor vehicles and by the cutting down of forest. If all these activities will continue, the temperature of the earth’s surface may 3 degree warmer by the end of the 21th century. This rapid change in temperature has many impacts on the environment
Scientists, economists, and policy makers all agree the world is facing a threat from climate warming. Climate warming is caused by excess greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which are heat trapping gases. Human use of fossil fuels is a significant source of these gases. When we drive our cars, heat our homes with oil or natural gas, or use electricity from coal-fired power plants, we contribute to global warming. Including any loss of trees or forests also contributes, considering trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.