Geoengineering, the act of purposefully manipulating earth’s systems(Steffen Will et al.); “One of the most relentless moral narratives in the American environmental tradition is the critique of technology and of the human desire to manipulate and control nature.” (Minteer)The problem is viewpoint against the use of any geoengineering are coming from pre-determined stigmas that society has put around the of geoengineering. Although in many circumstances these negative connotation are true because when dealing with intentionally manipulating anthropogenic forcing’s, not only the intended outcomes occur but many unpredictable changes/side effects occur within the environment occur. Many but not all the time these side effects can be negative. …show more content…
Contradictory to this mindset since these levels are so high, that gives humans more reason to take action to fix it. If humans do not then following the path we are going on, the negative anthropogenic forcing will continue to accumulate. It is also a misconception that these varying levels of temperature, CO2, etc. are not normal but in long-term history, there have been many cases of this same variance. Therefore it is viable to experience some negative variability from unsuccessful geoengineering since this is not unusual for the earth to experience. Since the current function of humanity is continuing to pose negative anthropogenic forcing, something must be done about it. The most feasible strategy presented currently is geoengineering. Although it is possible to have negative side effects from geoengineering; if it is properly researched, tested, and done correctly it can be the method of reversing current negative anthropogenic forcing’s. The negative stigmas put against geoengineering is hindering possible progress in reducing the continual onset of the
... everyone on Earth as it would no doubt affect everyone on Earth. Geoengineering and the outcomes of its use are such a vast unknown that it could potentially end up destroying the Earth or saving it. There is no other decision that could have such a huge impact that turning to geoengineering could potentially hold. Trying to save the Earth through artificial geoengineering ways was the point of Bullis’ article. Bullis not only is credible because of his position as an editor for the journal Technology Review but also furthers his ethos through quoting scientist and providing his own reasoning. Bullis does not use pathos in his article, given that it is more based in reason than emotion. Bullis wrote a very logical article on geoengineering and the implications it has on the world. Geoengineering could end up destroying the world or saving it from destruction.
First, during the last few decades the Earth is experiencing greater rate of rising temperatures due to greenhouse gases that are being produced by human activities rather than because of environmental reasons, such as solar or volcanic activities. In 2006 the President of the National Academy of Sciences stated: “There is no doubt that the Earth is warming,” also he added that people are at least partly responsible for these changes in addition to regular factors (Cicerone, par.4). Natural factors have produced climate fluctuations on Earth for several million years. People have effected an atmosphere of the Earth just for nearly one hundred years, since Industrial Revolution has begun (Revkin 340). Of course, it is unfair to say that global warming is caused entirely by humans. For example, people can not have an impact on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, or on the galactic density, or such nature events as air emissions of volcanic gases. As a result of these environmental factors, Earth usually had higher rates of temperature fluctuations during the previous million years than it has in later centuries. On the other hand, people are responsible for the highest concentration of greenhouse gases during the last 650,000 years in the atmosphere due to industrial manufacturing, driven by the increase in consumer consumption (Lindsey, par.
Bodansky, Daniel. "The Who, What, and Wherefore of Geoengineering Governance." Climate Change 121.3 (2013): 539-551. Print. DOI.ORG/10.2139/SSRN.2168850
The term used for this manipulation is geoengineering, the manipulation of any environmental process. Scientists have proven that geoengineering has led to climate change, mainly global warming. The atmosphere was compared to 20th century times when, “high levels of pollution sent massive amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere, where they blocked some of the sun’s energy” (Zielinski). The amount of aerosols in the atmosphere determines the amount of the sun’s energy we receive, the more there are, the lesser energy reaches the Earth’s surface, and vice versa. Scientists have been able to prove that these contrails contribute to climate change (Zielinski). The sun’s energy is either blocked off, or absorbed, causing global warming or cooling. Christina Sarich states that, “the government continues to lie to us about the existence of weather-ownership via geoengineering”. This is important because we need the sun to survive and the aerosols being sent into the atmosphere make the sun dim and the amount of energy we receive changes (Zielinski). Jane McGrath also states that “the government is intentionally spraying people with harmful substances into order to experiment with the effects” in order to “weed out the sick and the elderly”. Chemtrails have been scientifically proven, but the government denies their
The Greenhouse Effect occurs when all of the heat is being trapped which involves elements like CH4, N2O, O3. But , the one thing that causes global warming is CO2 ( Schlosser). The society has to remember that not only the elements cause this change , critics are causing the climate change also. For example , fire is natural and beneficial but it can also cause the weather to change because it releases carbon monoxide , and all of that goes up into the atmosphere which can cause global change. Not only does it cause warm temperatures but it also disrupts ecosystems pushing those to extinction for those who can’t adapt. There is also the Greenhouse effect temperatures. They have been rising to about 0.8 degrees celsius. According to Dr. Schlosser , in the atmosphere, it returns about 30% of the energy in approaching sunlight and takes in about 30% at the same time.
Global warming, by definition is the “ gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.”(Webster) In the last several decades, there have been numerous debates regarding global warming. As of now it has become one of the biggest problems facing the world today. Scientists do believe that our production of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide is having a warming effect on the atmosphere, but it also is creating a positive impact to on the planet. The controversial side is scientific consensus that it is the fault of mankind that our actions have led to the results of earthquakes, tidal waves, geographical plates moving, all because of global warming pollution. The other side that is also debated on is that global warming can bring new developments to our planet and to all that dwell within. In this paper I will examine the positive and negative side of global warming and suggest some ways nature and humans are solving the issue. Global warming is causing the largest impact to nature and humanity in the 21st century, but with green house gases on the rise, humanity, nature, and species will learn to evolve.
Climate change, otherwise known as global warming, has grown more apparent in recent years, with increased natural disasters, significantly warmer temperatures and unreasonably long seasons. Global warming is one of the main concerns that scientists have been researching for the past century. Scientific evidence shows that global warming is caused by human behaviors. Due to the amount of human-induced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that have been released into the air, the earth is becoming a highly poisonous place to live on. Earth’s climate has been constantly changing ever since the Industrial Revolution, when innovations began and factories were built, which emitted mass air pollution. As more technological advances continued the years after, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air also increased. According to the UPI Space Daily News, “Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) - the main cause of global warming - increased by 45% between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010” (Writers 1). The 1900s through the 2000s is the time period in which humans caused the most air pollution by creating vehicles and other industrial machinery. In the contemporary time period, human activities that contribute to climate change consist of hydraulic fracturing, rice cultivation, the increase of fossil fuel burning, and the rise of deforestation.
The changes occur not by human hands but by larger circumstances an example being the solar system, and where the earth is in relation to the sun which is considered our main source of energy (heat included). Humans choose to make a climate hotter than it needs to be but this doesn’t harm the atmosphere in which we live
Humans have tried to manipulate nature many times, but have mostly failed miserably. In New Orleans, the corps of engineers tried to divert the flow of the Mississippi and in Los Angeles the Flood tried to use debris basins to catch and hold debris. They both officially declared war on nature but these attempts almost failed. In many cases it was proven that the human’s constructions, worsened the problems they were meant to solve. For example the levees that were meant to reduce flooding along the Mississippi river, prevented coastal wetlands from receiving the regular nourishment and sediment critical to their survival which is the main reason for New Orleans’ vulnerability to violent storms (Hurricanes lose force when they hit land). The constructions built by engineers create the illusion of safety which promote further settlement. Even though human’s interference with nature, sometimes results in a success, it will in most cases make matters worse. Humans should accept the absolute power of nature and stop declaring war on it to control or change the direction of its natural flow. Instead of trying to control nature, humans should try working and living with nature, because they will never be able to win against it. Nature will always find a way through human’s constructions no matter how massive or well-made they
Whether construction companies are mowing down rainforests to make room for their new 5-star hotel or a child is plucking dandelions off the ground to make a flower crown, we are using Earth’s resources to our benefit.
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
Every day when looking out a window, people see a beautiful earth. The earth is intriguing, but hinges on a delicate balance. Many natural resources keep the grass green and the sky blue. Man has made quite an impression on our world, and has transformed the earth's resources into tools to make life easy. However, mans' manipulation on earth has become detrimental to the health of our planet and the safety of mankind. Through the use and production of resources such as oil and energy, man is gradually poisoning the earth. Pollution has become such a dilemma in society; there is no real control or a feasible solution to society's recklessness. Without complete change, our system will collapse. The earth will eventually retaliate with disaster, or corporate control of our economy will cause hysteria and depression. Evaluation of the consequences and repercussion of worldwide pollution, may give people a better idea of what the future holds.
In pre-industrial times, it is claimed that the average global temperature was relatively unchanging, but it did sky-rocket since 1900 and over the next 100 years it will increase by several degrees, according to Penn State University researcher Michael Mann. It is not proven that past climate was unchanging, or that average global temperature is unusual or unnatural. Michael Mann has actually shown that the Ice Age and Medieval warm period in fact exist, which contrasts with his earlier work that produced the “hockey stick graph” and over the past thousand years or so followed by a recent dramatic upturn, showed a constant temperature. Since the cause of global warming is mainly natural there is in actual fact, very little we could do about
Global warming has become on of the most controversial issues in the media today. While most of the Western world countries have generally accepted the premise that man's chemical emissions in the atmosphere can and are affected by the world’s climate patterns, in the United States, the issue has become so politicized with many republicans challenging the science behind the theory. Global warming is a greenhouse effect whereby gases are trapped on the earth’s surface causing it to heat up (Maslin 14). It is based on the worldwide temperature records that have been maintained by human beings through their activities since the 1880,s. In addition, global warming is not only caused by human activities only but also through climate changes in solar radiance. The problem is that, humans continue to contribute to the global warming phenomenon. All citizens should work in reducing human activities that cause global warming and also support the development of nuclear power. Scientists deem that, global warming is mainly caused by human activities which accelerate the natural process by creating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human activities have become a great contribution to the greenhouse effect and this means that climate changes are inevitable. They further argue that, if these activities continue and are not reduced, it will lead to more trapping of energy radiated from the earth and this will likely lead to extreme weather and global warming. Global warming should be at reduced levels or else, it will be catastrophic.
Mining is the process or industry of obtaining minerals from the earth. Topics in this paper I’ll be specifically discussing are pros and cons of mining, structures of a mine, mining in general, California gold rush, diamonds in Africa, and comparison of diamond and gold mines.