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The role of humans in climate change
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Global warming essay
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Introduction. Globally, climate change is regarded as both an urgent as well as serious issue (Stern, 2006). Defined as the lasting and significant change in the statistical distribution of the patterns of weather over periods that range between years to decades, climate change is believed to be a result of the human activities which have lead to global warming over the years (Sagan& Chyba1997). Other prospective contributors to climate change include biotic processes, solar radiation variations, volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics. Scientists continue to work actively with the aim of understanding the past as well as the future climate through observations and the use of theoretical models. A climate record has been assembled through the deep extension into the past of the earth .This assembly continues to be built up based on evidence that is geological in nature such as borehole temperature profiles, faunal and floral records, glacial process among others. Enormous amounts of publications have been written on the subject of climate change. Many authors and environmentalists argue their cases and present different perspectives on the controversial subject. While some argue that the risks of climate change are high, others hold the view that the risks have been greatly exaggerated. Recent studies and surveys indicate that only 36% of scientists believe that human beings are the cause of global warming and therefore climate change On the contrary the other scientists hold the opinion that nature is the primary cause of climate change and that climate change will not be a serious problem(Lefsrud & Meyer 2012 ). In my discussion I will focus on two peer reviews: ‘What is the Economics of Climate Change?’ a peer review writt... ... middle of paper ... ...depletion of the ozone layer, biodiversity and stress on food producing systems(IPCC 2013). Therefore, climate change is highly risky and the appropriate international steps should be taken in order to stop more climate change and its negative and severe consequences. Reference list. Lefsrud, L. M & Meyer, R. (2012). Science or Science fiction?: Professionals Discursive Construction of Climate Change . Organizational Studies vol 33 , p.1477-1506. Stern ,N, (2006). What Is The Economics Of Climate Change. World Economics Vol 7. p(1-10). Solomon, S et al. (2009). "Irreversible Climate Change Due To Carbon Dioxide Emissions” Sagan, C & Chyba, C (1997). "The Early Faint Sun Paradox: Organic Shielding of Ultraviolet-Labile Greenhouse Gases”. Science 276 (5316): IPCC (2013). Fifth Assessment Report (5AR) Retrieved from http://www.ipcc.ch/ on 23/12/2013.
Global warming is an issue we are all pretty familiar with. It is the climate change that we, humans, are responsible for. The warming of the earth’s atmosphere is caused by the fossil fuels we burn, clearing of forests, and the carbon dioxide and other harmful gases we release into the air (Cunningham, Cunningham, 2009). There are other harmful toxins we use such as pesticides that are supporting global warming. Some effects of global warming include: increase in weather catastrophes, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and the impact on species could lead to extinction (Cunningham, Cunningham, 2009). “Many scientists regard anthropogenic global climate change to be the most i...
14) Bettina B. F. Wittneben, (2012) Climate Change and the Emergence of New Organizational Landscapes. Sage Journals. vol. 33 no. 11
Hoffman, M. (2013) “Global Climate Change” in The Handbook of Global Climate and Environmental Policy
Global Warming, much of what does or does not happen forty years from now rests on our actions or inactions taken between now and then. The crucial question is whether we should pour all our resources into mitigation – reducing our carbon emissions. According to scientists who study the climate there are other environmental problems; “we now face a global crises in land use and agriculture that could undermine the health, security, and sustainability of our civilization”.
Earth has experienced many episodes of dramatic climate changes with different periods in earth history. There have been periods during which the entire planet has been covered in ice and at another time it has been scorchingly hot and dry. In this regards, earth has experienced at least three major periods of long- term frigid climate and ice ages interspersed with periods of warm climate. The last glacial period which current glaciers are the result of it, occurring during the last years of Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years age (Clayton, 1997). Indeed, glaciers present sensitive indicators of climate change and global warming and by estimating and monitoring the dynamic evolution of these ice masses, several aspect of climate change impact on environmental phenomena can be revealed.
Climate Science as Culture War by Hoffman, A. (2012), discusses how the science on climate change has yet to lead to a social consensus. Whilst “the scientific evidence is overwhelming” (Stern, N. 2007) the epicenter of the debate remains between opposing worldviews; from “dooms-day preachers” (Chricton, M. 2006) to those who view climate change as a hoax. Climate change has become entrenched in an opinion war, reducing what is a complex scientific process to personal, political or religious convictions. Whilst both social and scientific issues need to be considered, it is paramount that the separation of climate change from opinion is made clear. This commentary accepts anthropogenic climate change as fact and explores why it is now steeped in “values, morals and ethics,” (Hoffman, A. 2012).
As Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late. The science is clear. The global warming debate is over” (Schwarzenegger, par.9). Has our society really made an effort to prevent global warming from evolving into a bigger disaster than it already has or are people sitting back and letting things unfold similarly to a series of unfortunate events? Andrew C. Revkin, the author of “Global Warming Is Eroding Glacial Ice”, believes that the main cause of global warming is largely due to human activity. Revkin’s claims water glaciers are disappearing which is making an overall negative impact on global warming. He believes that melting trends are showing a negative effect on the environment and that people’s ignorance to hydroelectric power is leading to future water shortages, which in the longer run will speed up the process of global warming (344). In opposition, Philip Stott, the author of “Global Warming Is Not a Threat to Polar Ice”, begs to differ and believes that people cannot simply blame humans alone for the cause of global warming, but that both the greenhouse gases and natural changes in the environment are the leading causes of an ice age. The Ice age is approaching sooner than later! Even though people believe that global warming should be a concern, Stott argues that people are far from being affected by global warming because in reality ice sheets are getting thicker and not thinner, also that there has been a change in colder climate which is effecting the environment as a whole, and that the production of greenhouse gases are not contributing to global warming, but instead leading the world to the next glacial period (Stott 346).
Climate change has the potential to bring profound consequences to our world if we continue to ignore it. In our times, serious climate changes have been witnessed all over the world. The most visible climate change events that have taken place is global warming, destruction of the ozone layer, irregular climate patterns, increase of major storms, flooding, and erosion of coastlines. These events have affected all nations in the world. Our food supply is directly related to our climate and irregular climate patterns have resulted in a shortage of food in some parts of the world, as farmers are not able to predict the climate and the farming land can become infertile.
For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence about climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many interest groups with considerable political clout have successfully perpetuated the argument that documented changes in the environment are a product of natural cyclical changes in climate, and are not associated with human activities. However, even the acceptance of this particular brand of reality is no grounds for the disregard of environmental consciousness. Even if one accepts the premise that recent climate change is not resultant of human activity, the rationale behind environmental conservation remains ...
Throughout history climates have drastically changed. There have been shifts from warm climates to the Ice Ages (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.204). Evidence suggests there have been at least a dozen abrupt climate changes throughout the history of the earth. There are a few suspected reasons for these past climate changes. One reason may be that asteroids hitting the earth and volcanic eruptions caused some of them. A further assumption is that 22-year solar magnetic cycles and 11-year sunspot cycles played a part in the changes. A further possibility is that a regular shifting in the angle of the moon orbiting earth causing changing tides and atmospheric circulation affects the global climate (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2009, p.205). Scientific studies suggest that all these played a role in past global warming and cooling periods. Today, however, there is a lot of conflict on whether humans are causing a global warming that could be disastrous to humans and all species of plants and animals on this earth. This paper will first explain the greenhouse effect, then take a look at both sides argument, and, finally, analyze the effect of global warming on world-wide sustainability
There is no longer any question that our world climate has changed (King, 2004). Over the last 100 years, "temperatures have risen by about 0.6 degrees Celsius and global sea level has risen by about 20cm" (K...
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.
Mastrandrea, Michael D. "Global warming." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Stern, Nicholas. “The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change,” Report for Her Majesty's
In conclusion, global climate change is a very long discussion with many ways to improve the environment, but a long journey to finding a solution. Although we can 't do away with our main sources like power plants, cars, and factories we must continue to find solutions to making our environment safer and suitable to live in. Hopefully in the near future we will have a better understanding of how to address our global climate changes, but for now, we can focus our ideas on preventative ways to not harm ourselves and our