In recent years, the controversial subject of global warming has been more predominantly brought to our attention. Is the threat of global warming real? Is it man-made or is this just a natural cycle of earth? Does it really affect earth’s inhabitants? Should action be taken against it? If so, what kind and to what extent? It cannot be only a coincidence that the alarmingly rapid climate change coincides perfectly with the increased amount of pollutants that humans release into the environment. The once stable climate has in recent years begun to skyrocket, thus altering the delicate structure of earthly life. This proves to be hazardous to the future of the planet; some people worry that many of the resources the environment provides that …show more content…
Consequently, the greenhouse gasses that most affect the atmosphere include: carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, tropospheric ozone, and nitrous oxide (“Greenhouse Gases: Introduction”). The overall effect of the presence of certain gases depends on its abundance, concentration and the amount of time spent in the atmosphere. Water vapor is the most predominant gas in the atmosphere but it spends only about nine days there whereas carbon ioxide, another powerful gas, spends about five years (Schlesinger). The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that “In 2011, CO2 accounted for about 84% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities” (“Carbon Dioxide Emissions”). Carbon dioxide is an organic gas which is naturally found in the earth’s Atmosphere but the level has drastically increased since the start of the industrial revolution. This is because carbon dioxide is released during the combustion fossil fuels (ie. oil, natural gas, and coal) which occurs when generating electricity, transporting people and goods, and producing products. Electricity accounts for thirty eight percent of emissions, transportation thirty one percent, Industry fourteen percent, and the last sixteen percent a combination of residential and commercial and other sources (Carbon Dioxide Emissions). Talks in 1997 brought about the Kyoto Protocol on February 16, 2005. The Kyoto Protocol included thirty six countries making individual goals for
Global warming is the steady heating of Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere caused primarily by human activity. Climate change is one of the world’s biggest challenges right now, from people actively arguing that it doesn’t exist- to other’s who don’t care enough to do anything about it. There’s evidence showing that climate change is happening and affecting our world now and from what it seems, if action isn’t taken, major consequences will soon arise. Most of the world’s land mass has experienced a 0.2-1.0 degree Celsius average temperature increase since the 1970s, the temperatures of the Artic has increased at almost twice the mean global rate. Climate change is caused by human factors such as greenhouse gases and ozone depletion and because humans are so dependent on fossil fuels in their day to day lives, the issue at hand is only going to get worse.
The society of the modern day and age is characterized by a wide array of elements, such as unprecedented levels of technologic development, ongoing fights for human rights and societal development, but also high levels of environmental threat. The global warming phenomenon has, for decades, been assessed with importance and reticence alike. While some would argue the severity of the raising global temperatures, others would attest that global warming was a make belief phenomenon. Today however, as science has proven the existence of the phenomenon, more measures have to be taken to ensure environmental stability.
Presently, while Scientists are warning us about the deleterious effects of Global Warming, “Nonscientists” also have separate views on the same issue. This indicates that Global Warming is a controversial issue that needs to be addressed. First, we need to understand the concept of “Global Warming.” Global Warming is described as the general increase in atmospheric temperatures worldwide, which results to climate changes. According to an article titled “Global Warming,” the earth’s atmosphere contains various gases that act as a blanket to trap heat from the sun and prevent it from escaping back into space. This means that these gases prevent the earth from being cold. This continued process is known as the greenhouse effect, and the gasses that are responsible for maintaining this heat are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. They continued, “Over time, the amount of greenhouse gases trapped in the earth’s atmosphere has increased significantly, causing worldwide temperatures to rise.” Human activities like industrialization and agriculture also play a significant role in increasing these gases. For example, the use of certain fertilizers, produce nitrous oxide and methane emissions come from the production of fossil fuels from landfills, and from livestock, they emphasized. All these evidence illustrates that we are significantly responsible for recent increases in temperatures. For this reason, it is obvious that it is a pressing human issue. This recent dramatic
Global warming is one of the most controversial topics in the world today. Global warming describes a condition where the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans increase. Global warming is predicted to have significant harmful effects on life on earth. The controversy arises from conflicting evidence in the scientific community as to whether humans are contributing to global warming, whether it is a result of natural forces that are beyond the control of humans, or in some cases, whether it is even occurring at all. This research will examine credible evidence of global warming and will explore its causes and
Global warming has become an undisputed fact about our current livelihoods; our planet is warming up and we are definitely part of the problem. However, this isn’t the only environmental problem that we should be concerned about. All across the world,
At first thought the essay topic global warming, seemed simple. After researching many sites, such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), University studies, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) studies, Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), and more, global warming is very complicated. It hinges on many factors, solar activity, deforestation, increase in carbon dioxide from forest floors, obliquity (change in axil tilt of Earth), volcano eruptions, water vapor, fossil fuel use, methane gases, cloud cover and other factors. There are many effects on the global temperature, two of the major ways used to study this topic are Global Climate Models (GCM) and observational studies
"Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with the underlying causes of global warming."
Humans are to blame for global warming, there is no question about it. Humans and human actions are causing a rise in temperature worldwide. We have recorded a steady rise in temperature for the last fifty years. This rise is caused by an estimated 95% of human actions.Humans are to blame for global warming because of deforestation, population growth, and the use of non-environmentally safe products.
Climate change otherwise known as global warming has been an ongoing issue for decades. Beginning in the 19th century, climate change has increasingly affected Earth and its atmosphere. Rising levels of carbon dioxide are warming the Earth’s atmosphere, causing rising sea-levels, melting snow and ice, extreme fires and droughts, and intense rainfall and floods. Climate change has and will continue to affect food production, availability of water, and can add to many health risks in humans and animals. In fact, in an article by Justin Gillis titled, “Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift Within Decades, Not Centuries” he focuses on a paper written by a former NASA climate scientist, James E. Hansen, explaining the effects of climate change on Earth today. Although many believe Hansen’s theories in the paper are quite far-fetched, the author mentions, “Despite any reservations they might have about the new paper, virtually all climate scientists agree with Dr. Hansen’s group that society is not moving fast enough to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, posing grave risks” (Gillis). Gillis validates the fact that climate change has been rapidly expanding throughout Earth and society has not been able to reduce it fast enough. Many negative risks are being posed and will continue to mount if the issue of climate change is not taken seriously. Although climate change negatively affects nearly all aspects of Earth, it poses a big
The earth is a beautiful and extraordinary planet, but are we treating it right? For the past 20 decades, temperatures have been rising along with hundreds of factors contributing to it. Climate change concerns the public as they wonder if its occurring, how much has occurred in the modern era, what has caused it, what the effects will be if we don’t do anything about it and much more. Many people and scientist agree that mankind is the number one cause of climate change. Humans have influenced this by greenhouse gases, methane nitrous oxide.
The issue is simple and rather obvious; climate change is real and a problem. With a changing climate comes rising sea levels, hotter days, and stronger and wilder storms, and long painful droughts. What most people can’t seem to agree on is whether or not human activity is playing some role in it. From media outlets to internet forums, the debate is being fought on all fronts. Most of these arguments, however, are just personal opinions and poorly-made observations from the comfort of a gas-guzzling SUV. Honestly, it doesn’t take a genius to look up a legitimate scientific paper and see the data for yourself. Human activity is influencing the global climate in a negative way, with plenty of evidence to prove it and very little disagreement in the scientific community.
To begin with, the environment we choose to place ourselves in has the ability to impact our wellness within an instance. With that being said, there’s a possibility our wellness is likely to be threatened. For those apart of organizations concerned about the wellness of others, it’s their responsibility to inform the community about how to prepare themselves for environmental changes. What has the possibility to occur within an environment varies. Everyone adapts to alterations differently, but is human activity responsible for global warming negatively affecting human health?
Thesis Statement: Global warming is a growing concern of scientists and researchers who believe that it is a serious problem for our planet. The concerns and research have also been questioned and have even been called myths. Millions of people find themselves affected by these weather pattern changes and are concerned for their futures. Activists on both sides of the argument are very passionate and not afraid to attack each other in every way they can. There are many questions that are still not answered, however, we continue to see drastic weather changes to Earth. We must go beyond the arguments and learn as much as we can to stop what could possibly lead to the destruction of our planet, our way of life and our future.
The scientific consensus on global warming is sobering: Its real, it’s happening now and carbon dioxide emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels are almost certainly responsible. Predicting what the exact effects will be on humanity and the planet’s living resources is trickier, but a growing body of evidence suggests they will be profound…, and most wealthy industrial nations have adopted mandatory limits on carbon emissions under the 2005 Kyoto Protocol. (Woodard, 2007, p.27).
In a survey that was performed by Greg Holland and Peter Webster in the National Center for Atmospheric Research that found that an increase in the number of observed hurricanes, stating that “increasing cyclone numbers has lead to a distinct trend in the number of major hurricanes and one that is clearly associated with greenhouse warming” (Holland 1). Another source concluded that global warming has absolutely no correlation with hurricane frequencies, rather the fact that access to improved monitoring is the reason for frequent hurricanes. “Increasing temperature leads to an increase in vertical wind shear which may inhibit the formation of hurricanes” (Vecchi). This is the reason why the impact of global warming on hurricane frequency