Global Warming Historical Perspective

As a result, it is no surprise scientists have estimated that in the last two hundred years the global temperature has risen by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Maybe that does not sound like much, but consider this: it only took four degrees to bring us out of the last Ice Age. Experts agree that global warming is one of the greatest—if not the greatest—challenge facing all of humanity.

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

The Global Warming theory has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Citizens of the world are being encouraged to be more environmentally conscious by others including politicians, celebrities, and world organizations. The problem with the theory lies in the fact that it has become more and more controversial as it gains publicity and attention. The basic concept behind this theory is that the earth was made with a balance of “greenhouse gasses”. These gasses are naturally occurring within the atmosphere and they essentially make the planet habitable by keeping it warm.

Indeed, if we accept the danger of global warming to be a real and present one, then the question of how to address it must be given serious consideration. Research conducted from as early as the 1950s through the present has afforded us a solid understanding of its causes. In the most basic sense, the problem lies in the burning of carbon-based fossil fuels such as carbon and oil which leads to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2). Gases such as CO2 are referred to as greenhouse gases (GHGs) which accumulate in the atmosphere. GHGs can

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 is not fiction. Scientists have found new and dramatic evidence of what’s happening to our world, and the impact is already being felt; it’s time for the non-believers to begin believing. The extreme weather we’ve all suffered through, all across the world should be a default red flag in your mind letting you know climate change is occurring. People put forth climate change as if it was something new although the science demonstrating man-made climate change is quite old, presented, and well established. For the past 150 years, scientists have been aware that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse-gas. In the 1800s, Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist, performed the first calculations of what would happen in a hypothetical scenario where

The Great Warming by Brian Fagan claims that environmental changes (most commonly prolonged droughts, El Niños, and La Niñas during the Medieval Warm Period) affect human civilization, including human’s trading abilities, overall movement, and quality of life. He examines the world’s ancient climate warming, known as the Medieval Warming, between the 10th and the 15th centuries, also mentioning the preceding and succeeding centuries. Fagan gathers his research using studies conducted by archaeologists, historians, and paleoclimatologists. Throughout his book, he refers to direct methods to study climate change, such as instrument records and historical documents, and indirect methods, such as ice, deep sea cores, coral records, and tree rings. Fagan digs into the rise and fall of multiple civilizations around the world as an effect of The Medieval Warming Period. As well as examining civilizations across the world, he attempts to connect the climate change patterns during The Medieval Warming Period to the current global warming faced today. The Great Warming discusses positive and negative connections between climate change and human civilizations across the world, starting in Europe and working its way into Asia, North America, South America, Africa, and even covering the arctic ice caps; however, throughout the book, Fagan has a hard time connecting his various ideas back to one main topic and can easily stray from his point about the effects of climate change.

The major contributors to climate change so far had been the Industrial Revolution and the invention and wide-spread use of the gasoline powered automobile. The world had now become industrialized and new technologies were constantly being invented. The next big event to come from this happened soon after 1945. After the end of World War II in 1945 the world’s economy started to recover. This sent industrial production into overdrive. The automobile industry quadrupled and major corporations became bigger than ever before (Jeffries). The United States had begun to feel the effects of industrialization in the 18th century, but at the end of World War II the economy was beginning to pick up sending the United States into another period of industrialization. The burning of all this coal and oil put pollution into the atmosphere, partially blocking the sun’s rays. This effect caused the years 1940-1970 to get cooler, leading some to speculate that the world was heading toward a new ice age (Jeffries). But in the 1970’s the earth started getting warmer again, and the phrase “global warming” was now used in some research papers (Jeffries).

Earth’s climate system has been experiences changes during the last century. Dating back in 1859 a Swedish scientist named Svante Arrhenius was the first to claim that fossil fuel combustion eventually resulted to the contribution of global warming. According to S.M. Enzler MSc, in his article “History of the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming”, published by Lenntech, Dr. Arrhenius’ findings were long forgotten, “At that time it was thought than human influences were insignificant compared to natural forces, such as solar activity and ocean circulation. It was also believed that the oceans were such great carbon sinks that they would automatically cancel out our pollution.” (Enzler 1.). Global Warming was just an illusion up until the mid-1900s a scientist named Gilbert Plass began experimenting with carbon dioxide which he soon concluded that adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere would intercept infrared radiation, that is otherwise lost to space, thus warming the earth. Dr. Plass’ conclusion is very similar to that of Dr. Arrhenius, and the reason why it was not overlooked was due to the advances in technology during Dr.Plass time, proven to have a more accurate data compared to the past. Further research was conducted to help explain the rise in the global annual mean temperature. As of 1988 it was finally acknowledged that climate was warmer than any period since 1880. I agree that

The global warming is a phenomenon happening all over the earth, there are several causes, but most are a result of human activity. The graph in image 1 shows that a significant increase in the climate temperature in the mid-20th century, somewhere between 1900 and 1950. The industrial revolution happened between the years 1820 and 1840, although great improvements in technology were achieved in the 1900 's. The increasing temperatures since the industrial revolution work as a proof that global warming is a direct effect of human activity. As image 1 shows before the 20th century the variations in the earth 's climate were minimal, except for that of the ice age. Although the industrial revolution detonated the rising temperature due to the use of new chemicals, this change is not evident until it surpasses the previously registered temperatures in the mid-1900 's. Science and technology have improved in the last 200 years, most devices used to measure changes in temperatures were just developed about 150 years ago, so there is not much information of the temperatures before that (Vallis). Nevertheless, scientists have been able to estimate the earth 's temperature from millions of years ago by studding trees, fossils, sediments and water temperatures. Recent studies have proved how many man-made chemicals and activities have contributed to the climate change, affecting the natural processes in the earth like the

In the words of the great Herclitus “the only constant is change,” this is true regarding anything in life, including climate change. From our own experience, temperatures have been increasing year by year and snowfall has slightly diminished as the year’s progress. The portrayal of global warming by the media and the government has been over-exaggerated due to a lack of concrete evidence to back up their claims. Our planet shows evidence of climate change beginning approximately 4.6 billion years ago, when the earth was first formed. The Earth hasn’t been experiencing a constant rise in global warming, but an unpredictable change of warming and cooling periods. The media’s depiction of global warming does not exist, rather a pattern of unpredictable

Evidence indicates, Earth’s natural climate has a history of dramatic changes from warmer and cooler periods that can last for a few centuries. Mankind geologically speaking lives in a time period of intense climate change, and over the past million years we have experienced a dozen or so major glaciations, with the greatest occurring around 650,000 years ago, long before the Industrial Revolution, The Ice Age. This cooling period in Earth’s climate lasted for somewhere around 50,000 years and included the extreme buildup of ice that covered major regions, such as the Midwest, Canada, Germany, and several smaller regions. During this time the sea level had dropped by approximately 400 feet and the overall global temperature dropped nearly 9

A second study states “Although some records are available from the 1600s and 1700s , systematic measurements of climate began in the mid-1800s. The data include measurements of surface temperature over land and the oceans, precipitation amounts, sea-ice extents, and global sea levels. Since the 1970s, satellite studies have provided additional data on temperature trends at Earth’s surface and through the layers of the atmosphere” (“Global Warming- Britannica”). The second source backs up the first source with exact quantitative data about changes in the first. (See pictures on page 6-7 ). The first topic of the United Nation’s Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report is “Observed Changes and their Cause” which states “Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850” (“United Nations” pg 7). These three sources prove, through scientific observational facts, that the climate of the Earth’s surface is changing very rapidly, therefore, proving that through conclusive science the topic of climate changer is accurate.

In the beginning the earth was hot and pure lava, then it became covered with

Imagine you are placed into the future. The year is 2100. You begin to live in this