Cause And Effects Of Climate Change

“Climatism is the belief that man-made greenhouse gases are destroying earth’s climate” said Steve Goreham, the executive director of the Climate Science Coalition of America and author of the book “The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Climatism: Mankind and Climate Change Mania”. Historically, earth climate has become a major problem after the Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th century and it significantly becomes a big concern in the present days. This essay will illustrate the possible root of climate change which is caused by mankind as well as nature.

Climate change is one of the biggest news headlines of today. While there are skeptics that believe that global warming is just a hoax, there are many undeniable phenomenons happening around the world. The effects of climate change, in the long run, will be catastrophic if it is left alone. In just the past two months, there have been four hurricanes that made landfall in North America, and a wildfire more aggressive than has ever been seen before, ripping through California, killing forty people and leveling almost six thousand structures. Millions of Americans are displaced due to these unusually aggressive storms and the fires raging throughout California. Arctic species have seen massive reductions in their populations, with less food to eat, and less mates to breed with. The toxicity of the air in urban cities and contamination of waters outside these cities is on the rise. If the world keeps dismissing the importance of climate change, there will be calamitous consequences for the future generations. The effects of climate change, if not fixed, will be Arctic ice melting, reduction in animal populations, habitats threatened, and the air toxicity and seasonal allergies to humans. The causes include the greenhouse effect and air pollution.

“The Living Planet report calculates that humans are using 30% more resources than the Earth can replenish each year” (Jowit, 2008). Despite this shocking information, the scientific community around the world are not focus only on a future lack of resources, but also with the possible cause and effects of climate change. Both topics are directly related with the future of human life. Since people need the nature to provide them food, fresh water and material to produce their daily thing, the lack of resources is a reality. In addition, according to the article “The Consequences of Climate Change” published by NASA scientists had predicted loos of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves as some the effects of climate change by 2100 (NASA, n.d.). Thus, it is clear that there is an agreement that both issues will seriously affect the future of humanity. However, the scientific community has doubts about which of these themes is crucial for the survival of human beings. Taking into account how quickly the natural resources have been consumed, the effects will be felt earlier than the climate change outcomes.

Climate change has been a gripping issue in current times as it presents the world with debate over not just the fate of the environment, but also political priorities, foreign affairs, media coverage, and public opinion. The concern for environmental health has grabbed the attention of people around the world and called for stricter regulations on gas emissions and pollution, but has also driven a wedge between populations. Climate change is an issue wrapped in political controversy and studied on a geographical level. Looking at how groups view and understand the research and concept behind this issue will help one better understand the environmental effects humans have on the world.

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992), climate change is an alteration that affects directly or indirectly to peoples’ lives, changing the formation of the global atmosphere with the deterioration of climate. Global warming is a political challenge which involves the hard work between countries and it is becoming a globalized and international problem nowadays. Due to the impacts of climate change, it affects a country’s political issues such as the migration of nations and the biodiversity loss which may lead to the imbalance of populations, the international struggle brought by the lack of sources, and the air quality index (AQI) of each countries which affect the rate of illness. Although these problems have not been fully solved, there are a few effective strategies which can reduce or overcoming, namely using renewable energy, exercising taxes and fines, signing agreements, and encourage people to become a vegetarian or weekdays vegetarian.

Climate change can affect plants and animals that live in a delicate environment. Climate change affects populations of plants and animals in random ways. These changes in plant and animal habitat could affect migration patterns (Cohn 2). Plants will be more affected by a change in scenery more than animals because plants depend on the right temperature and rainfall in order to stay alive. Another reason that plants will be affected more is that plants stay in one place and animals can move if the habitat is hazardous to their health (Cohn 2). Comparing the present and expected future range of the species is one way to examine the consequences of climate change. Margaret Davis is an American palynologist and paleoecologist who received a B.A from Radcliffe College, Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University and an honorary M.S from Yale University. She served as president of the Ecological Society of America and the American Quaternary Association and as chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1982. Davis used computer models to estimate a change in range of beech, yellow birch, hemlock, and sugar maple trees (Cohn 2). The results that Davis found are that the four species of trees would have to move 500 kilometers to sustain the same habitat to remain in order to stay healthy. The beech forests which thrive in southeastern United States would cease to exist (Cohn

Climate change is described as a phenomenon in which the regularity of the climate undergoes temperal or precipatation changes. Climate itself is the constant long term weather pattern of a particular region. Each region has it's own variations of climate, of which there are 5 groupings, and each climate dictates the regions vegetation, species type, soil fertility, and even population locations. First and foremost, one cannot examine the evidence and result of climate change without first discussing the greenhouse effect, a natural warming of the earth and it's recent increase which has exacerbated the issue of climate change. The greenhouse effect is a process in which certain gases within the atmospere trap some of the sun’s solar radiation projected down to Earth. This process composed of the gases, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and even water vapor, is essential as it allows the Earth to regulate a regular warm temperature and thereby allow liquid water to reside on the surface (Reichard, 2014). These greenhouse gases, a normal part of Earths biosphere, can be released through natural process like from a Volcanic eruption or the decaying of vegetation.

Everyday people and countries are affected by climate change and it’s effects. It may not seem serious now but one day it will so here is how climate change is caused and how it could be prevented. Climate change is not one big event it happens over many years. It may happen slow but it's effects can happen faster than we know, just because it's not affecting you now it doesn't mean that it won’t at all. Just remember that only we can stop climate change and help prevent it.

“Natural disasters have killed more than 600,000 people and left behind trillions of dollars in damages in the last two decades, the United Nations said Monday.” (Chan) Extreme weather has caused millions of casualties and extreme damages over the years, but lately there has been an increase in severe weather events. This is causing problems in the US, with the amount of tornadoes rising in tornado alley “Tennessee experienced a 67 percent increase in tornado activity in 1983-2013 compared to the 1954-1983 time period. Oklahoma experienced a nearly 35 percent decrease in tornadoes in 1983-2013 compared to 1954-1983.”

Climate change is an issue that is becoming more and more evident in today’s society. “Climate change is a variation in the unusual weather found in a place.’’ According to NASA researchers; People who study earth have noticed the Earth is getting warmer. “Earth’s temperature has increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit in the last one hundred years. This may not seem like much, but small changes in the Earth’s temperature can have big effects.” (NASA). After many researches, scientist have come to believe there will be more snow and ice to melt and the ocean level will rise, get hotter, and other places will have colder winters with a lot of snow while other places have more rain than others. For example, Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida. This climate change will have a significant impact on the environment, biodiversity, and on human health.

Climate change is happening all over the world. From various regions like, the United States, to regions across the world like Antarctica and Greenland. Not only is climate change affecting people in the United States such as those who live on the East coast and are more prone to intense weather like storms or hurricanes, but it is also affecting various types of animals, such as polar bears. These issues will be further discussed. Regions all over the world, are experiencing climate change, because temperatures are fluctuating and in many regions, becoming warmer than intended. Climate change affects many organisms, and most of the effects of climate change are negative impacts on their life, or even destruction to their habitat.

For years we have continuously heard the debate on the news about global warming. But, what is global warming? What causes it? Why should be concerned that the Earth is getting warmer?

Human life have been significantly affected by the industrialization of our planet, consequently resulting in an increased emission of greenhouse gases. These gases have contributed to the increasing temperature of the Earth which is known as Global warming. Of all the greenhouse gases, Carbon dioxide emission have the largest impact that contribute to Global warming. In addition, increasing carbon dioxide emission has become a growing trend in developed countries. The evidence of global warming are glaciers retreating, extreme weather patterns occurings, and animals that depend on cold climates for survival are at risk of being extinct. Even with the evidence of Global Warming, there are some people who does not believe in global warming or see it as an issue that should be addressed. One of the common arguments by non-believers of global warming is that the earth surface temperature was always increasing in the past.

The Earth’s temperature is rising, the oceans are warming, glaciers are retreating and because of this, our sea level is rising and more (Climate Change Evidence). The climate changing has the potential to completely damage our world. Animals, plants, ecosystems and our health will all be affected. Changing weather patterns are already wreaking havoc in coastal areas and areas prone to flooding. While other areas are experiencing droughts and wildfires (The Threats of Climate Change). Human activity on Earth is to blame. We are causing a “greenhouse effect.” Burning fossil fuels, coal, oil, driving cars and more are attributing to this (Climate Change Causes). Yet, with all this evidence in hand, climate change is still a hotly debated topic in our society. However, a study in 2010 found that 97-98% of climate researchers that are most active in their field all agree that human activity is the primary culprit for global climate change. This same study also found that the proficiency of researchers that do not believe humans have caused climate change is "substantially below" that of researchers who believe that humans have caused the climate to change (Climate Change Procon.org). Instead of increasing funding to research, or putting forth funds to establish clean energy, our President, Donald Trump, has slashed the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency. He cut 80 million dollars from them (Mundahl). May Boeve, executive director of the environmental group 350.org,

One of the most severe issues facing the world today is global warming. There are several scientists who argue that society’s production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are having an intense heating effect on the earth’s atmosphere and that this would eventually mean catastrophic effects for human life. Global warming is the gradual heating of the Earth’s surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere. Most of the leading scientific organization in the world acknowledges global warming as a global threat, 97% of climate scientists agree that the rate of global warming trends the planet is now experiencing unnatural occurrences, but it is primarily the result of human activity. The effects of global warming are visible as climate change continues to endanger the Earth’s atmosphere, along with the inhabitants, industries, and ecosystems. To decelerate or end global warning we should give tax breaks …, promote the manufacture eco-friendlier vehicles (such as eco-boost, hybrids and electric), and relying on natural resources.