Climate Change : Causes And Effects

Climate change is the most serious issue humankind is facing in the 21th century. Future generations depend on our ability to make the necessary social changes, before reaching the tipping point of irreversibility, which will lead the planet into a catastrophe incompatible with life.

Beyond the implications for the climate system and the consequent environmental costs associated with such activities, anthropogenic climate change generates immense impacts on the development of human societies: livelihoods are greatly affected, food security is threatened, health and sanitation conditions decline, biodiversity and ecosystem services are lost, fresh water availability declines, agricultural activities are affected and the social wellbeing of billions of people around the world is at risk (IPCC 2014).

According to scientific research, the average temperature of the earth has risen by between ten and twenty degrees Celsius (M.L. Weitzman, 2008). These high temperatures could well be described as a ‘recipe for disaster’, and could produce results that would be catastrophic on a global scale. What is more alarming however, is that there is already a lot of evidence of predicted results of climate change, for instance, in Australia especially, severe draughts have been common in farming areas in the last few decades, there has been an increase of intense and extreme weather events, for example floods, flash floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and tornados, almost all of the natural disasters listed have occurred for ‘unknown’ reasons in the past few years. Rises in sea water level and temperature due to higher acid levels caused by global warming, threaten the existence of species and in some areas, entire eco-systems resulting in the loss of natural biodiversity. ‘Climate change is pushing the world to the verge of environmental and economic collapse, whether global deniers want to believe it or not’ (N. Klein, 2011).

As the U.S becomes more industrialized, we have noticed severe changes not only in the economy but in the climate as well. Although change is inevitable, the most recent changes we will begin to notice more often in rising sea levels, melting ice and torrential downpours are fierce. Climate change is caused by a multitude of activities. Much of what happens in the future relies strictly on the actions and inactions of what we do now and later. Experiencing a multitude of different dramatic occurrence's, our Earth is suffering because of climate change. With these issues rapidly increasing, there have been organizations put into place in order to make life here on Earth more sustainable.

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 the Earth, it poses a big threat to agriculture and food production.

Our world is changing. Not for the good, it’s getting worse. Within the last two hundred years our climate has been changing. Ever since the discovery of how useful nonrenewable resources are our climate has been gradually getting warmer. Climate change is threat with many consequences from the ecosystems that people live in all the way down to the evolution of species in the wild. There are many clear and present dangers in the world today, but climate change is of the most importance causing species to go explode in numbers, average temperatures to increase, uncontrollable forest fires, and the quality of air depleting.

Climate change is the single biggest environmental and humanitarian crisis of our time. Our Earth’s temperature is climbing at an alarming rate. Earth 's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5°F over the next hundred years. The planet is seeing the devastating effects of a warmer earth; warmer oceans, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels. As these and other changes become more pronounced in the coming decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and our environment.

Climate change is a global problem that is affecting Earth’s delicate ecosystem. Many problems are present in our world today, such as starvation, flooding, heat waves, droughts and disease. These issues are likely to worsen as climate change takes its toll. In the past, the cause of this severe climate change was unknown. Today, it is known that manmade climate change is occurring. Scientists have discovered that humans have had the greatest impact on the Earth’s ecosystem. Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, are causing the Earth to get hotter. Although humans are not the only cause of climate change, we contribute to this world wide problem because of the actions we take, which if affecting us now and will continue to affect us in the future.

Humans’ contributions to Climate Change are constant, and not going slowing down without changes. Climate Change is the changing of global weather and temperatures at an abnormal rate. Most activities in our everyday lives has made a contribution, whether it be the technology being used or the cars being driven --- with that, many choose to ignore Climate Change, proceeding with their everyday activity. Meanwhile, on a global scale, the rate of these changes is detrimental to life on earth. NASA explicitly addresses that these fluctuations of climate are natural, but the rate in temperature changes is quicker than ever before. Vast studies show that typically the changes last about a thousand years before the next period of changes, but recently that has taken a turn. Human innovations have backfired, with the earth at stake due to unforeseen externalities. With the advancement of a more technological society, comes great responsibility to the earth, our home.

Human health is slowly diminishing, the ocean and sea levels are increasing dramatically, and plant life around the earth is vanishing- all due to the longly debated topic of climate change. Climate change is no myth; it’s a further analysis of how our planet is suffering the negative effects of human carelessness, which can be observed through the glaciers worldwide. Due to fossil fuel consumption and deforestation, greenhouse gasses are beyond regular amounts and affecting the glaciers, causing them to melt and increase ocean and sea levels.

Climate change is one of the defining environmental concerns facing our globe today. Certain scientific reports have shown that industrialization and deforestation spurted climatic change and triggered the melting of ice glaciers around the Arctic Ocean at a rapid rate. In 2012, the area of ice covering the Arctic Ocean was estimated to be diminished by half; the condition that was not experienced over the last 30 years. Rise in the sea levels by 15-20 centimeters, on average, are also been recorded over the last century and the rate of increase has accelerated over the last decade. Recent scientific reports suggest that melting of ice glaciers around the oceans have the potential to influence tectonic activities in many parts of the world. As ice melts and water runs off, tremendous amount of weight will be lifted off from the Earth’s crust, which causes seismic plates to slip and stimulate earthquakes. The Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tohoku Earthquake, which occurred in north-eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, provides clear illustration for severe tectonic natural disaster. The endless creeping, slipping, locking up and jolting actions of the seismic plates of Earth’s crust resulted in 8.9 magnitude earthquake and spawned a powerful tsunami with waves up to 30 feet high. The event devastated large swaths of the Japan’s coastal region and thousands were dead in the immediate aftermath of the quake and tsunami. In addition to this, human interferences with the nature

Though the center of much debate, one undeniable fact is that climate change is occurring and affects every part of planet Earth. Some effects are actually positive, such as higher rates of photosynthesis in trees due to absorption of more abundant CO2 and warmer temperatures. However, most of the negative effects of climate change outweigh or counteract positive growth. Negative effects of climate change are affecting the land, water, plants, and animal life on planet Earth.

Climate change is an important issue that concerns humanity. Climate change refers to an increase in average global temperatures. Every day, the enhanced greenhouse effect continues to advance, which significantly influences Earth’s long-term climate. In addition, human activity is also contributing to the increase of global warming and is already leading to harmful consequences. Some people believe that global warming is not occurring and the heating of the globe, is just a part of the Earth’s natural cycle. Several consequences such as, ice caps melting, show us that global warming is in fact occurring. Therefore, we should start making changes in order to reduce future damages to the Earth.

Climate change is the most prevalent challenge in achieving sustainable development. The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling, not only is it having effects on the natural environment for example causing rising sea levels as research shows that ‘Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century’ (Shaftel 2017) , rising temperatures on land and sea, more droughts and floods and effecting the balance of nature, it is also having destructive effects on human

With the growing fear of nuclear war with North Korea, the threat of terrorism in the Middle East, or the threat of domestic terrorism in the United States, people tend to forget the threat that climate change has on the world. Many people believe in climate change, but some people do not know the significance it may have on the world. The dangers are unclear, but there is a consensus in the science world that the earth and its inhabitants need to take climate change a lot more seriously. While there are necessary measures being taken like the Paris Agreement, it is imperative that people also take into account their carbon footprint and try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to ensure a better future for the upcoming generations and generations that develop after that. We do not want to live on a planet that may become too hot to live on, in some places. By examining the effects of climate change and other factors, people should be open to change and be determined, not in denial of the facts not only proved by scientists, but observed as well.