Climate Change Is The Biggest Human Induced Threat On The Environment

It is often said that humans are the largest threat to Earth, but not because of violence between one another. Humans are the largest threat to Earth because we as a species pollute the air, land, and water of the very planet we call home. Without Earth all life as we know it will cease to exist. Global warming is the product of the pollutants created by mankind. If mankind as a whole does not change its ways we will ruin our one and only planet that is suitable to sustain life. In Warm, Warmer, Warmest an article by Nicholas D. Kristof argues that that “stopping global warming should be the paramount struggle of our time”(Warmer). While researching this topic I used multiple resources to better understand what Nicholas Kristof is explaining in his article. I first looked at a government run website that helped explain global warming and how it is affecting us today. Then I looked at news articles from different news organizations. Lastly I watched a video that explained why we can no longer ignore global warming. All of those resources helped me better understand my research topic and I feel that I have gained more knowledge about global warming.

Global warming is the number one concern on the planet right now (Ankara 1). Ankara University suggests that “the most common definition of global warming is the process in which Earth’s temperatures increase due too many human activities” (“The Impact of Global…” 1). A basic background of how climate change is provoked is that it is caused by fossil fuels and carbon dioxide being released in the air due to many human activities. This event can potentially harm the human population and put many ecosystems around the world to extinction. Marine ecosystems, in general, are parts of the Earth’s hydrosphere, which make up large parts of the Earth and contain magnificent biodiversity from beautiful fish to the

Climate change is a significant problem all around world for all species alike but one state that faces great possible endangerment of it is the state of New York. 1 Climate change by definition is the "a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels" There can be many causes and outcomes of climate change due to its ongoing increase in highly extreme temperatures. 2 Some causes of climate change are natural. These include changes in Earth 's orbit and in the amount of energy coming from the sun. Ocean changes and volcanic eruptions are also natural causes of climate change. According to nasa.gov "Most scientists say it 's very likely that most of the warming since the mid-1900s is due to the burning of coal, oil and gas. Burning these fuels is how we produce most of the energy that we use every day. This burning adds heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the air." The gases are being created causing harm to local states like New York and other states and countries alike are called greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can cause great effects and conflicts of interest within the environment and ecosystem. Due to the increase in greenhouse gasses and carbon dioxide in atmosphere, the result has caused global temperatures to increase more than 1 degree Fahrenheit causing global

Hence the rising numbers and intensity of yearly heat waves across the world. {Why is this a problem}…. nature’s processes for removing CO2 are relatively slow, a large portion of the CO2 already emitted will remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years to come, setting our planet on a warming cycle from which ecological impacts are inevitable. Human activity—especially the burning of fossil fuels for energy—is the primary cause of global warming. In the past 300 years, industrial, economic, and social activity has released more than 1.5 trillion tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Burning coal is also a leading cause of smog, acid rain, and toxic air pollution. Some emissions can be significantly reduced with readily available pollution controls, but most U.S. coal plants have not installed these technologies. The main legislation that applies to air pollution is the Clean Air Act (CAA). Under the CAA the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set limits on the amount of certain pollutants that can be released into the air. By using technology that either traps the pollutants before they are released into the air or that changes them into less harmful pollutants, the amount of air pollution can be controlled. If not then, burning greater amounts of coal would release greater quantities of greenhouse gasses. The failed legislation that momentarily existed in the United States applied to global warming, thus displaying that there are currently no blueprints to seize or even slow the increase of our coal use that contributes significantly to global warming and causes major environmental problems. In 2013, the environmental justice groups sue EPA for Failure to Enforce Clean Air

Having to pay for Smog Check and paying an extra amount of dollars to refill a certain type of gasoline for the car are few of the many expenses that does not make sense for many of us, but this is the price we pay for our actions that carried negative outcomes on our climate. Yes, its the global warming problem that all the countries are bragging about its effects; they are the effects that made our summers hotter and warmed our winters, and to prove its seriousness Levitt and Dubner, in their Super freakonomics book had their own way of approaching this problem economically, quoted “that climate change ‘would force economic and social adjustments on a world wide scale’”(160). As a part of the world, the state of California had been effected by global warming in various ways due to many reasons that will be covered in this paper. In California, the increase in temperatures were noticeable when compared to the last decades which incentivized the state to implement laws and legislations that control the main cause of our climate change, greenhouse gases. While many sectors of the state are emitting greenhouse gases non-stop, the government of California took a big effort in issuing regulations to reduce and stop greenhouse gases emissions in the contributing sectors as a plan for a cleaner and suitable environment.

Climate Change links: https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/climate-change-basic-information http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/ http://climate.nasa.gov/ http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence Greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect is the biggest cause of climate change The greenhouse effect has water vapor,nitrous oxide,methane,and carbon dioxide. Water vapor is the biggest greenhouse gas.

In his speech at the 2016 Oscars, Leonardo DiCaprio declared that climate change is the planet’s most severe threat and encouraged his audience to “work collectively together and stop procrastinating” about the issue (Mooney). That seems ironic coming from the guy who played Jack, a character that drowned because of a giant iceberg, but I guess Leo understands the titanic effect climate change is having on the world. So what exactly is climate change? Climate change consists of variations in the average weather patterns of a region. This is mainly caused by a layer of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, that blanket the atmosphere, trapping heat on earth’s surface. NASA reported that global temperatures have risen 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit

In 1979, the first World Conference on Climate was held, which included many scientists that warned about the affects human activity has on climate change (DiMento 35). Climate change is not only affecting human health but the earth as well, for example; scientists now predict the Artic sea may be ice-free in the summer between 2030 and 2050, which is decades earlier than predicted (DiMento 46). Greenhouse gases are warming the earth which the earth’s temperature is rising thus causing not only ice and snow to melt faster, but sever heat waves as well. Other issues with climate change include, drought, as well as more snow and rain hitting certain areas of North American than normal. To be able to stop climate change, there needs to be changes made to the way people live and use fossil fuels. The best place to start a change in the U.S. would be to adopt a carbon tax. A carbon tax is a pollution tax or a fee for the production, distribution or use of fossil fuels. The United States should adopt a carbon tax because it would improve the economy, encourage to use alternative fuels, and reduce the production of carbon dioxide.

The climate of earth has been increasing for past decade. The increasing temperature is not only harmful for environment but also dangerous for earth and peoples' survival. However, many international societies and groups have been putting their efforts to keep the atmosphare balanced, they are not enough. I believe people are the main cause of pollutions, destroy forests, and natural habitat. Therefore, atmosphare has been changing drastically.

Did you know that the United States is the second largest contributor of CO2, and the less concerned about it? Climate change has been a problem for decades, but just recently we start to see how big of a problem climate change is, and can be. Climate change is one of the biggest problems that we are facing right now, even if keep trying to act like is nothing. Everybody, the people, the government, and big companies are a big contributor of this phenomenon. The more we keep denying its effects, the more we are going to regret it later, and going to wish that we could go back and try to fix the issue. You going to know one day, and its going to be late. Climate change should be the U.S government main focus this decade and the ones to come. Climate change can affect a country in every way economically, destroyed …., cause a lot of deaths.

Most of the blame for climate change over the years especially after the 1850’s has been placed on humans. As long as modern humans have roamed the earth, they have been upsetting the natural balance of the earth. People have did this by clearing areas of land, killing animals, polluting water, etc. Before the “modern human”, people like the Native Americans cared for the earth. They respected the land and the people that cared for it. Unfortunately, people don’t care anymore. Until recently, people did not care for the earth. People did not realize the harm they were causing it. Now we know how detrimental things are that we continue to do and used to do.

Climate change is one of the world’s biggest threats. Climate change has been and currently still is affecting the planet. It affects the environment, animals, plants, the ecosystem and it affects humans as well. However, even though climate change affects humans, we also play a big part in contributing to climate change. For example, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has gone up due to the burning of fossil fuels (from human activity) as well as deforestation (clearing or removal of trees) which requires human participation (Reece). The rise of CO2 affects the global temperature and human activities only add to the climate change. As stated before, climate change not only effects humans, it also effects plants and animals. For instance, with climate change happening, plants and animals are experiencing drastic changes in their habitat. Therefore, plants and animals have to migrate to an environment better suited for them. (Reece). Climate change has also had an effect on the arctic as well as plants, animals, humans, etc. It is said that climate change is known to be the greatest threat to the arctic as we know it. For example, the arctic sea has already experienced the largest amount of warming in 2012 and it is suggested that within a few decades or so there may not be any more ice. Henceforth, the habitat for seals, polar bears and other mammals will be decreasing and their species will be at risk (Reece 2011). There have definitely been some significant changes that

It is best put bluntly: climate change has become the most pressing issue of our time. It is a concern so urgent that many say we have already passed a point in which we cannot recover; we can merely hope to minimize the damage. It is an issue that has found its way to the forefront of many governmental platforms, regardless of political affiliation. Most recently, APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – held its yearly summit in Beijing, the capital of the world’s greatest polluter: China. However, the progress attained by this conference is what has newspapers, such as the Washington Post, calling it the “best APEC summit ever. (cite)” China and the United States – the world’s largest emissions polluters – took a very encouraging step forward as both agreed to a motivated joint plan that plans to drastically cut carbon emissions. Frequently seen as “antagonists (cite)” in the in the realm of greenhouse emissions, this initiative is being viewed as one of the largest in recent memory. The hope is that smaller countries will see the commitment from world leaders such as the United States and China and will in turn become motivated to reduce emissions as well. There seems to be an abundance of benefits in terms of energy but there could also be hidden benefits to this agreement, more specifically, what does this initiative tell of U.S.-China relations, both present and future? Unsurprisingly, there are many ways to answer this question and to do so without the

Climate change is a worldwide issue. Not only is firm action and leadership critical in the United States, but also international efforts need to work toward reducing emissions. Strong public demand for climate change is crucial to enact effective global warming solutions for the future. Unless immediate action is taken, climate change will continue to escalate and continue to affect the entire planet. Ways nations and individuals can help repair the earth's atmosphere is reduce air pollution, use green energy, stop deforestation. Reducing air pollution could have a dramatic effect on climate change. Humans could impact this reduction by simple things such as conserving

Climate Change is a clear and present threat to the health of U.S. citizens because it affects the air quality. Climate Change with the help of pollutants caused by citizens such as waste, biomass, and fossil fuels, are the main causes of air pollutants in the United States, which makes it harder to produce crops and breathe in cleaner air (Massetti et al. pg. VII). If the air quality is not improved, which it has been improving over the past couple of decades, there are greater chances of heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, and asthma (U.S. Environmental