Climate change or colloquially known as global warming, now pose a new threat to civilization as the levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) are soaring to new levels. The most significant contributor to greenhouse gasses would be Carbon Dioxide (Co2). The levels of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) gas have risen to levels civilization has not seen before. As such, the effects of these levels are not known to civilization as data gathered from the ice cores drilled in the Antarctica only shows data up to 650,000 years ago. However we can conclude that present CO2 concentrations are higher compared to any time in the last 650,000 years (IPCC 2007). Current carbon dioxide concentrations are hovering around 389 parts per million (ppm) as of September 2011,
The rapidly increasing amount of carbon dioxide may be one of the factors that cause climate change. As Hillman states, “Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are increasing, and have done so since the Industrial Revolution.” An atmospheric CO2 concentration, research shows that there is a dramatic increase from 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1750 to 373 ppm in 2002, a rise of the third. Furthermore, the linear chart demonstrated the trend of annual global CO2
Over the years Carbon Dioxide has been significantly increasing from human activity. CO2 has a concentration of about 400 ppmv (parts per million volume). Its concentration in the atmosphere was about 280 ppmv before the Industrial Revolution, now it has increased immensely to about 380 ppmv in 2006. Many have said Carbon Dioxide has been the main reason or cause of global warming; saying that if we produce too much of this greenhouse gas it can create a global climate change. Even though carbon dioxide affects the temperature of the atmosphere it also affects the acidity of water specifically in the ocean.
Secondly, together with deforestation of the planet, the burning of fossil fuels is contributing to a measurable increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere. • Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm. Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice. • Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes
Climate Change- Climate is a long term change in the Earth's weather, especially due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. According to research, it was discovered that the Earth's temperature rose by 0.6 degrees Celsius (C) and predicted that the sea surface temperature may rise by up to 1 degrees C over the next 50 years. Unfortunately, carbon dioxide and methane gas levels are the highest they have ever been for the last 420000 years. These two gases with water vapour, nitrous oxide and halocarbons create the five predominate greenhouse gases, effecting the environment greatly. Furthermore, it is evident that an average person release 4 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Due to this fact, carbon dioxide
The rapid change in our climate due to anthropogenic forces has caused the Earth’s average temperature to rise to an unparalleled level in human history. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as the cyclical processes of the Earth and Sun, affect the warming of our oceans and atmosphere. Although processes other than anthropogenic practices modify the climate, our influence on the climate since the Industrial Revolution has been unmatched. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Recent climate changes have widespread impacts on human and natural systems” (IPCC , 2014). The impact that climate change has on human and natural systems is difficult to quantify, because the effects are complex and slow moving. Although the magnitude of the impact is challenging to measure, it is quite clear that, “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen” (IPCC , 2014). Equally important, carbon dioxide levels have reached nearly 390 ppm and scientists estimated this number could rise to 500 ppm by 2050 and 800 ppm by 2100 (Hardt & Safina, 2010).
Today, atmospheric CO2 concentration has nearly increased by 25 percent, and the global temperature has risen by nearly 1.25 degrees as reported in 2014 (U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2014), as part of a continuous rise since the 1800s. This may seem small but are having a huge effect on the Earth and causing global warming, and in turn, climate change. These changes are predominantly blamed on humans, through actions such as fossil fuel consumption, deforestation, and increased agricultural production and
First of all, we often hear that carbon dioxide (CO2) has a negative impact on the temperature of our planet, also known as global warming.
Damon Matthews, a professor in Concordia University’s Department of Geography, found a direct connection between carbon dioxide and global warming. Matthew’s studies show that same global temperature increase, regardless of when or over what period of time the emission occurs. The effect of adding more carbon dioxide is predicted in the theory of greenhouse gases. Swedish scientist, Syante Arrhenius, first proposed the theory in 1896, based on earlier work by Fourier and Tyndall. At the same time, many scientists have reached the same conclusion. If we increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature will increase. Energy is absorbed from the sun in the form of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The earth then releases some of this energy as infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere captures some of this heat, then re-emit it in all directions. During this process, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases keep the Earth’s surface 33 degree Celsius warmer than it would be without them. According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8 degree Celsius. Since 1975, two-thirds of the warming has occurred at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20 degree Celsius per decade.
1.2.1 Rising Seas--- inundation of fresh water marshlands (the everglades), low-lying cities and islands with seawater.
. In unit 2 we learned that climate change is caused by CO2 (Carbon Dioxide).This layer of greenhouse gas is trapped into the atmosphere and increases the thickness of the layer. As a result it rises the Earth’s temperature warmer and causes climate change. The CO2 is caused by human activities such as pollutions and burning fossil fuel. The risk of climate change is extremely high such as loss of the major ice sheets and sudden changes in the
CO2 is one of the many gases that are contributing to the global warming that is affecting the earth right now in the modern day. Global warming has many effects on the environment and one of the main ones we face today is the melting of the polar ice caps. Global warming is getting so bad because more people are driving cars, which burn the oil, so now the ice caps are melting at 9 percent per year. (Natural Recources Defense Council, 2015) If we keep this up global warming will get even worse and the Arctic Summers could be ice-free by 2040. (Natural Recources Defense Council, 2015) The sea level could also rise by 23 inches by 2100. (Natural Recources Defense Council, 2015) Greenland holds 10% of the worlds ice. If this all melts, which is what it is doing now, then the sea level could rise by 21 feet. (Natural Recources Defense Council,
Carbon Dioxide is a dangerous, poisonous gas, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is appearing more in the atmosphere. The human body and most other species on earth need oxygen to live and breath. Without enough oxygen in the air we would suffocate and so would most other spices. Now there is a way to reverse the amount of CO2 in the air. The answer to this issue, is plant more trees! Trees and other vegetation take in CO2 and convert it to oxygen. Not only could we have CO2 levels on the rise but another big kill around the world is cancer is In 2012, there were an estimated 8.2 million deaths from cancer in the world. Cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world. Im
The main effect of climate change on our oceans, apart from temperature increases, is acidification—that is, an increase in the acidity of the water (or a decrease in its pH). And the cause of this increase in acidity is the same CO2