Ecology And The Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most important challenges of humankind in this century. The ability to adapt, mitigate and reduce carbon emissions will be decisive to preserve the world for future generations. The last IPCC report has provided more evidence regarding the rise in temperature and sea level. Apparently, additional 2°C above the pre-industrial average temperature levels is unavoidable, and it will continue at that level due the accumulation of gases in the atmosphere (Solomon 2009). Climate change will affect people all around the world in different ways, though the capacity to cope with it is different among regions and countries. The Latin America region is notably susceptible to climate change, due its geographical position, population location and its economy relying in natural resources (Vergara et. al. 2013a). The withdrawal of the coral biome, glaciers melting, jungles & forest savannization and strongest climate events are only some of the threats that will affect their inhabitants.

When you hear the words “climate change” what comes to mind? Probably weather and the changes. Many of us watch the news or use an app on our cellphones/electronic devices to keep an eye on the weather for the day, week, or even the month. But, there is actually a difference between weather and climate. Weather is actually “the changes we see and feel outside from day to day. It might rain one day and be sunny the next. Weather also changes from place to place” (Dunbar, 2014). Whereas “climate is the usual weather of a place. Climate can be different for different seasons. Different places can have different climates” (Dunbar, 2014). This paper will focus on the ins and outs of climate change, specifically focusing on what climate change

The concept of climate change has been around for quite a while. The earliest mention of climate change dates back to the 19th century. Swedish scientist, Svante Archenius was the first scientist to study the effect of CO2 on climate. (Rodhe et al 1997)

Climate change can be very harmful. While humans are burning things, it is also warming up the earth. This causes hurricanes and other harmful storm to form. As the earth is getting warmer the ocean is getting bigger from the glaciers melting. Wind Turbines Solar Panels and etc. can help stop burning fossil fuels for electricity. Let the U.S. come together as one whole so that we can save glaciers.

Ecosystem is constantly associated with a particular combination of climatic characteristics. (Walter 1968). The patterns of rainfall are changing and temperatures are rising. These, together with other factors are already being felt by both the human and the natural communities. Human are not only the receptors of climate change, but also they drive the process of the change. Humankind, as a driver of global environmental change, has degraded land, caused desertification, deforestation, changed the use of land to suite his purpose, depleted the ozone layer, and caused air pollution among other ways. Majority of these factors have worked synergistically, thereby, compounding the effects on the environment.

Melting ice caps, intense heat waves, and rising sea levels are all clear indicators that the climate is changing. Many scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict a temperature rise of two to ten degrees Fahrenheit over the next century (“Global”). The future forecasts also calls for greater intensity hurricanes, droughts, and an ice free arctic. The public does not believe that climate change will significantly affect them but it will and already greatly has. Many different factors come into play when trying to find a cause for the changing climate, but a major one is greenhouse gases produced by human activities.

GOAL: To reduce the total number of greenhouse gas emissions world wide and slow, or stop, globe climate change.

Climate can be defined as the mean of temperature, wind patterns, quantity of water vapor in the air, which is humidity and rainfall that has continued from the past up until the present. The cause of climate change was expected to be through natural phenomena’s, for example volcanic eruptions and solar activity. However, the change in climate is not due to the natural effects but solely through human activities. From generation to generation the human race has immeasurably impacted the earth’s environment through farming of land and animals, building cities, and establishing factories and power plants. Each factor has contributed to the negative impact of the earth’s environment in many different ways. The temperature is beginning to increase; glaciers and polar ice caps are melting, carbon dioxide levels are rising, causing the ozone layer to deplete. As of today, one of the biggest problems not only for human beings but also for this planet is known to be climate change. When greenhouse gases are increased, it causes the increase in sea levels and an increase in global temperatures. As a result, serious weather patterns are advancing. All of these changes will destroy houses, land, and foundation. Therefore, climate change is another significant environmental, social, and economic threat facing this planet.

There is no denying that the effects of climate change are here. The cause of climate change, however, is often a debatable topic. The livestock industry is expanding at an alarming rate to meet the needs of an increasing population. Throughout the world, between the years 1971 and 2012, meat production has tripled, to 600 billion pounds a year, while the population only grew by 81%. This generation is currently eating meat on a much larger scale than their parents and grandparents ever did, just a few decades ago (Scheer). Climate change can be referred to as “any long-term change in Earth 's climate, or in the climate of a region or city. This includes warming, cooling and changes besides temperature.” according to NASA (Dunbar). To combat these undesirable, extreme temperatures, everyone has been told before to turn off the lights when leaving a room or to plant a tree, but rarely does one hear the suggestion to eat less or no meat. With an increasing threat of global warming largely due to the livestock industry, it is imperative that Americans start practicing vegetarianism to decrease methane produced by farm animals, carbon dioxide from transporting meat and by eliminating the deforestation required to make farmland for the livestock industry.

Over the past few decades, the world has rapidly deteriorated in terms of the environment. There are numerous factors that contribute to the deterioration of the earth and one significant factor is due to the issues of climate change. Majority of environmental as well as social scientist that cares about the world defines climate change as the primary source of global risk since it could have severe impacts on the future generations. In addition, the general meaning of the term ‘climate change’ is defined as the change in regional or global climate patterns and it is mainly caused by human activities such as deforestation and emission of harmful gases that pollutes the environment. The future generations are affected in a way that survivability in the world would be tougher and lifestyle would be different compared to the present. In the following essay, climate change will be discussed by relating it to the issue of sustainable development as well as identifying several implications of a continued “Business as Usual” approach and concluding by providing several objectives and alternatives to improve sustainability of the world.

People living in Miami are in the face of danger! Due to its high population, Miami is the fourth largest city to become affected by sea level rise. (Ankum et al.) In the next 32-50 years, sea level is expected to rise by as much as two feet. (Ankum et al.) This two-foot rise will have detrimental effects on the urban settings of Miami. The amount of soil erosion that is undergoing at our beaches will greatly increase if a two-foot rise occurs. At a four-foot rise, road connectivity would begin to become affected. At a six-foot rise, Southern Florida would no longer be habitable as it would, for the most part, be underwater. Not much is being invested in mitigation efforts, most of what is being done are short term solutions. Instead of coming up with ideas to prevent and try to slow down the effects of climate change on our environment, we are focusing on ideas such as building up a sea wall, relocating power plants, and redesigning structures.

Climate change impacts are not new issues nowadays. Many scholars had identified some phenomena that show the occurrence climate change. For instance the increases of Earth’s temperature, the significant records of sea level rise, which threaten mostly on Small Island developing states, extreme weather that cause the shifting season, and drought events. Basically, impacts of climate change cannot be avoided. However as intellectual creatures, humans are expected to be able to take actions in minimizing its impacts. In addition, people need to understand the context of climate change impacts on certain locations over time, and how the local systems work before implementing the climate change adaptation and mitigation actions because these actions could not be generalized to be applied on all conditions. Due to these actions depends on the local context, therefore, I belief that it is necessary to understand about the concept of climate change comprehensively as well as its adaptation and mitigation actions in order to enhance our capacity to deal with the climate change’s consequences.

Climate is consistent behavior of temperature, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure and other related environmental factors. Around the globe, temperature a re climbing, sea levels are rising, and season are changing, which means that climate change is transforming our Earth. Climate change indicates negative consequences on the impact to humanity and on the factors of the climate system. By climate change the most endangered is atmosphere, because it changes the composition of uncontrolled combustion of fossil fuels. Due this, layer of greenhouse gasses around the Earth becomes more ticker, which makes the Earth warmer.

Climate change is an issue that has the potential to affect the environment, communities and the world economy. Scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the likelihood of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels are at significant risk to coastal areas and communities, while the world’s oceans could become acidic which would destroy and fail to support coral reefs and other marine organisms (Climate Change Australia – Dept. Of The Environment 2014). The main cause of climate change, which is also known as Global Warming, is widely spread. It is mostly caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere in many ways; including through the burning of fossil fuels and by deforestation

“Ever since civilization began, each generation has left the next planet similar to the one it inherited. Our generation may be the first to abandon that tradition” (Brown, 2009). It is clear the amount of damage that has been done to the environment is due to this current generation and the problem I will be focusing on is climate change.