Everyday Use Of Climate Change, By James Balog

Climate change is not a new concept. It has been mostly referred to as global warming in the past. As much as people would like to file this issue away as something to deal with at a later date, it simply cannot wait. This problem we face is costing us billions of dollars, forests and wildlife are being eliminated, and people are dying. Starting to sound like a big deal, right? Future generations will be affected the most. People who do not even exist will have to pay for what we, all people, have done to this earth. To begin to make changes, one must realize the severity of the issue. Bill Mckibben, author of “Recalculating the Climate Math,” conveys that “We’ve already raised the world’s temperature by one degree—enough to melt almost half the ice in the Arctic, kill off huge swaths of the world’s coral, and unleash lethal floods and drought. July and August tied for the hottest months ever recorded on our planet, and scientists think they were almost certainly the hottest in the history of human civilization” (Page 3 of 5). Global climate change is a serious problem because it increases natural disasters and is the cause of extreme weather.

In 2010, Al Gore wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times claiming that global warming is a matter our generation must concentrate on in order to halt the rapid increases of change to our planet’s climate. He creates a strong, convincing argument by addressing and exemplifying issues pertaining to global climate change.

Climate change is known as one of the greatest threats to the planet. It is not only a threat to the planet environmentally, but it is a threat socially and economically. As we all could feel, see, and know, the weather patterns globally and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been increasing over an extended period of time. Although it may seem like it’s not a dramatic change since it is data from over a large amount of time, it is considering the fact that the large amount of time is not that large as it should be. Climate change is nothing new to us. It’s happened many years ago in the past because a variety of reasons but as the years go on, the rate on charts are just getting higher. As much as I would like to blame this predicament on nature, humans has a fault as well. We release thousands of greenhouse gases into the air through many procedures, but there are things that we cannot entirely control. However, whoever’s fault it is to blame I believe that if we work together and think we will more likely be able to find effective solutions for this problem.

Climate change is a serious threat that has dramatic effects on the world ranging from melting glaciers to disappearing islands. Climate change has seen a drastic change since the period of rapid industrial growth for humanity due to the higher reliance on fossil fuels in order power the technologies that were developed such as cars and factories which created harmful gasses which had minimal effects in the beginning but later began to have major effects on environments around the world. Although climate change is denied and questioned that it even exists by many people today, including president elect Donald Trump and a significant portion of the scientific community, scientific evidence shows that it does in fact exist and is a serious threat

Climate change has been a subject of discussion in the media for many years, supported with the use of arguments against oil polluting the environment and extreme scare tactics of Polar ice caps flooding civilians backyards. The issue has been ignored by the majority of lay people as seeming too complicated, and with all the conflicting information in the media in the past, who can blame them? However, scientifically, climate change and what perpetrates it is fairly simple to understand and society as a whole is beginning to come to a clear consensus on climate change. Thanks in part to more readily available forms of media and information, people have become cognizant of the fact that climate change is a legitimate problem which requires immediate amelioration. While this may seem melodramatic, society is realizing that climate change is an issue which can no longer be denied if the human race wishes to continue.

Global warming is the steady heating of Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere caused primarily by human activity. Climate change is one of the world’s biggest challenges right now, from people actively arguing that it doesn’t exist- to other’s who don’t care enough to do anything about it. There’s evidence showing that climate change is happening and affecting our world now and from what it seems, if action isn’t taken, major consequences will soon arise. Most of the world’s land mass has experienced a 0.2-1.0 degree Celsius average temperature increase since the 1970s, the temperatures of the Artic has increased at almost twice the mean global rate. Climate change is caused by human factors such as greenhouse gases and ozone depletion and because humans are so dependent on fossil fuels in their day to day lives, the issue at hand is only going to get worse.

Climate change, specifically in reference to C02 Emissions released by human use of fossil fuels and their consequential effects on the environment, is perhaps one of the most pressing issues we, not just as Americans, but as human beings face in our lifetimes. Though it may sound like a sensationalist statement the facts are hard to deny. In May of 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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,

“Global warming, along with the cutting and burning of forests and other critical habitats, is causing the loss of living species at a level comparable to the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. That event was believed to have been caused by a giant asteroid. This time it is not an asteroid colliding with the Earth and wreaking havoc: it is us.” This is the statement that Al Gore made in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. For the last several years, movies like this have been in the mainstream. The environment, climate change, and global warming have been at the forefront of global sociopolitical issues. But what is “global warming” truly? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earths surface… caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global warming is causing climate patterns to change.” (EPA) The EPA, NASA, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, along with 97% of climate scientists all agree – humans are the major cause of global warming and climate change. (NASA) To determine whether or not this is true, one must look at the evidence for rapid climate change itself, and then the evidence of all the causes, and

In the early 20th century people knew that they could cause changes to their local climates by, for example, leveling large portions of forests and over ploughing fields; but very few thought human action could affect the global climate. It wasn’t until 1958 that humans began to record measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which revealed an increasing amount. This new data scientists were recording supported the idea of global climate change as real and that increased green house gases in the atmosphere would in fact cause the world’s climate to become warmer. In the 1980’s the world’s global temperature started to climb at a faster pace than seen before which helped the issue gain attention among the public, the scientific community,

The documentary Chasing Ice examines the effects of climate change and how it is occurring now. Many people believe that climate change is not real, but this documentary shows visual evidence on how various glaciers are melting in places around the world. James Balog, American photographer who explores the relationship between nature and humanity, started filming these glaciers and formed a team. He planted various cameras in locations such as Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and Montana. The cameras would take pictures every hour so that he would create a time lapse of how the glaciers are melting because of climate change. The documentary explains that all of this will lead to mass extinction and the loss of various plants and even pollinators. Climate change also contributes to the increase of forest fires, storms like Hurricane Sandy and typhoons. One interesting quote that explains how climate change is happening is “Ever since glaciers have entered the ocean, hundreds of thousands of years ago, ice has always calved off. But what we’re seeing now is the Greenland ice sheet thinning out and dumping ever more ice and water into the ocean” (Chasing Ice). Because of human innovations such as vehicles and other inventions, they are creating gas emissions that are harmful to our climate. The documentary explains how even our carbon dioxide levels are higher than ever recorded in history. This is all happening because of humanity and the toxic gases that are affecting the world.

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.

Climate change is an increase in the Earth’s average temperature. It’s a massive problem because of the disastrous effects it can cause and has caused. The current effects and proof of climate change include ocean acidification, more extreme weather events, melting glaciers and ice sheets and warming oceans (NASA). Almost 97% of scientists also believe that climate change is due, at least in part, to human activities that pollute the atmosphere . The evidence that shows climate change is occurring and is due, in part to human activities is overwhelming. However, people still deny it’s existence, hindering those who want to look for solutions. Climate change is very real, whether you choose to believe it or not.

In recent years, the controversial subject of global warming has been more predominantly brought to our attention. Is the threat of global warming real? Is it man-made or is this just a natural cycle of earth? Does it really affect earth’s inhabitants? Should action be taken against it? If so, what kind and to what extent? It cannot be only a coincidence that the alarmingly rapid climate change coincides perfectly with the increased amount of pollutants that humans release into the environment. The once stable climate has in recent years begun to skyrocket, thus altering the delicate structure of earthly life. This proves to be hazardous to the future of the planet; some people worry that many of the resources the environment provides that

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 Earth, it poses a big