When the topic of global warming comes up in conversation many people either groan and avoid conversation, or don their dueling gloves and prepare for a heated debate. Some people feel guilty and concerned; some simply do not care. Different points of view yield different stances on the subject. Coming from the scientific and environmental points of view, myrmecologist Edward O. Wilson discusses the severity of global warming, some of the threads of thought that oppose his own, and some of the consequences of continued mistreatment of the environment in his book The Future of Life. While some people may claim ignorance on the subject, global warming and substantial data showing annual increases in global temperature have been broadcast …show more content…
From the scientific point of view, this issue is of extreme importance, and requires close examination of historical patterns, modification of current practices, and close monitoring of the atmospheric content in the future. In his book, Wilson jests but maintains a serious tone as he holds human beings accountable, “we have driven atmospheric carbon dioxide to the highest levels in at least two hundred thousand years, unbalanced the nitrogen cycle, and contributed to a global warming that will ultimately be bad news everywhere” (23). Although Wilson discusses these advanced chemical and biological concepts, he keeps his point simple and hopes to use guilt to evoke action in his audience. Many scientists assume that the general public is familiar with the science behind the atmosphere, and some people may disagree because they merely do not understand how the contribution of extreme CO2 excess could contribute to a shift in global weather pattens. Others are aware of the situation, but are unwilling to make changes because their focus lies elsewhere.
One of the main points of view that frequently opposes the environmentalist and ecologist ways of thinking is that of the economist. From the economist 's perspective, the focus is on production and consumption. He may think: “this is only hurting the environment a little bit, if there are consequences they will be far down
In modern America few problems prove to be as fundamentally problematic as the theory of human induced global warming. Its repeated coverage from within the media and political arena are influencing people worldwide, putting those who think differently in an outcast shadow. The truth of the matter is, to not believe in human induced global warming has become politically incorrect and unacceptable in the public eye. The theory of human induced global warming can be defined as the rise in temperature through human pollution of greenhouse gases resulting in catastrophic alterations in the earth 's environment. However, human pollution of greenhouse gases is so minor that it is not a contribution to the
For many years there has been a great debate between scientists who believe that human activity has major negative effects on climate change, and those who argue that climate change is caused by a variety of factors, not just harmful human activity. Those who support that belief that activities such as the burning of fossil fuels could cause disastrous climate changes and global warming and those who believe that research has been skewed to alter the way findings are presented fiercely debate when and how climate change should be addressed by governments. These debates have caused the idea of Global Warming to become not only a scientific concern, but a political concern as well. With both sides having strong convictions with respect to how the issues are addressed, it has allowed events such as “Climate-Gate” come to pass.
Global warming is a controversial topic, widely discussed among today’s society. It is significant because it deals with the opinions and beliefs of many individuals. It also creates controversy and provides society with the opportunity to express itself and its beliefs. Many people believe that the conditions of the climate have no correlation to human behavior and that nowadays, people exaggerate the impacts of climate change. However, these individuals fail to recognize the truth behind the topic. Global warming is both a real and serious threat to our existence that humans must address by altering their actions and behaviors.
Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe was my first in-depth look into climate change, global warming, and the contribution of humans to these things. Global warming was something I vaguely knew about before reading this book, but it never really caught my attention or seemed like a major issue in the world. After reading Field Notes from a Catastrophe, I realized that it is in fact a major issue that must be addressed by every community. In this essay I will argue that it is our job as the human race to do all that we can to take care of our planet and reduce the amount of global warming that humans are responsible for. This essay is significant because this is our world.
There is a particular association between the well being of a society and the quality of the environment in which it is situated. Environmental issues such as global warming, are harmful consequences of human activity that diminish the quality of life on earth. Global warming is defined as the rise in the average temperature of the earths atmosphere and oceans. A great cause of the increase in temperature is the greenhouse effect, created by high levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons and other harmful pollutants. Global warming was not considered an issue until the late 19th Century. For 2.5 million years the earths climate has fluctuated from ice ages to warmer periods. Individuals in the society did not seem to think this was a long term problem. Due to its fluctuating cycle and prior history, it was seen as normal and common for the earth to be undergoing shifts in temperature. Despite some scientists and environmentalists efforts, global warming simply wasn 't considered a public consciousness.
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
Nowadays, Global warming is an incontrovertible fact, which proves that our planet and its climate are in trouble. Well global warming is a term that denotes a slow warming of the earth’s regular temperature. It was also named exclusively man-made effects, in particular carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide has largely increased during the past forty years, and scientists concluded that the average earth temperature has increased solely based on man-made activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, respiration of living organisms, cultivation of land, decay of dead organisms and deforestation. The study of global warming involves many sciences in order to examine the causes of global warming and try to find
Scientists and environmental studies students have been documenting a rise in the melting of glaciers. It noticeable that the snow have been melting a lot earlier than expected every year. The production of greenhouse gases was in balance a long time ago, but that balance has been broken due to the human activity at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The elevated burning of fossil fuels caused by human activity is the main reason for this balance to break. Plants and oceans cannot handle the huge amount of greenhouse gases that humans have been dumping in the atmosphere. According to The Union of Concerned Scientists, a major group of over two thousand scientists, there has been an increase of more than 30% percent in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and it is estimated that it will triple by 2100. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant gas liberated in the burning of fossil fuels and also one of the most dangerous gases contibuting to climate change. Carbon dioxide represents about 84 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. Carbon dioxide has a property that traps heat, thereby increasing global warming.
Climate change is one the biggest threats to nature and mankind in the 21st century. The impacts of climate change are visible everywhere, whether it's melting glaciers, rising sea level, severe storms, heavy flooding, reduced snowfall in the north and a severe drought in the south. It will also have a number of effects on the flora and fauna in the future. Scientists predict that global warming in the near future may cause a mass extinction of wildlife, affecting more than 1 million species, i.e. about a quarter of all kinds of currently known. World overheating causes significant changes in climatic conditions and it can damage sensitive ecosystems in which species live.
“Another important fact in Global warming is known for causing more natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, heat waves, tropical storms, and etc.”(Jones, 2010). This seems to me to come into place as common sense if temperatures escalate, glaciers will melt and as a conclusion, it will possibly make the oceans rise causing erosion.
The basic understanding of the issue of global climate change requires a thorough understanding of the definition of a climate system. The global climate system consists of the atmosphere, the oceans, biosphere, geosphere, and the cryosphere (GeoJournal, 1992). These components affect in varying degrees the flow of heat around the earth’s surface. The global climate is controlled mainly by the amount of energy received from the sun, however the internal systems also do contribute significantly to the fluctuations that occur in the climate (Herschy, 1998a).
Did you know that the United States is the largest source for global warming pollution (NRDC)? Although American’s make up only 4 percent of the world’s population, we still produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution (NRDC). That is more than China, India, and Japan combined (NRDC). There is a huge debate on whether or not global warming exists, but there is an even bigger debate on what the cause of this climate change is. I argue that with the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, humans play a huge part in the causation of global warming.
Throughout time, Earth has had the tendency of evolving, changing its ecosystem in response to its environment. The organisms on Earth however, always seemed to show an uncanny resiliency in most environmentally changing circumstances and have learned to adapt to the ever changing environments the ecosystem thrusts upon them. Although living things on Earth have always found a way to persevere through natural catastrophes, there is a man-made global change in the works that this time, may not be able to overcome so easily and may even threaten the well-being of all living things. This drastic change that is upon us is global warming. Global warming also referred to as the greenhouse effect has been a topic of discussion for the past two decades; yet climate change isn’t something out of the ordinary but an external factor is. Year after year tons of carbon monoxide caused by human activity invades the Earth’s atmosphere. Global warming directly affects the Earth’s upper atmosphere and it is the human industrial farming, pollution, deforestation, and burning of fossil fuels. Powerful natural disasters are something that we are no strangers to. For example, in January of 2010, Haiti was devastated by an earthquake that took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Global warming will certainly cause natural disasters to be more frequent and harsher than they have ever been. Hurricanes could become sixty percent larger with tornadoes also increasing in frequency and power
In modern society, we are surrounded by a plethora of advertisements, and the problem with the ad overhaul is that most of them do not serve a purpose other than to sell merchandise to the consumer. But what if more advertisements focused on real-world issues? Issues such as global warming and the impact humans have on the environment. An advertisement by Legambiente does not try to sell you anything. Instead, they target the world to disclose the truth behind global warming. Alongside Legambiente resides Greenpeace, trying to get the world to realize the damage we cause to the oceans. These advertisements are trying to help change society 's attitude and understand that humans have a horrendous impact on the environment. Society needs to make a change in its daily habits if we want to have a planet to live on.
One of the most magnificent experiences on the planet is to go scuba diving off the coast of Australia among the Great Barrier Reefs. Yet, many scientists believe that changes in ocean density due to higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas, will cause coral bleaching and increased disease and death of the coral reefs. The threat to coral reefs is directly tied to human impact, and is not just the fault of commercial industry. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2011, passenger cars and light-duty trucks (pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, minivans, and the like), accounted for 61% of the transportation emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in this country.