Global Warming: Crisis or not? Intro to global warming topic – facts/introduce both sides (humans are cause, humans are not cause)
Earth’s history is filled with drastic climate changes, from ice ages to warm fertile periods. But only in recent years has the thought of humans having an impact on Earth’s climate been an issue. The definition of climate change is “the long term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over decades to millions of years,” but some recent definitions of climate change have been formed with the idea of human impact embedded in them. One such definition states “climate change as mainly the change in modern climate augmented by human activities.” Ideas of this arose in 1896 when Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius carried out the first calculations of global warming. Arrhenius lived during the time of the industrial revolution, which introduced the use of coal, railroads and factories. He had ideas that the CO2 produced from burning fossil fuels might contribute to the increase in temperature of the Earth. Global warming is a global topic and the source of much controversy in the world today. Although some people may be skeptical of it, global warming is real, and there is evidence to prove it. On a basic level, we have noticed that the average global temperature has been rising over the past one hundred and thirty years, with the majority of this warming occurring since the 70’s and the warmest years within the past ten years.
Is climate change caused by mankind or is it simply a natural occurrence? If the answer were as easy as “yes, it is 100% caused by humans,” or “no it’s not at all caused by humans,” there would be very little room for argument. Two questions need to be investigated: 1) Is it probable that such a young species could really be responsible for causing enough air pollution in approximately 250 years, from the 1700’s to mid 1900’s, to alter the climate of the entire planet? 2) Is it probable that mankind’s industrialization from the
In recent years, global climate change due to global warming has been largely researched. The paper, “Global Climate Change Triggered by Global Warming,” offers compelling evidence from various scientific papers that the process of Earth’s climate undergoing significant change has already begun and requires our attention due to the probability that human-generated greenhouse gases are the primary cause. Major focal points are shifting towards determining the causes to mitigate the effects rather than establishing the existence as sufficient amount of evidence has proven that global warming is indisputable. During the final decade of the 20th century, climatologists have concluded that the past millennium to be the warmest, especially in the year of 2005. Solutions towards the cause would require assistance from the population as a whole.
The human race all around the world wonders if the climate is changing due to human activity or if it is just a natural occurrence. At certain parts of the Earth's surface, the climate can be observed much differently than other locations. As the years go by the average temperature of the Earth increases by little intervals. There are several different reasons why people believe the climate is changing every year. However, the increase of worldwide population and production of heat to the atmosphere is due to the increase of human activities that take place on a daily basis. Human activity is the main cause of the global climate change. The human impact on climate exceeds any known changes due to natural processes. The impact of this human activity is often misunderstood when looking at climate change.
Global warming is one of the most controversial topics in the world today. Global warming describes a condition where the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans increase. Global warming is predicted to have significant harmful effects on life on earth. The controversy arises from conflicting evidence in the scientific community as to whether humans are contributing to global warming, whether it is a result of natural forces that are beyond the control of humans, or in some cases, whether it is even occurring at all. This research will examine credible evidence of global warming and will explore its causes and
Nowadays, the whole world are paying attention on the controversy about climate change and global warming. Hot topics include whether global warming is occurring, warming level in modern times, causes, effects and what that action should be taken (Science Daily). On one hand, there is a strong consensus that human and industries take main responsibility for the rapid increase of global surface temperatures in recent decades, and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide is the major cause of global warming. Meanwhile, some people that come from organizations with
The first argument examined on the man-made global warning side is that increasing greenhouse gases caused by human activities is causing directly observed climate changes. The first resulting climate change discussed is warming global surface temperature. There has been an increase in global surface temperature of 0.74 degrees C since the late 19th century. In the last 50 years alone the temperature has increased by 0.13 degrees C per decade. North America and Eurasia have seen the largest increase in warmth. However, some areas of the earth have actually cooled some this past century (Easterling & Karl, 2011, para6). After the mid 20th century 70% of the global land mass saw reduced diurnal temperatures. From 1979 to 2005 the maximum and minimum temperatures have shown no change; both indicate warming (Easterling & Karl, 2011, para10). Furthermore, borehole temperatures, snow cover, and glacier recession data all seem to agree with recent warming (Easterling & Karl, 2011, para11).
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 global warming is a phenomenon happening all over the earth, there are several causes, but most are a result of human activity. The graph in image 1 shows that a significant increase in the climate temperature in the mid-20th century, somewhere between 1900 and 1950. The industrial revolution happened between the years 1820 and 1840, although great improvements in technology were achieved in the 1900 's. The increasing temperatures since the industrial revolution work as a proof that global warming is a direct effect of human activity. As image 1 shows before the 20th century the variations in the earth 's climate were minimal, except for that of the ice age. Although the industrial revolution detonated the rising temperature due to the use of new chemicals, this change is not evident until it surpasses the previously registered temperatures in the mid-1900 's. Science and technology have improved in the last 200 years, most devices used to measure changes in temperatures were just developed about 150 years ago, so there is not much information of the temperatures before that (Vallis). Nevertheless, scientists have been able to estimate the earth 's temperature from millions of years ago by studding trees, fossils, sediments and water temperatures. Recent studies have proved how many man-made chemicals and activities have contributed to the climate change, affecting the natural processes in the earth like the
Thesis Statement: Global warming is a growing concern of scientists and researchers who believe that it is a serious problem for our planet. The concerns and research have also been questioned and have even been called myths. Millions of people find themselves affected by these weather pattern changes and are concerned for their futures. Activists on both sides of the argument are very passionate and not afraid to attack each other in every way they can. There are many questions that are still not answered, however, we continue to see drastic weather changes to Earth. We must go beyond the arguments and learn as much as we can to stop what could possibly lead to the destruction of our planet, our way of life and our future.
Current data reveals that the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is approximately 387 parts per million, which is roughly a 31% increase in the period 1750 to 2009. Consequently, it is evident that such increases in temperatures have caused a warmer planet (7). It is also evident that it is impossible to reverse the developments of industrial revolution. This means that as the advancements of industrial revolution continue and as energy demands increases, it is possible that this trend of climate change will continue for decades to come (McAloon, 8). The consent of the climate research community is that it most likely already affects climate noticeably and will compel significant
The earth is a beautiful and extraordinary planet, but are we treating it right? For the past 20 decades, temperatures have been rising along with hundreds of factors contributing to it. Climate change concerns the public as they wonder if its occurring, how much has occurred in the modern era, what has caused it, what the effects will be if we don’t do anything about it and much more. Many people and scientist agree that mankind is the number one cause of climate change. Humans have influenced this by greenhouse gases, methane nitrous oxide.
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
In the last 100 years, Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.4°F. The rising global temperatures have caused changes in weather and climate. Global warming refers to the ongoing rise in the average temperature near Earth’s surface. This is causing a climate change, which refers to any significant change (major change in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns) in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time (several decades or longer). Due to this, it is projected that the temperature will rise from 2 to 11.5°F in the next hundred years (US EPA, 2014). The “drivers,” which are the principal causes making this occur, are very controversial. It is debated whether a change in temperature is due to the work of
The climate changing was first suspected in the 19th century when scientists in britain debated whether Europe was covered by ice in the past. “Guy S Callender suggested that the warming trend revealed in the 19th century had been caused by a 10% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.” (Harding) The debate intensified by 2005 when a study was published stating that a large scale disruption could occur by 2050 if we do not slow the process of climate change. The debate has now spiraled back to whether climate change is occurring or not. However the climate warming pattern has been increasing exponentially since the 1950’s.
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