How Should We Respond to Global Warming?
A few days ago, while basking in the warmth of winter, a friend asked me about Global Warming and what exactly the problems were with a rise in temperature. He seemed to have no problem with a 75 degree day in the middle of March and wanted to know what all the fuss is about. I tried to answer his question by concisely summing up the evidence for global warming and the potential hazards of an increase in global temperature–surprisingly, I could not think of a decent response.
You see, I didn’t quite know how to respond to my friend’s forthright inquiry about the state of the Earth’s weather systems, because I really don’t have a clue what is happening or is going to happen. By studying the
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Currently, the interrelation of feedbacks from all the possible variables adds too many chaotic complexities to provide a definitive answer, and models used to project climate are subject to a number of criticisms. Naturally, anthropogenic influence on climate change figures to be at the crux of the debate, and the dividing lines of opposing interest groups are sharply drawn. Policymakers are in a difficult situation. They have to weigh regulations that have a potentially harmful effect economically (Kyoto Protocol), against the possibility–given scientific error–of disastrous climate change. As a result, scientists confront the daunting task of separating the human effects on climate from the background noise caused by natural climate forcings.
The interaction of a seemingly infinite number of variables inflicts difficulties in distinguishing climate trends. Although we are well aware of rising temperatures and sea-level, pinpointing the causes of these fluctuations is arduous work. Factors such as El Nino, the orbital positions of the Earth, volcanic eruptions, topography, sunlight variations, respiration, and circulations of ocean currents all contribute to a system scientists are just beginning to understand. Variations in the Earth’s climate can often be explained by any number of these variables. However, the last two decades have yielded unprecedented increases in recorded temperatures. All sixteen of the warmest years since 1860 have occurred in the
Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.
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 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
It is becoming increasingly certain that climate change will have severe adverse effects on the environment in years to come. Addressing this issue poses a serious challenge for policy makers. How we choose to respond to the threat of global warming is not simply a political issue. It is also an economic issue and an ethical one. Responsible, effective climate change policy requires consideration of a number of complex factors, including weighing the costs of implementing climate change policies against the benefits of more environmentally sustainable practices. Furthermore, this analysis must take place amidst serious gaps in the existing research and technology concerning the developing climatic condition.
The idea of climate change, for many, is an opinionated subject with much discussion of whether it is a real issue or just a natural phenomenon. However in recent years it is clear to see that trends in the Earth’s climate and surface temperature has spiked to levels never seen before. Despite all the evidence of the high levels of greenhouses gases and the rise in temperature, many still believe that
The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. According to the findings of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the change of the earth’s climate has evolved through time. The global sea level rose about eight inches in the last century; the planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit since the last 19th century; the oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969; the increasing number of record high temperature and intense rainfall events since 1950; and the overall increase of ocean acidification by about 30 percent. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives. The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases cause the Earth to warm in response.
Climate change is difficult to communicate by its very nature. Greenhouse gases are invisible, and their accumulating effects (e.g., global warming, precipitation changes, and extreme weather events) can take years before they are felt. Worldwide warming trends are hard for the average person to detect amidst the variability of everyday weather and the causes are far removed, in both time and space, from the impacts. Climate change is thus an example of “hidden hazards”—risks that, despite potentially serious consequences for society, generally pass unnoticed or unheeded until they reach disaster proportions (Kasperson and Kasperson, 1991).
Earth is an immeasurably complex planet, and the processes that make it so are equally as intricate. It is this same intricacy, however, that makes the Earth so vulnerable to even the slightest variation in overall temperature or change within the gases that which compose the atmosphere. What We Know About Climate Change by Kerry Emanuel aims to address this issue of Earth’s vulnerability head-on as it suggests the plausible causes for the undeniable planetary warming observed in the last century all the while proposing pragmatic solutions to discontinue the unnatural processes credited with the abnormal warming.
Change in the weather is not a disputable matter; however, the change in the weather pattern is a concerning issue that might indicate an alarm of future harmful effects. Every now and then irregular weather conditions happen in a way never witnessed before. For instance, falling snow in the deserted areas that usually recognize
Global warming is an increase in the temperature of the earth's weather. Global warming is also known as the green house effect. Global warming is a very serious world issue. Most humans are trying to do as much as they can to help stop global warming. Global warming has caused many problems to the earth in addition to the humans that live here on the earth. A problem caused by global warming is very hot summers. Some summers have had days that the temperature had reached 30*C. Another Problem that global warming has caused is the melting of polar ice caps. Global warming caused the polar ice caps to melt which will cause the ice to break free as well as melt in the sea, sea levels all over the world will rise. Lastly,
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
Over the years there has been a lot of controversy on if climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed and solved. There is a constant debate among scientist on if human actions are contributing the changing of earth’s climates. Climate change is defined as the change in average weather patterns for a specific region or Earth as a whole. This could include the change in an average temperature for a city or the amount a rainfall it receives (Dunbar, 2015). The main difference between weather and climate is the period of time specific patterns are recorded. Weather patterns are looked at over a much shorter period of time, meaning that these patterns are going to be more sporadic and change more frequently. Climate on the other had is recorded over a much longer period of time and usually show less drastic changes in patterns when compared to weather. Some people may argue that climate change is not an issue because Earth’s temperature is always changing do to natural effects. What people don’t realize is that human activity has effected the rate that earth’s temperature is changing, and just the smallest changes can lead to drastic consequences (Dunbar, 2015).
Solutions to Global Warming There are many solutions to reduce the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere, which causes Global Warming. A main culprit for global warming is the use of CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons). If the use of CFC's was reduced, the number of greenhouse gases will be reduced by a great deal (however there are many other thing that cause dramatic amounts of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide).
Imagine you are placed into the future. The year is 2100. You begin to live in this
The Earth is a dynamic, constantly changing environment in which the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere all interact. When one changes slightly the change is then felt through out the spheres. Humans need to understand that the change they cause can have a potential for a disastrous affect on the environment. From injecting the atmosphere with greenhouse gas, or deforestation, all the unnatural things done to the environment will have an unnatural affect that will have to be dealt with. We as humans have a moral responsibility to reduce global warming gasses by changing our modes of transportation, to stop deforestation, and increase government funding into research to inhibit global warming for