Humans Are to Blame for Global Warming Essay

Global warming is defined “as an increase in the average temperature of global surface air and oceans since about 1950” (White). The global warming controversy is an ongoing dispute with two main sides; one stating that the direct cause to global warming is through people’s daily activities and the burning of fossil fuels, while other people all around the world refuse to believe that human contributions are the main cause, saying that the earth is going through a natural stage of climatic change, thereby resulting in increasing temperatures in the earth’s atmosphere. Rising temperatures and in increase in greenhouse gases shown through the carbon cycle, demonstrate how the greenhouse effect is incorporated into both views on global warming. Over the past 50 years, experts in this field world-wide have been having an unaccountable amount of disputes over global warming, favoring in either of these positions of human causation or natural climatic 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

Global warming, also known as climate change, is the ascent in the average temperature of the earth’s climate. It is caused by the “greenhouse effect”, which is the accumulation of carbon-dioxide(C02) and other pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which absorb solar radiation which is normally reflected back into space. Although it is caused by various factors, the largest sources of this heat-trapping pollution worldwide are the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transportation. The global temperature is rising rapidly. “Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has risen at the fastest rate in recorded history” (MacMillan). The majority of the scientists and scholars agree that this rapid increase in global temperature leads to many environmental, social, economic, and political problems. Global warming has been an affair of controversy in the past few decades. Every national and international scientific body agree with the existence of this phenomenon. However, a limited number of scientists still argue against its existence. Global warming is real because with the passage of time, its effects are becoming more apparent and there is abundant scientific evidence that corroborate its existence.

The greenhouse effect, warming that occurs whenever the atmosphere traps heat from Earth towards space, is the main cause of global warming (NASA, 2016). Gases such as water vapor, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane do not respond chemically to drastic changes in temperature, force climate change. One of the reasons for this is because of the deforestation of land for agriculture or industrial needs has increased concentration of green house gases.

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.

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 is a threat that has been in existences for years, but appears to be a greater threat to the world currently. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there is more than 90 percent certainty that emissions of heat-trapping gases from human activities have caused “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century” (IPCC, 2007).

Greenhouse gases keep heat close to the earth’s surface making it liveable for humans and animals. However, global warming is happening largely due to an over-emittance of these gases and fossil fuels (natural oil, gasoline, coal)

Most climate scientists agree with the idea that the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect", warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Over the last century, the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse

In addition, human activities like deforestation may increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because forests help in carbon sequestration, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. It follows then that clearing such tress will increase the amount of carbon dioxide since carbon sequestration will not occur (3). The man-made theory of climate change also explains that when these harmful gasses reach the atmosphere, they form a blanket, which traps heat in the atmosphere. This trapping of in the atmosphere is the phenomenon that causes the planet to get warmer, hence the term global warming (Sharma, 4).

Human activities are the leading contributing factors to climate change contributing to global warming. Whether it’s driving cars or heating our homes with natural gas, we are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to an article written by Darryl Fears, “the planet is warming at an accelerated pace without any doubt, that humans are causing it with 95 percent certainty and that the past three decades have been the hottest since 1850.” The majority of human causes of global warming can be contributed to the increase of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, into the atmosphere. Of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is said to be the most considerable cause of global warming, and most carbon dioxide emissions are the result of burning fossil fuels.

Carbon dioxide is an important heat-trapping gas, which is released through human activities. Some examples of human activities that cause the temperature to rise is the burning of fossil fuels, as well as the natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruption. Carbon dioxide absorbs energy from the sun then releases it into the atmosphere. It causes the earth to be much warmer than it should be. This carbon dioxide can lead to global warming.

Every year, almost 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by human activity. That is the equivalent of 107,700,000 jet airplanes being in the air at once! This harrowing figure is the main cause of global warming, and has been increasing for the last 50 years. Global warming is caused by the increase of greenhouse gasses, carbon dioxide and methane primarily, in the earth's upper atmosphere directly caused by human burning of fossil fuels, industrial, farming, and deforestation activities. Global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere. • Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm. Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice. • Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes

Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas naturally found in the atmosphere. Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s, humans have devised many inventions that burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases, which, along with other human activities such as clearing land for agriculture or urban settlements, help some of these greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere that in turn trap more heat radiation in the atmosphere causing the Earth’s climate to become warmer than it would naturally (Mastrandrea). This unnatural phenomenon is termed global warming by scientists and they blame it for an increase in the Earth’s surface temperature of about 0.6°C (about 1°F) over the last 100 years (Mastrandrea).