The Environmental Protection Agency ( Epa ) Should Limit And Regulate Carbon Dioxide

The rising issue of CO2 emissions in the United States is a problem that we cannot ignore any longer. The main sources of carbon dioxide emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These emissions also come from everyday use of electricity, transportation and industry. Automobiles, large highways, and leaving your lights in your house on are all everyday examples that emit carbon dioxide. (EPA, "Overview of Greenhouse Gases") Carbon dioxide emissions, which have increased by 7% in the U.S. since 1990, are a dangerous and potent greenhouse gas yielded at a higher rate through coal burning than most other natural gas burning. Increased levels of carbon dioxide can lead to climate change and an increased

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

In 2004 The US Ocean Commission proposed several critical recommendations to address the health and management of our oceans. These recommendations range from better organization of current management offices to education of the public on issues pertaining to oceans and coastal areas. The importance of healthy oceans, waterways, and coastal areas cannot be denied. As humans we rely on these areas for food, fuel, materials for various products, and recreation just to name a few. Aside from the human aspect the health of the earth’s oceans is also bound to the air and land. Many other creatures throughout the world depend on a harmonious balance of the human species with the waters that surrounds us. The sooner we can find equilibrium with

This increase in oceanic inorganic carbon has offset the seawater carbonate chemistry by causing increasing concentrations of CO2 and bicarbonate, while causing decreasing concentrations of carbonate and pH levels (Dedmer 2013). Rost and colleagues (2008) express that emissions of fossil fuel have caused an immense increase in the levels of atmospheric CO2, which are then deposited into the surface water of oceans. This increase in carbonic acid is in turn decreasing the pH balance, which poses a threat to marine organisms.

The Heritage Foundation claims that controlling carbon dioxide would inflate federal expenditure and have negative economic impacts (Lieberman, 2008). Additionally, Lieberman (2008) claims that the EPA should not act on climate change issues before Congress takes a firm stance on either side of the issue. Controversy concerning this matter has prevented the EPA from moving forward and making any limits on carbon dioxide. The Clean Power Plan, which was introduced in 2008, was the first federal plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, this plan is currently being reviewed by the Trump administration and may be dismantled or drastically altered to halt the implementation of renewable energies. If the EPA were to mandate reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, air quality would decrease because less particulates would be in the

The Ocean affects the weather, the oxygen, the earth’s temperature, and shorelines. If we don’t know how we are damaging the sea or see its importance we might end up ruining the ocean and the world. Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau has stated,” Over the Past decades, as the United States has been exploring space, we’ve exploited and polluted our oceans at an alarming rate without dedicating the needed time or resources to truly understand the critical role they play in the future of the planet.” (Cousteau193). We have been abusing the oceans and haven’t been taking the time to understand the ocean. The world depends on the ocean in so many ways and we need to take time to understand what damage to the ocean has been done and how it will affect us in the future and present. In understanding the ocean and how delicate it is and how it supports life on earth, we will be able to protect and preserve

One-third of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is in the atmosphere as a result of human activity has been absorbed by oceans where it can remain as carbon for tens to hundreds of years (Ma et al., 2015). Anthropogenic CO2 (ACO2) primarily enters the ocean though differences in partial pressure between the atmosphere and ocean boundary, although uptake by marine organisms is also a significant dissolved carbon contributor (Millero, 1995). Once the ACO2 is dissolved into seawater however, the path it takes from dissolution to sequestration is less clear. Millero (1995) found that ACO2 in the ocean is often transported to a different area of the ocean through physical mechanisms that include wind-driven Ekman transport, eddy fluxes, and lateral transport. Each of these mechanisms contribute to the transportation of masses of water, and therefore dissolved ACO2, around the Southern Ocean (Millero, 1995).

When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, reacts with seawater, producing carbonic acid, which increases the acidity of water.  Increasing carbon dioxide emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels for energy, have made ocean acidification 30% increase compared to pre-industrial levels. This has caused the pH of surface waters of the oceans has fallen 0.1 units.  If carbon emissions continue to increase at the current

The government benefited from broadcasting the news of carbon pollution affecting climate change because it captured the attention of many people and helped change the viewpoints of many. In return, the government has more support in which manifests new plans into action, “now, for the first time, the EPA has finalized new rules, or standards, that will reduce carbon emissions from power plants” (…). Through my reading of scholarly articles about carbon pollution, I chose to help carpool some friends to school cutting down the usage of cars as well as taking public transportation. Just like I, you can spread the word to the public about solutions any individual can do such

Anthropogenic activity has led to greatly increased emissions of greenhouses gases. Increased temperatures, acidification and stratification are all affected by increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. These symptoms of climate change have direct and indirect effects on to marine ecosystems, all of which start at the major primary producers of the oceans: phytoplankton.

The ocean does a good job of absorbing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which according to global warming can help the planet out; however the oceans are being affected by this. This can lead to a disruption in the aquaculture facilities which humans depend on for

Climate change is impacting the oceans to a serious degree. In the past, the oceans have been the planet 's greatest defense against human carbon pollution, absorbing 93% of

The debate surrounding global climate change affects millions of people. In fact, the rate at which our climate temperatures are changing due to greenhouse gas emissions is alarming. Carbon dioxide is the number one greenhouse gas emission that human beings so efficiently and effectively emit into the atmosphere. It 's all around us, all the time. Scouring our air, and our lungs. According to the data in a study done by the E.P.A. in 2013, Carbon Dioxide accounted for approximately 82 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Warmer temperatures, depleting glacial ice sheets and increased ocean acidity are just a few of the growing concerns seen around the globe. But, nothing concerns scientists and engineers more

Ocean pollution is one of the most urgent issues in our world today. The ocean is crucial to our ecosystem and it is being severely damaged at an alarmingly increasing rate. In this paper I will educate about the role the ocean plays in our beautiful Earth, why it is being so widely ignored and dismissed, the causes of pollution, and its effects on animals and humans alike.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that we exhale in our daily lives. Plants use carbon dioxide to create oxygen that all mammals use. However, carbon dioxide can also change the chemistry of the ocean, this is often referred to as ocean acidification. The excess carbon dissolves into oxygen in the water, producing a chemical called carbonic acid. This acid causes the ocean to become more acidic. In the eighteenth century, the pH was 8.07 which was slightly basic. Currently, the pH is around 8.01 this is about a twenty-five percent increase in acidity. (National geographic) While this slight change may not seem outrageous, it is causing multiple marine life struggles. The acid melts the shells of pteropods causing a low supply of food that would support larger fish.