Understanding the Global Warming Debate

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.

Earth has experienced many episodes of dramatic climate changes with different periods in earth history. There have been periods during which the entire planet has been covered in ice and at another time it has been scorchingly hot and dry. In this regards, earth has experienced at least three major periods of long- term frigid climate and ice ages interspersed with periods of warm climate. The last glacial period which current glaciers are the result of it, occurring during the last years of Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years age (Clayton, 1997). Indeed, glaciers present sensitive indicators of climate change and global warming and by estimating and monitoring the dynamic evolution of these ice masses, several

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.

Climate change is evident throughout the world and is a major issue. It is no secret that our planet is getting warmer. Global warming is now recognized in the scientific community as a real problem. There are multiple aspects that are causing this issue. Majority of the warming is caused by greenhouse gases. Volcanic eruptions and changes in the intensity of solar radiation have offset the warming partially. It is estimated that average annual temperatures will increase 3.5°F-9.5°F by the century’s end.

Global warming is the rise of average temperature in the earth’s atmosphere since the late 19th century. Since the beginning of the early 20th century, the earths mean surface temperature had increased by around 0.8 degrees. Warming of the climate system had become more obvious and scientists are 90% sure that the main cause of the increase in temperature in due to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases due to human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels.

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).

It has been observed through various researches that in the last century, average temperatures across the globe increased by over 1.3°F with an increase of more than two times in the Arctic. (Bates, Kundzewicz, Wu, & Palutikof, June 2008). The results of climate change can also be seen in changing precipitation patterns, increases in ocean temperatures, changes in the sea level, and acidity and melting of glaciers and sea ice (USEPA, 2014).

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

The last glacial period has encountered numerous large-magnitude, rapid climate change events; characterising the period between 10ka and 50ka (Steig, 1999). During this period was the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which occurred approximately 21ka, a glacial period defined by changes in greenhouse gases, sea level and ice sheets (Otto-Bliesner et al., 2006). In comparison the mid-Holocene occurred approximately 6000 years ago, during the current interglacial. The Holocene period is regarded as relatively muted in terms of ‘signals’ of climate change, with changes primarily associated with changes in seasonal solar radiance (Otto-Bliesner et al., 2006; Steig, 1999).

This first section also discussed the last ice age during the Pleistocene Epoch during which glaciers covered around 30% of the earth and enabled migration across land bridges they formed and created the Great Lakes. The second part of the notes examined "Evidence of Past Ice Ages." This evidence includes land formations such as U-Shaped valleys moraines, and drumlins; marine microfossils that can reveal a lot of information about past glaciation; and ice core records in the Antarctic and Greenland. Finally, the last section of the video discussed "Causes of Ice Ages." Among these are Milankovitch cycles, plate tectonics and ocean circulation, and changes in atmospheric composition. The Greenhouse effect was also addressed in this section, with manmade and natural causes being presented. An explanation of the concern regarding the Greenhouse effect was also discussed: more melting sea ice will impact several areas of human life including health, agriculture, our forests, our water resources, and our coastal areas. In the end, it was mentioned that climate change is a natural process, but humans need to be aware of their influence in alteration or accelerating these changes to prevent

The Earth has been known to go through various natural warming and cooling periods throughout history. During warmer interglacial periods, CO2 levels are higher and during cooler glacial periods, CO2 levels are lower (Monnin, 2004). This is because the heating and cooling of Earth’s surface can cause significant changes in greenhouse gas concentrations (Monnin, 2004). These changes often act as a positive feedback, intensifying the existing temperature changes (Monnin, 2004). For example, it was slightly warmer during the Holocene Climatic Optimum about 5,000-6,000 years ago and was slightly cooler during the Little Ice Age from about 1600 AD

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.

       At the beginning of the twentieth century, when global warming was merely a thought to occur among the presence of the greenhouse effect, scientists started to believe it would good for the environment to experience global warming. During the late 1950s, a couple of scientists took further examinations once they noticed there appeared to be a rise of carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Which resulted into the average temperature rise before the end of the twenty first century. Roger Revelle speculated for earth in the twenty first century to encounter a rough effect as soon as the green house effect exerted. After 1960, additional scientists begun to examine when the atmosphere experienced a rapid raise of CO2 (Impacts of global warming, February, 2016).