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What Are The Risks Of Climate Change And Global Warming?

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What are the risks of climate change and global warming?
Climate change has been a pertinent issue in the media as of the past decade. With much debate on its severity, some simply believe that it is the result of alternating weather patterns. Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claims that global warming “has been driven by human activity,” continuing on to say that its existence is “unequivocal” (sciencemag). As most scientific research suggests, it is evident that climate change is negatively affecting the planet through global warming due to a diminishing Ozone layer, rising sea levels as a result of thermal expansion and melting polar ice caps, and a declining quality of life for humans and animals caused by …show more content…

“Ozone plays an important role in the earth’s atmosphere and changes in its concentration are of concern for several reasons: increased penetration of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, a contribution to global warming, perturbations in atmospheric chemistry, and direct toxic effects on the terrestrial biosphere” (Ashmore). Radiation in the atmosphere is harmful for obvious reasons; This paired with rising seas and the inevitable agricultural setbacks prove that our Ozone layer is the vital portion of everyday life. In the case of its environmental impacts, “It is clear that these changes will be increasingly manifested in important and tangible ways, such as changes in extremes of temperature and precipitation, decreases in seasonal and perennial snow and ice extent, and sea level rise” (Karl). That is to say that global warming will result in unpredictable and extreme patterns of weather and lead to an increase in the problematic case of sea level rising. The New York Times addressed this in an article saying: “Global warming has set in motion a rise in global sea levels. A forecast shows a rise of 7 to 23 inches by 2100 and concludes that seas will continue to rise for at least 1,000 years to come. By comparison, seas rose about 6 to 9 inches in the 20th century” (Rosenthal). So how much will it rise and for how long? According to the American Association for the advancement of Science,

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