Climate Change and Fossil Fuels
Climate change refers to the statistical changes in weather pattern distribution over an extended period. It also refers to the average weather condition changes. In addition, climate change may refer to average conditions over long-term periods in varied time intervals. These changes are mainly caused by solar radiation on the earth’s surface, volcanic eruptions, biotic processes and plate tectonics. Specifically, human activities largely contribute towards climatic changes. Besides, these changes are also referred to as global warming. Scientists have often observed climate changes to understand the future and past changes through theoretical models. They have also assembled evidences from different arenas.
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Substances such as dead organisms and anaerobic decomposition produce fuel. Fossil fuels have high levels of carbon, coal, natural gas, and petroleum. These fuels range from volatile to non-volatile materials. The volatile materials include methane and petroleum, and have low hydrogen and carbon contents. In contrast, non-volatile materials have pure carbon such as methane clathrates and anthracite coal. Furthermore, fossil fuels are renewable because they are constantly formed through decomposition of dead animals and plants. It is a natural process that happens beneath sediments. However, it is notable that fossil fuels are non-renewable because most of the fuels release carbon gas into the atmosphere. As a result, the world experiences global warming due to the greenhouse effect resulting from carbon II oxide. Notably, human activities such as industrialization and burning of fuels have also contributed towards global warming. In turn, climate changes have had adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, there are measures that individuals across the world can take to reduce or put an end to climatic changes. In any case, climate change is the change average climate variation as fossil fuels …show more content…
The activities result to cloudiness, greenhouse gases and aerosols’ increase in the atmosphere. However, fossil fuels are the largest contributors of carbon II oxide gas. In turn, aerosols and greenhouse gases alter solar radiation income and out-going thermal radiation on the earth’s surface (Hughes 66). In this case, this leads to cooling or warming of the climate. Historically, climatic changes resulted from the birth of industrialization. Most industrial activities caused atmospheric pollution. The concentration increased with time as industrial activities intensified. In addition, increases in transportation, cement manufacturing, heating and cooling of buildings are human activities that foster increase in climatic change. The mentioned activities use fossil fuel, which eventually releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Another contributor is deforestation. On several occasions, trees or plantations take up carbon II oxide and decrease the uptake of the gas. Simultaneously, decaying of the cut plantations releases carbon II oxide. On the other hand, deforestation reduces the amount of carbon II oxide uptake due to the elimination of trees. Identically, methane gas has also increased in the atmosphere. It is mainly produced through human activities that are related to landfills, agriculture and natural gas distribution (Hansen and Makiko 23). In contrast to the other greenhouse gases, methane is
The emission of carbon dioxide has contributed to 80% to the heating of the earth atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced due the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil. The burning of fossil fuel is very important in our society today, because it is used for cooking, used to produce electricity, for heating, for cooling and also for transportation. The industrialization has led to the use of fossil fuel for running machines and driving cars. The building of fossil fuel contributes towards 80-90% of the carbon dioxide we find in our atmosphere today. When the ecosystems are altered and vegetation is either burned or took out, the carbon stored in them is relinquished to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (What causes global climate change, 2005). Methane is another gas being produced in the process which all have served to increase the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere. Methane is produced from the cultivation of rice, from the burning of coal and from cattle, it has increased by 145% due to human
Climate change refers to shifts in the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period of decades or longer (Ziervogel and Zermoglio, 2009). It is the change in average atmospheric behavior, and change in the patterns of variation around this behavior (Rumbach and Kudva, 2011). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared that climate change is unequivocal as evidenced by observed changes in several global and regional climatic indicators (IPCC, 2007). At the country level, climate change refers to observable changes and permutations (undefined geographic variations) of temperature, rainfall and extreme climate events and their single or collective impacts on various agricultural production (Lasco, et al., 2009).
When people burn fossil fuels to accumulate and produce energy a substance called carbon is produced. Carbon is released into the air in a form known as carbon dioxide. Carbon moves throughout the biosphere on the planet as it is recycled and reused. Carbon exists in the earth’s atmosphere in two common forms which are methane and carbon monoxide. These gases absorb and retain heat in a process known as the greenhouse effect. The Planets natural greenhouse effect makes life possible by regulating our temperature. It turns out that adding too much to the greenhouse effect can have horrible consequences on the environment. Each year, five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning fossil fuels and of that three billion tons enters the atmosphere. The remaining carbon usually gets absorbed by the oceans.
Most climate scientists agree that the main cause of global climate change is the human expansion of the greenhouse effect. This is the global warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space (climate.nasa.gov). The main gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (climate.nasa.gov). Human activities are changing the natural greenhouse effect. The burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (climate.nasa.gov). Carbon dioxide levels have increased from 280 parts per million to 379 parts per million in the last 150 years due to human act...
Climate change, otherwise known as global warming, has grown more apparent in recent years, with increased natural disasters, significantly warmer temperatures and unreasonably long seasons. Global warming is one of the main concerns that scientists have been researching for the past century. Scientific evidence shows that global warming is caused by human behaviors. Due to the amount of human-induced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that have been released into the air, the earth is becoming a highly poisonous place to live on. Earth’s climate has been constantly changing ever since the Industrial Revolution, when innovations began and factories were built, which emitted mass air pollution. As more technological advances continued the years after, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air also increased. According to the UPI Space Daily News, “Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) - the main cause of global warming - increased by 45% between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010” (Writers 1). The 1900s through the 2000s is the time period in which humans caused the most air pollution by creating vehicles and other industrial machinery. In the contemporary time period, human activities that contribute to climate change consist of hydraulic fracturing, rice cultivation, the increase of fossil fuel burning, and the rise of deforestation.
Climate change occurs when there is a significant variance in the climate which last for several decades or longer and not for a short period of time. Climate change includes changes in elements such as temperature, precipitation and wind patterns.
Climate change is a long-term change in regional or global climate patterns. From the mid twentieth century to now, there has mostly been a significant increase in average global temperatures. Climate change is a major issue in the world today, and a lot of people feel very differently about the cause of it. The common argument is whether climate change is a natural occurrence or if the recent increase in temperatures is because of humans. Climate change is a natural cycle in the Earth’s weather.
Air pollution and greenhouse gases are the reason for the planet as it is today; the reason why we see campaigns flooding the media informing us to ‘switch off’, ‘save the planet’ and ‘turn down the heat’ and the reason why the government is trying to develop a successful scheme, such as the carbon tax scheme, to reduce air pollution caused by major industries. Air pollution and greenhouse gases are the two immediate causes of global warming and climate change. Air pollution occurs when chemicals or particulate matter enter the atmosphere. They can cause damage to living organisms on the planet, as well as destruction to the natural and synthetic environment (Energy Environment.net 2008). Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that absorb infrared radiation emitted from the earth. They trap infrared radiation in the form of heat, and hence contribute to global warming. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases are a direct result of air pollution. They are the physical gases emitted that cause air pollution. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases also have an influence on the earth’s atmosphere, though it is not as conspicuous as anthropogenic causes. Together, air pollution and greenhouse gases are intensifying climate change and global warming on a world-wide basis.
Humans and animals breathe out Carbon Dioxide, often referred to as the greenhouse gas, as a waste product. Plants take in this CO2 and use it to make food. This is called photosynthesis. During this process oxygen is released which is then breathed in by humans and animals. This procedure is repeated over and over and a natural balance is obtained. However this natural balance is disrupted by human activity. People of the world are putting more than 5.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. 75% of this is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels are burnt all the time to run factories, power plants and vehicles. The main sources of CO2 emissions are electric utilities, residential buildings, industry and transportation. The other 25% is induced by the destruction of the world's forests. The reason for this is that there are less trees and plants to take in the CO2 but there is just as many, if not more, humans and animals to breathe it out.
The commonly debated “greenhouse effect” refers to “the global average temperature increase that has been observed over the last one hundred years or more” (Spencer). President Barack Obama addressed the issue in an effort to highlight its severity, "We have to all shoulder the responsibility for keeping the planet habitable, or we’re going to suffer the consequences – together” (Leader). The earth’s increasing atmospheric and oceanic temperatures result in climate changes due to cumulative amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. As an outcome, researchers around the globe have established that the by-product of burning fossil fuels is the main culprit of the increasing temperatures. Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have significantly increased since 1900, as shown above from a study carried out by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center.
The emission of green house gasses due to human activity contributes the most in increasing global warming. Today, fossil fuels are used as a source of energy for transportation, electricity, industrial process and to increase human comfort in this era. Over the last decade humans have created mass amount of industries. These industries have been burning fossil fuels such as coal, which release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide absorbs heat that raises the temperature of the earth. More than 80% of carbon dioxide comes from tr...
As defined by the Oxford dictionary, climate change is, “a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.” (Oxford Dictionaries) Moreover, evidence of climate change can be found all over the world, and in many different forms, but is especially prevalent in certain regions. For instance, in Southeast Asia, specifically the nation of the Philippines, signs of climate change can be observed frequently, if not regularly. One major ...
Climate change is the long-term shift in weather patterns in a specific region or globally. Climate change refers to changes in a regions overall weather patterns. These include temperature changes, precipitation and cloud cover (www.ecolife.com).
According to the Canada’s Action on Climate Change, Climate change is a long-term shift in weather conditions identified by changes in temperature, precipitation, winds, and other indicators. Climate change can involve both changes in average conditions and changes in variability, including, for example, extreme events. Climate change is one of the biggest crisis in the earth. It will cause a huge damage to the eco-system and human. We are the victims of the climate change. However, we are the one who cause the climate change.
Human activities add to the levels of these gasses, causing more problems. “Automobiles, heat from homes and businesses, and factories are responsible for about 80% of today's carbon dioxide emissions, 25% of methane emissions, and 20% of the nitrous oxide emissions.” (3) The increase in agriculture, deforestation, landfills, industrial production, and mining contribute a significant share of emissions also. These gases that are released into the atmosphere are tracked by emission inventories. An emission inventory counts the amount of air pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. These inventories are important in studying the affects of global warming on the Earth.