We often hear the words “global warming” and “climate change” on the news and in politics, but no one seems to explain what they really are and the major effects they are having on the world. We just know that they are “bad” and needs to be “stopped”. What really is climate change and how has it come to be such a major problem in today’s world? The main factor in climate change is global warming. According to “Global Climate Change,” global warming is an increase in global average temperature due to the atmosphere enclosing more heat. Human activity has been the main cause by the emission of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal, into the atmosphere creating a greenhouse effect. They accumulate in the atmosphere …show more content…
Haines states that “warming is likely to be greater at the poles than at the equator” (99) so the effects will be seen there first. According to “Global Climate Change”, in the last 134 years of tracking temperature, 9 out of 10 of the hottest years have been in the 2000s with 2015 being the warmest ranked year so far. That’s a fact I’m willing to accept just thinking back to the temperatures last summer. Artic sea ice has been declining at an unbelievable rate in the last few year due to these abnormally high temperatures. September is when the ice is at its lowest point, and being measured from 1981 to 2010, it is declining at a 13.3 percent per decade (“Global Climate Change”). This big quantity of ice is melting into the oceans and displacing water, raising the sea levels and risking flooding. Since a majority of big cities and towns are located near the water, flooding imposes a major threat to many areas and …show more content…
According to Tutulmaz, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before the industrial revolution it was at 278 particles per million (786). The last measurement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in December 2015 is at 402.56 ppm (“Global Climate Change”). The ocean plays a main part in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but at a consequence to the ocean and its organisms. An estimated 30% of the carbon dioxide released from human activity has been absorbed into the ocean (Tutulmaz 786). Too much carbon dioxide in the ocean cause acidification which alters the pH of the water making the environment harsh for marine
Some studies have found “that atmospheric CO2 concentration is approximately 383 parts per million by volume (ppmv), a level not seen in at least 650,000 years, and it is projected to increase by 0.5% per year throughout the 21st century.” (Guinotte) “This is because…the ocean absorbs about a third of fossil fuel emissions, but this amount is likely to increase to 90% in the future.” (Bralower) As a result, “the chemistry of the world's oceans is changing at a rate not seen for 65 million years, with far-reaching implications for marine biodiversity and food security, according to a new United Nations study...” (Knight) “…This change is cause for serious concern [for] many marine organisms…, [because they] may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive these changes.” (Guinotte)
My parents grew up in small town in Mexico. There was a little river that went through part of the town when they were growing up. Every weekend or so they would go out and would go swimming with their families, it almost became a tradition to go swimming there until they noticed that the river 's water level was becoming smaller and smaller. Today there is no river anymore, instead it 's a road that travels through the town. Every time I visit my family in Mexico it would alway be nice and warm up until this year when I went in December. I remember waking up and getting ready to go to my aunt 's house in clothes for warm weather. As I open the door, the cold air punch me and I saw snowflakes falling down. It 's not supposed to snow in that
Global warming occurs when the levels of greenhouse gasses rise and less infrared light, or heat, escapes the earth's atmosphere. Thus, the temperature experienced on Earth begins to rise. Climate change is a part of the Earth's history. There have been dramatic fluctuations in overall average temperature for the past 150,000 years that suggest a direct association with carbon dioxide levels.
As we all have noticed our summer days are getting warmer and warmer in the community we live. Just yesterday it was 100 ºF, equivalent to 38 ºC in the city of Newport news, and today is 91 ºF. The temperatures are constantly rising and so does the floods and many other natural disasters. These are the results of one common environmental problem, global warming. According to the Oxford dictionary, global warming is “A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.” Global warming can affect us in a local and global level. But for the purpose of this project we will be focusing on the
Climate change is a long-term change in regional or global climate patterns. From the mid twentieth century to now, it has mostly been about 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 about it 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. Before humans started burning fossil fuels, there were still weather cycles on Earth that were as hot or hotter than what it is now. In fact, Earth’s weather now, is on pace with the previous weather patterns in history. Human emitted
Global warming! It’s killing our planet. Wake up America! Our planet as we know it is coming to an end! Why you may ask? Good question. I am just like you. I always thought global warming would just heat up our planet and that’s all. I did not realize how wrong I was. Have you ever wondered why our planet is having areas with major droughts, or why our planet is getting unusually hot, or even wondered why there are such weird weather conditions that are very unusual? Ranging from the devastating floods in China and the Philippines to droughts in Africa, the same extreme weather patterns that have hit the United States! There is a new report that says climate change has. annually, caused 400,000 deaths and
The United States must combine with other nations to come up with a plan to reduce emissions and overall put in an effort to fight global warming. Since the industrial revolution, humans have come a long way, inventing things like airplanes and faster cars. That also means that humans are releasing more carbon emissions than ever and releasing non-naturally occurring greenhouse gases because of our high demand to burn fossil fuels. President Obama met with global leaders and decided to reduce global carbon emissions and to set the world on a course to a low carbon future. The issue of climate change hasn’t been as big of a priority for the US as it should be. In 2008, America was the largest emitter of greenhouse gases until China became the
Climate change. The two letter word so feared by scientists, so ignored by the average human being. What is it that makes scientists fear this phrase so much? For the concept of “climate change” has been seen throughout the history of the earths existence. For centuries, our climate has fluctuated through increasing and decreasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide and climatic cycles. So what is the big deal? The problem, and the reason why this concept instills fear directly into the core of scientists is the rate at which over the past 1,300 years atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen. This unnatural increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, due to the immense amount of anthropogenic burning of oil and coal, affects the transfer
Global warming has been a major issue for the past few decades. Some people believe there is not enough evidence to support it. Future generations will suffer the consequences if everyone does not cooperate to reduce the effects of Global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles and factories trap the sun's heat in the atmosphere which causes global temperatures to rise, melting of polar ice caps, and extreme weather patterns.
In today’s world climate change is less of natural process, and it’s all because of human activities which are disarming the structure of climate. Since the industries are polluting and through that dump waste the environment gets effected and many diseases or infectious viruses spread around the climate and hence affect the climate and then the climate change ratio will be imbalanced. Climate change on the earth is partially taking place by the naturally cycles of earth however currently human activities are still major source of climate change. Increasing level of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide brings more heat to the earth as they have ability to absorb and emit heat in the atmosphere and thus keep earth warm. Some of the dangerous human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, technological inventions, etc are adding more toxic greenhouse gases to the
What is global warming? Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants. This issue is not only a concern to the United States, but to the entire world because everyone and everything is being affected due to global warming. This problem is a big concern because not only is it effecting the Earth, but humans as well. Global warming affects the environment, the climate, animals, and humans all together. Sadly this problem is a concern to many and a joke to others, and without the help of everyone this issue can have a dramatic change in the lives of many.
The most destructive human contribution to climate change is fossil fuels combustion, which results in the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and halocarbons levels in the atmosphere cause an imbalance in the earth’s energy. This is because the gases alter solar radiation and thermal radiation which regulate the earth’s energy. Research indicates that anthropogenic climate change is the cause of the increased global warming over the last fifty years. 57 % of the carbon dioxide emitted is absorbed into the atmosphere while the rest is absorbed into the oceans. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the most central greenhouse gas that is associated with global warming (Eby, Zickfield, Montenegro, Archer, Meissner, & Weaver,
Climate change is caused due to the release of few carbon compounds into the atmosphere, which drastically brought the weather changes all over the world. Climate change is not confined to a single region. It has become an important issue all over the world for the past few years.
Even if the reason of climate change may be the natural cycles, we humans are the major determinant to it. The huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the climate change and this amount is rising day by day, as a result of our actions. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, generally absorb and emit the heat in the atmosphere to keep the Earth’s climate habitable. However, as we continue to burn fossil fuels, this habitable Earth’s temperature will blow up, and as a result, some species will die out due to various problems which are caused by climate change. According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the most obvious consequence of climate change is the rising sea levels, which will cause some seashore habitats to become unavailable to live to its species.
Human activities are the main reasons for these climatic changes. In modern day society, greenhouse gases emissions cause global warming. Burning fossil fuels and livestock farming are some of the major sources of greenhouse gases that are released into the earth’s atmosphere. Hence these carbon dioxide molecules absorb heat and become unstable when it becomes stable again it releases heat energy some go to space while some goes back to earth.