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Essay pros and cons of renewable energy
Essay pros and cons of renewable energy
How Does Human Activity Primarily Affect Global Climate
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Preventing Global Warming
The Earth is a dynamic, constantly changing environment in which the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere all interact. When one changes slightly the change is then felt through out the spheres. Humans need to understand that the change they cause can have a potential for a disastrous affect on the environment. From injecting the atmosphere with greenhouse gas, or deforestation, all the unnatural things done to the environment will have an unnatural affect that will have to be dealt with. We as humans have a moral responsibility to reduce global warming gasses by changing our modes of transportation, to stop deforestation, and increase government funding into research to inhibit global warming for present as well as future generations.
Global Warming gases (greenhouse gases) are mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor. They are transparent to the light energy coming from the sun, but are opaque to the infrared energy that is transmitted by the earth once the light energy hits the surface. This means that they allow the transmission of light from Sun to Earth but delay heat-energy loss to space. The gases absorb the heat and radiate back down towards the surface, reheating the lower atmosphere, which is then reflected of the surface back towards the atmosphere for the process to begin again. If the concentrations of these gases increase, more heat energy remains in the atmosphere and the temperature increases (Christopherson 309). These are just the two major gases there are others like methane, but they just contribute at a lower level.
Wealthier countries are the main contributors to Global Warming. A baby born in the United States in the year 2000, will consume about a...
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...ment, Oct2002, Vol.44 Issue 8, pg8.
Herzog, Antonia V.; Lipman, Timothy E.; Edwards, Jennifer L.; Kammen, Daniel M. Renewable Energy A Viable Choice. Environment, Dec2001, Vol. 43 Issue 10 Pg. 8
http://uspirg.org/uspirg.asp?id2=5235&id3=USPIRG& . Global Warming. Government web site.
Johansen Bruce E. The Global Warming Desk Reference. London. Greenwood Press. 2002.
McGeehin, Michael A.; Mirabelli , Maria. The Potential Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Temperature-Related Morbidity and Mortality in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives Supplements, Apr2001, Vol. 109 Issue 2, pg185.
Moore, Thomas Gale. Climate of Fear: Why we Shouldn’t Worry About Global Warming. Washington DC. CATO Institue1998.
White, James. Evaluating Climate Change Action Plans. New York. Plenum Press 1996.
P = preliminary data.Note: Data in this table are revised from the data contained in the previous EIA report, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1998, DOE/EIA-0573(98) (Washington, DC, October 1999).Sources: Emissions: Estimates presented in this report. Global Warming Potentials: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996).
We humans cannot help but feel a twinge of regret when we contemplate how we brought forth the plague of global warming by our own hands in the passing years. Aside from rising sea levels as deluging coastal cities and depleting ozone layers as increasing cancer rates, we inevitably come face to face with one simple realization: it’s getting too hot in here. Moreover, we have been devastated by various extremes of nature, with spring frost storms and summer hurricanes arriving with increasing frequency. However, numerous though the causes of global warming may be, the general consensus is that carbon dioxide, which results from the burning of fuels such as coal, is the main culprit; this gas has now formed a high concentration blockade in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping and thus increasing the temperatures of our planet. Therefore, after assessing all facts of the problem, I humbly propose that we collect the CO2¬, compress it, and then place it into soda cans. Then, we shall store the soda cans underground, whence the CO2 originally came.
“ Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” as mentioned by John F. Kennedy (1961), former president of the United States of America. Although it is known that greenhouse gases are necessary for the survival on earth, without these greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide the earth would be lifeless. However, we still have to deal with anthropogenic causes which drastically intensified the greenhouse effects in the atmosphere. These anthropogenic causes such as burning fossil fuels increase carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions while producing coal, oil and gas. In climate change, environmental hazards will often increase and cause change. With children still being vulnerable to adverse health effects from environmental hazards because of their immaturity they are likely to suffer severely from these changes. Burning fossil fuels results in the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. This is the known truth, but the scientific fact points to significant warming indicated by sea levels rising, hotter temperature and changes in storm weather patterns, becoming regular. Although it is produced from common daily activities such as fueling automobiles released carbon dioxide (CO2) has a major impact on children's health through direct and indirect impact which can be alleviated by mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Climate change, never has such an impending natural disaster been so heavily ignored. While this problem of Greenhouse Gasses holds more long-term implications than any other problem found today, little to nothing has been done to address this problem. Through the last century, industrialization has revolutionized the world, in all aspects of life from comfort to industry. While this has obviously had its benefits, it has also created a world that is almost entirely dependent on carbon dioxide producing technology. This has caused the single biggest problem when it comes to curbing this issue known as climate change. That problem is the simple fact that in order for the people to make a positive unified change in the C02 levels they produce, they’re going to have to make sacrifices. These sacrifices range from giving up or reducing their use of various CO2 producing technologies, to paying new taxes such as carbon taxes. The causes for Climate Change and the lack of action to curb it are, of course, complex, but there are at least three significant factors: High prices required to produce and implement low-carbon technology; lack of political and corporate support; and an extensive public reliance on technology (Weeks). More than this, the public, along with the government, have been unwilling to sacrifice either money or effort, which has only served to exponentially increase the problem at hand.
In chapter thirteen of our book, Environment by Raven and Berg, it shows us just how important renewable energy sources are. Currently the United States of America thrives on the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. The main problems with these types of fuel are that they are both limited and can be extremely harmful to our environment. They cause global warming, air pollution, acid rain, and oil spills (Environment), and not only that, but in the grand scheme of things, these sources really aren’t even that cheap of a fuel source. There are many alternatives to these all but outdated fuel sources.
In the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, former presidential nominee Al Gore illuminates the detrimental effects of global warming. Throughout the documentary, Gore discusses the scientific opinion on global warming, which at the time was considered to be a taboo, and argues that, though an “inconvenient truth,” global warming is an actual, catastrophic issue. He states that global warming “is not really a political issue, so much as a moral one.” In addition, Gore contends that global warming is human-caused and specifically emphasizes America’s harmful contributions to its catastrophic dangers. As a result, Gore challenges his viewers to take action in joining the efforts to reduce the long term effects of global warming.
Global warming is one issue that the United States has been facing for many years now. Never has this issue been taking seriously, but it is not just an issue only this current generation will face but also the future generations will have to deal with as well. Not just something that can be overlooked for too long. It need attention and needs to be worked on. There are many things connected to global warming, all can have bad effects on the society we currently live in. It is a growing concern over the last few decades, about what it is, how it’s caused and the impacts it has on society. Many wonder what the United States government, big corporation even individuals have done to help the environment or even what should be done.
“An introduction to climate change.” Natural Resource Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council 8 November 2015 n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.
Greenhouse gases play a vital role in the regulation of the Earth's energy balance. Greenhouse gases are a group of natural compounds such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the earth's surface warmer than it would if the compounds were not there. The natural gases are the essential reason of the greenhouse effect. An increase in the amount of gases in the atmosphere enhances the greenhouse effect, creating a global warming and consequently climate change. Climate change is one of the most significant threats facing the world today. However the concern and awareness regarding Green House Gases was not vital until Global Warming and Climate Change occurred affecting every living being in the plant along with our planet itself. Author William Nordhaus of Yale University conducted a consensus on the likelihood of substantial warming over the coming century.
Gray, Lousie. "'Crazy Ideas ' to Fight Global Warming Revealed by Scientists." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 11 June 2009. Web. 25 May 2014.
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
In conclusion, many facts point to global warming being detrimental to our world. With scientific predictions, rising temperatures, human causes, drastic climate changes and animal adaptations being some of the more thought about topics it`s hard not to agree that our world can not continue to be used as it is. Even with some scientists arguing against the topic, our Earth`s orbit changing the temperatures before and have been through hotter and cooler time periods the pros still outweigh the cons. This is why we, as a global population, need to take into consideration the outcome of our planet should we continue to abuse it the way we do. Our earth and resources are not a right but a privilege and we should learn to treat them as such before we no longer have either.
We all belong to the same world and all of us have the same responsibilities towards the world and its environment. This fact might be hard to digest, but if we continue to pollute the Earth at the current rate, all of the world’s ocean waters will become one-hundred-thirty percent acidic. This means that the ocean will be unable to sustain most of its marine life and only a few creatures will be able to survive in the water. A big population of people think that they do not or have few responsibilities towards the environment. People think that the governor of a country should take steps to help the environment. They leave it to scientists since they have the technology to prevent pollution, or that is what most people think. There are more responsibilities to the world each individual has than most of realize. The amount of negligence and ignorance of humans towards the Earth is taking a heavy toll.
Climate changes occur in our earth's atmosphere due to a buildup of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases can occur naturally as well as a result of human activities. The greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. “Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels, and wood are burned.” (2) The gases help to warm the surface of the Earth. Each greenhouse gas absorbs heat differently. If natural gases did not occur, the temperature of the earth would be considerably cooler. “Problems can occur when higher concentrations of greenhouse gases are present in our atmosphere because they have enhanced our earth's heat trapping capability.” (3)
The carbon dioxide, also known as a greenhouse gas, remains in the air trapping heat and gradually warming the planet. Other greenhouse gases such as: methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor also contribute to this slow warming. According to Live Science, The state of these gases being trapped is called the greenhouse effect, which is one of the leading causes of global warming (Lallanillia). All the gases are created differently and have different effects on the earth.