Global Warming: Human Impact and Climatic Changes - Essay Sample

Introduction

The issue of global warming is a growing concern, as the Earth's temperature has hiked by 0.80| C (Harvey 107). Yearly, human-related doings contribute to more than 30 billion tons of Carbon (IV) Oxide to the atmosphere. Global warming is now happening at a faster rate than a few decades earlier, and human actions are to blame for this. Many climatic changes currently being witnessed can be directly linked to global warming. Many researchers and scientists are concerned about the negative impacts that climate change has had on our planet. There are many causes of global warming; some of them associated with Earth's natural causes and others related to destructive human habits. With these causes, global warming will keep on causing environmental harm and changes in the climate. Unlike the other planets in the solar system, our planet has relatively mild, constant temperatures because of its atmosphere (Murante et al. 1). A thin layer of gases covers our planet, thus shielding it from adverse solar radiation. However, our activities have continually depleted this thin layer of gases (the Ozone layer) and replaced it with harmful gases, resulting in global warming. The natural greenhouse effect traps heat in such a way that we are shielded from freezing temperatures. The depletion of the Ozone layer leads to global warming- a result of burning fossil fuels that increase greenhouse gases' concentration in the atmosphere. With destructive human behavior and natural changes, adverse impacts in the environment and subsequent global warming are expected, unless something is done to curb this. The first step towards recovery is to reduce greenhouse gases' emissions, adopt the use of clean, renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.), and to use energy-efficient appliances. The top cause of global warming is greenhouse gases' emissions, especially from industries and motor vehicles (Murante et al. 1). Therefore, if we are to take steps towards saving our planet from the adverse effects of global warming, we must be prepared to reduce these emissions. We are at a phase of climate change where we must control the rate of environmental pollution. In finding a solution to global warming, we must be prepared to change our ways; how we use energy at home, sources of energy, means of travel, etc. Global warming can be addressed through two main methods: through mitigation and adaptation.

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According to Urry (2015), "global warming involves an unprecedented speeding up of the rate of change in natural processes, which now converges with the (previously much faster) rate of change in human societies, leading to a crisis of adaption." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) asserts that the primary cause of climate change is human activities. There is a consensus that global warming is mostly due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases (Vardy et al. 14). Crespo et al. (2017) points that "Enhanced greenhouse gas effect caused by the combustion of fossil fuels in industrial processes can lead to global warming. To produce sufficient energy, fossil fuels are overused, and the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contribute to temperature rise." Second, an increasing number of trees have been cut down to provide adequate space for agriculture and urban growth. It is reported that 25 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions are the result of deforestation aimed at developing urban area (Crespo, Grilo and Baptista). Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) holds the opposite argument that natural factors account for climate change. NIPCC disputes some findings of IPCC and concludes that IPCC fails to determine the fraction of global warming caused by natural factors and human activity, respectively (Vardy et al. 15). The natural internal forcing can cause short term variations in the Earth's climate. For instance, according to the instrumental record, the temperature in 1998 was extremely high due to the effect of El Nino. Furthermore, the problem of climate change can be explained by external natural influences such as volcanic activity and increasing solar radiation. Dust and sulfate caused by volcanic activities can reflect sunlight, and then temperature declines accordingly while there are no strong volcanic activities these years (Crespo et al. 7). It is observed that there is a relationship between increasing solar radiation and global warming.

Global warming should be addressed through adaptation and mitigation. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), global warming mitigation involves the approaches meant to reduce greenhouse gas amounts in the atmosphere at a level that would avert harmful anthropogenic interference with the climate system (Bergesen et al. 16). The mitigation approaches are usually meant to prevent, reduce, and correct the impact of greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere. These include the interventions of human beings to reduce emissions at a personal level or augment the sinks of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, adaptation is meant to address changes in natural or human systems in actual or projected climatic stimuli or their impacts that control harm and takes advantage of beneficial opportunities. The two approaches (mitigation and adaptation) depends on each other; hence the policymakers need to have a systematic review of the implications of climate change and the long-term responses. I propose that the government should take action on law enforcement meant to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. It is also essential to increase public awareness of climate change via radio, television, and printed materials. More importantly, countries all around the world should cooperate to make contributions to carry out effective policies so that the bad impacts of climate change can be relieved. Arent et al. (2011) argues that "governments should encourage their citizens to adopt the use of renewable energy, a move that will ensure the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels."

If the present patterns proceed, as it were if the present portion of fossil fuels' usage is kept up and its demand increases by 200% by 2050, CO2 emissions will incredibly outperform the measure of carbon that can be discharged if the worldwide normal temperature rise is to be constrained to 20C, that degree of emissions would have adverse effects on the planet. There are various methods for reducing emissions for the energy sector, outstandingly lessening the measure of energy expended and diminishing the net carbon emissions, (Harvey 107) Alternative energy sources decrease the amount of carbon emissions to the atmosphere. The clean energy sources (mentioned earlier) do not produce harmful toxins to the atmosphere that can lead to global warming. Another advantage of the clean energy sources is that they are sustainable. Fossil fuels will continue to deplete; thus, we are left with no option but to turn to renewable sources.

The community of scientists and environmental conservation activists is on the same wavelength in regards to the harsh truth of global warming and the association of human factor in it. The research proposed in this paper has just imprinted the surface of what is an unpredictable line of scientific research. Global warming is a major risk, and suitable solutions must be taken to handle this issue. Climate changes related to global warming are not only negatively affecting human beings but also animals and plants. Melting of polar ice tops will prompt floods, which certainly causes mass relocations. The rise of ocean levels will demean fishing and agricultural activities along the coast. To set out upon these issues, solutions must be conveniently taken, which incorporate but not constrained to the utilization of sustainable energy solutions.

Work Cited

Arent, et al. "The status and prospects of renewable energy for combating global warming." Energy Economics (2011): 584-593. 9 May 2020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988310001908.

Bergesen, H. O., G. Parmann and O. B. Thommessen. "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)." In Year Book of International Co-operation on Environment and Development (2018): 73-77. 9 May 2020. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=e4yYReUmp_gC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=Thommessen.+%22United+Nations+Framework+Convention+on+Climate+Change+(UNFCCC)&source=bl&ots=OEHd6Yu7Ql&sig=ACfU3U1ax2HxEwn4k9XqMy6LTi6Rbm91gA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi376Snw6npAhWlx4UKHXru.

Crespo, D., et al. "New climatic targets against global warming: will the maximum 2 C temperature rise affect estuarine benthic communities?" Scientific reports (2017): 1-14. 9 May 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28634416.

Encyclopedie.com. Global wWarming. n.d. 9 May 2020. encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/biology-and-genetics/environmental-studies/global-warming.

Harvey, L. D. "Global warming." Routledge, 2018. https://www.amazon.com/Global-Warming-L-Danny-Harvey/dp/0582381673.

Murante, G., et al. "Climate bistability of Earth-like exoplanets." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2020): 2638-2650. 9 May 2020. https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.05392.

Urry, J. "Climate change and society." Why the social sciences matter (2015): 45-59. 11 May 2020. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137269928_4.

Vardy, M., et al. "The intergovernmental panel on climate change: Challenges and opportunities." Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2017): 55-75. 9 May 2020. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-102016-061053.