Are Human Activities Contributing to Climate Change - Research Paper Example

Introduction: The earth’s climate has seen a drastic change since the industrial revolution. Natural forces like volcanic eruptions and solar output alone cannot be held responsible for global warming. So it is safe to say that human forces have had their share of contributing to the climate change the world is now facing.Human activities that are causing climate changes come mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. After the 19th century Industrial revolution, the world saw a rise in the burning of fossil fuels.

They were burnt in order to generate energy for the industrial activities to take place. Since then, man has been moving forward in terms of technological advancement but overlooking the damages it is causing to the Earth’s atmosphere.Green House gases:The greenhouse gases, which occur naturally, absorb the thermal infrared and warm the Earth’s temperature by 63 degrees Fahrenheit. This whole process is known as the Greenhouse Effect. The main greenhouse gases that are present in the Earth’s atmosphere are carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide and the ozone.

(Maslin, 2007)Carbon dioxide and other green house gases such as methane are added to the earth’s atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Previously, the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were in balance but today, human activities are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at an increasingly high level. The earth’s vegetation has not been able to take in and absorb the excess of carbon dioxide and thus, the atmospheric level of CO2 has increased. Fossil fuels are burnt to create energy for humans in the form of heat, electricity and gas.

Apart from making our lives easier, it has also emitted enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to cause climate changes. Through the Earth’s natural cycle, large amounts of carbon dioxide are released in and out of the atmosphere annually and so the CO2 levels remained in balance throughout. However; scientists have confirmed that human activities add around 7 billion tonnes of CO2 into the earth’s atmosphere which ends up upsetting the balance. According to research, the trees and the oceans only absorb half of the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

The remainder stays in our environment for as long as 100 years.Carbon Dioxide:Carbon dioxide is created from fossil fuels through the form of heat and gas. It is also released in natural processes like decay of organic matter. Apart from that, trees release CO2 into the atmosphere but due to deforestation, the absorption of this gas has reduced. Methane:Human activities which are related to cultivation, landfills and the distribution of natural gas all contribute to the release of Methane into the environment.

Nitrous Oxide:This greenhouse gas in mainly emitted during agricultural as well as industrial activities such as the burning and combustion of fossil fuels along with solid waste. Aerosols:Aerosols are basically small particles present in the atmosphere. They vary in shape, size and chemical composition. Most of these particles are released into the environment through human activities such as the use of Aerosol sprays and leaded petrol.Deforestation:The Earth’s ability to deal with the excess carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere has decreased due to deforestation.

The deforestation is mainly caused by the increased world population. As the world population increases, the demand for land and a place to live on increases. Since the industrial revolution, land has been cleared so that communities can settle down. Land has also been cleared for the purpose of livestock farming, agriculture and ranching. Because of this alteration in our world’s geography, the environment is not able to deal with all the excess CO2 levels in our atmosphere. The re-growth of trees and natural vegetation in some areas has been able to absorb a bit of the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere but it is not enough to take out all of the excess CO2.

Land changes alone are responsible for about 15% of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. How do we contribute to climate change every day?Gadgets such as television, computers etc use electricity to work. We cannot imagine our world without electricity. But this electricity is generated from fossil fuels which in return emit unnecessary amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.Use of transport such as cars, motorcycles and buses require fuel in order to work. They run on petrol and diesel which are products of fossil fuels.

We mostly refuse to use recyclable products and prefer generating waste and dumping it into the Earth. Such products like plastic cannot be recycled and hence remain in the environment, damaging it, for many years to come. Trees and natural vegetation are cut down in order to create paper and wood for the construction of our houses. The land is also cleared so that crops and agriculture could be grown in order to feed the growing population of the world.Conclusion: Climate change is an ongoing process which can’t be stopped but a little effort from our side might help in slowing down this process.

Small things like, recycling, using renewable power, and becoming energy efficient can help in protecting planet Earth for our future generations to come. Works CitedMaslin, M. Global Warming: Causes, effects and the future. MBI Publishing Company. (2007, P 12-17).Biello, D. “Final Report: Humans caused global warming.” Scientific American. (February 2, 2007)Roach, J. “Global Warming very likely caused by humans, World climate experts say.” National Geographic. (February 2, 2007)Walker, P.

“Humans blamed for climate change.” The Guardian. ( February 2, 2007)National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Jenkins,A. “Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the planet.” November 24, 2011 http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/UN news centre/UN news service. “Evidence is now ‘unequivocal’ that humans are causing global warming-UN Report.” November 24, 2011 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?Cr1=change&Cr=climate&NewsID=21429Live Science/Borenstein, S.

 “113 nations agree: Climate change very likely caused by humans” November 23, 2011 http://www.livescience.com/1294-113-nations-agree-climate-change-caused-humans.htmlSeattlepi/McClure, R. Stiffler, L. “Scientists Agree: humans causing global warming.” November 23, 2011 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Scientists-agree-Humans-causing-global-warming-1227187.php