Effects of Climate Change - Term Paper Example

? Effects of Climate Change Climate Change is an issue for every living being on the planet. Climate change is a topic that is the highlight of many conversations. Climate change does not discriminate and affects everyone regardless of race and location. Some issues that are becoming very popular in regards to climate change are global warming, animal habitats and natural disasters. The occurring of these natural disasters has created media and political acknowledgment. Climate change is becoming a more widely known topic and is important in lessening the effects of climate change. Introduction To further discuss climate change it is important to discuss what climate change is. Climate change can be identified by, “a long term shift in climate measured by changes in temperature, precipitation, wind, and other indicators.” (GovernmentofCanada2011). Climate change is basically the result of too much pollution within earth’s atmosphere. The pollution causes the ozone layer to become thin. The thinning of the ozone layer allows earth’s climate to become warmer than usual. The slow increase in earth’s temperature creates an effect on earth’s resources. Because of these changes, oceans, wildlife and nature have been forced to adapt and many creatures and habitats have become unsuccessful in adapting. History of Climate Change Climate change is said to have begun during the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution was a time during the 1800’s when manufacturing began to take over the world. According to, The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientist, “the increase of carbon dioxide has jumped overwhelmingly since the mid 1800’s.” Studies on carbon dioxide levels show that the concentration of carbon dioxide in ppmv’s has gone up by over one hundred. Many things that one may see and do everyday are contributors to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The most common contributor is human transportation. Almost every type of human transportation emits carbon dioxide into the air. Planes, automobiles, trains and anything that burns fuel is a contributor to climate change. Automobiles are not the only contributor. Manufacturing plants are all over the world and can account for huge carbon dioxide emissions. An article by The New York Times explains, “Eating lunch in a cafeteria can cause climate change” (Rosenthal2010). One may contemplate the truth of the given claim. How can eating lunch at a cafeteria cause climate change? The answer is simple. Many of the foods in a cafeteria are produced in a manufacturing facility. Manufacturing facilities create carbon dioxide. When eating foods that have been made by creating harmful gasses, one is contributing to global warming which creates climate change. Climate Change effects on the Ocean Climate change is harmful to the earth’s ocean. Water is a necessary for survival. The ocean, like many other water sources does not stand still. The ocean circulates. The circulation allows for water to remain fresh. The circulation of water is like natures own way of cleaning itself. “The winds of the air drive most of the oceans circulation” (Toggweiler2008). The warming climate changes the way that the winds blow. Since the winds are changed, so is the way that the ocean circulates. The changes in water circulation due to climate change have their affects on our oceans. The ocean cools and warms by circulation. It is obvious that the changes in circulation will have its affects on the ocean. Since the ocean makes up more than half of the earth, it is important to keep the ocean temperatures stable. Change in ocean temperature cause many problems. The warming of the ocean because of climate change and global warming has its affects on ocean life. Coral in the Mediterranean, “is becoming bleached and no longer produces as vibrant of colors” (Global Changing Biology2005). The bleaching of the coral is not the only problem that affects the ocean. Fish and fisherman dependent on fishing are affected by the climate change of earth. Fish are affected by the warming ocean. The sex of fish is dependent on the amount of males and the amount of females in the ocean. Colder and warmer waters produce more of one specific sex in fish. The effect this has on fish affect the population of fish. “An increase in water temperature of only 1-2 degrees affects in the sex of fish” (News in Brief2008). The water change can produce more males. The production of more male fish allows for less female fish. Less female fish results in less breeding. Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife Climate change and the rise in earth’s temperature does exactly what is sounds like it can do, melt ice. The melting of large bodies of ice like glaciers is becoming an issue. The rapid melting of ice affects the animals that live on the glaciers. Penguins and polar bears are dependent on cold weather. The melting of glaciers leaves animals like polar bears and penguins with nowhere to live. Animals then have to learn to adapt to a warmer climate and run a chance of becoming extinct. Results of climate change are illustrated in graph 1. Birds also have to learn to adapt to a changing climate. Birds that live in cooler climates migrate to warmer areas during cooler seasons. Many birds fly for days in flocks in order to make it to their desired destination. “Birds are highly affected by the change in temperature” (IndustryReport2011). Many birds will become extinct due to the fact that they are unable to adapt to current weather changes. Land Effects of Climate Change The land that is used to live on is affects by climate change. We already learned that climate change affects the wind, temperatures and precipitation. These changes change habitats, glaciers, and other forms of land. These changes cause natural disasters. The natural disasters consist of tornados, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and flooding. These natural disasters can be very devastating and wipe out animals habitats and ruin individual’s homes and ways of life. Since the increase in climate change there has been an alarming amount of tornados in the United States. This change created tornados in areas that have never seen tornados before. A study by the National Weather Service has shown that in 2010 there was over a %100 in increase in the amount of tornados. Graph 2(http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/torgraph-big.png) shows increase. Earthquakes are also a huge issue which has been happening that triggers volcanoes and tsunamis. Graph 2 Conclusion Climate change has definitely affected the environment and everything in it. Human actions are mainly to blame. Transportation and manufacturing facilities pollute the air which causes climate change and hurts the environment. Natural disasters are a result from climate change and continue to become an issue. In my opinion I believe that more awareness needs to be raised and it needs to be mandatory for individuals to start taking action for the things that they are responsible for. Government figures can use their power and put in force plans that help lessen the effects of climate change and repair damage that has already been made. Works Cited Government of Canada. "Canada's Action on Climate Change - About Climate Change." L'action Du Canada Sur Les Changements Climatiques - Canada's Action on Climate Change. Government of Canada. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. "Global Warming." The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Credo Reference. Web. 17 January 2011. Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "Is your lunch causing global warming? Cars and factories are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the planet. But what you eat may have even more of an impact." New York Times Upfront 18 Jan. 2010: 6+. General OneFile. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. Toggweiler, J.R., and Joellen Russell. "Ocean circulation in a warming climate: climate models predict that the ocean's circulation will weaken in response to global warming, but the warming at the end of the last ice age suggests a different outcome." Nature 451.7176 (2008): 286+. CPI.Q (Canadian Periodicals). Web. 17 Jan. 2011. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, et al. "Global assessment of coral bleaching and required rates of adaptation under climate change." Global Change Biology 11.12 (2005): 2251-2265. "Fish, sex and global warming.(News in brief)." Food Engineering & Ingredients 33.3 (n.d.): 43. Gale: InfoTrac OneFile (PowerSearch). EBSCO. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. "Global warming taking toll on birds.(Industry Report)." Global Warming Today (n.d.): Gale: InfoTrac OneFile (PowerSearch). EBSCO. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. Read More