Climate Change - Research Paper Example

Topic: Introduction Global warming becomes increasingly evident with climatic changes. Both urban and rural centers felt the scaling figure of temperature and the unpredictable pattern of weathers. Even the degree of typhoon’s devastation these days can’t be foretold as the cyclical movements of its tails are deceptive and have subverted the usual route and pattern. This essay will explain sun and its impact to world’s global warming. The Sun The sun is the core of our solar system. It’s considered as the biggest star in our galaxy with 1,390,000 km. in diameter and a mass of 1.989e30 kg. (Nineplanets.org, 2012). Scientists pointed that its temperatures is 5800 K in the surface and 15,600,000 K in the core (Nineplanets.org, 2012). It’s substantially composed of 70% hydrogen and 28% helium and it rotates on its axis in 24.5 days (Nineplanets.org, 2012). Its also described with a power estimated at 386 billion billion megawatts and is produced by nuclear fusion reactions (Nineplanets.org, 2012, p. 1). Nineplanets (2012) featured that the sun has an estimate of 700,000,000 tons of hydrogen which could be converted to 695,000,000 tons of helium and 5,000,000 tons (=3.86e33 ergs) of energy in the form of gamma rays (p. 1). As its heat is emitted toward the earth, the energy is absorbed and re-emitted at lower temperatures, hence when it reached the surface, it is considered as primarily visible light (p.1). The sun is also instrumental in the development of photosynthesis of plants and therefore helpful for agriculture—the source of food and oxygen to breathe. But while it has its positive contribution, it has also negative impacts that are evidently and widely discussed among ecologist and scientists these days. For those who used to enjoy sun tanning, experts argued that over sun exposure can cause skin cancer and hastening of aging or wrinkling in the skin (Stephen & Clarke, 1995). But these are minimal impact. The largest solar impact is the devastation it can contribute to climate changes. Darkstrong (2012) made an independent assessment of the sun in 2011 which showed that the sun last year made an estimated 1,300 coronal mass ejection, a double of the figure of CME in the previous years. Darkstrong (2012) accounted about 1,187 C-flares, 108 M-flares and 8 X-flares of which about 4 of these are brightest. There was an average of 3.6 flares each day (Darkstrong, 2012). With these facts, the solar activity increased and there were only two spotless sun in 2011 and the sunspots evolutions were unceasing and with fluctuating levels. Last year, aside from the controversial passage of Elinin comet around the sun, there were also three other comets which collided to the sun and melted with it (Darkstong, 2012). The spectacular coronal mass ejections challenged some major grids of electric industry since it goes with some magnetic impacts. Experts likewise argued that CMEs can erode the lunar surface and could be the major cause of atmospheric loss for unprotected planets against global magnetic fields (NLSI, 2011). Scientists defined CMEs as powerful explosion of solar wind or a widely disperse stream of electrically-charged plasma from the Sun to space (NLSI, 2011). Authorities described a major CME containing billions of plasma with a movement of a million miles per hour with a size wider than the size of the globe (NLSI, 2011). Such meant an intense heat or radiation out of sputtering. Global Warming Aside from the excessive emission of heat from the sun, scientists posit that global warming is also caused by excessive emission of pollutants to environment which destroyed the natural protective wall which was supposed to shield the earth and all living organisms from ultraviolet rays of the sun (Khanna & Aneja, 2011). Ecologists posit that the unstopped logging of tress and continuing operation of extractive industries contributed to the increasing level of carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as other greenhouse gases with the subsequent depletion of oxygen. They explained that this ruined the ecosystem but experts are quick to point that all these are authored by human beings (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2008, p. 1). Ecologists further explained that global warming is exacerbated by emission of greenhouse gases like methane (CH4), water vapor, and fluorinated gases, act like a greenhouse around the earth, other than carbon monoxide (IPCC, 2008., p. 1). The proliferation of these gases our atmosphere hinder the passage of the sun’s heat back into the atmosphere (IPCC, 2008, p.1). Such escalation of green gases rates the greater heat that would be stored and trapped on the earth’s atmosphere (IPCC, 2008, p. 1).  Such implied that when more heat is stored, there is high probability of ice’s meltdown in the north and south poles of the world. As a matter of fact, scientists have documented sudden collapsed of glaciers and inundation of coastal communities as seawater level rise in tropical regions of the globe. Fisher folks living within these areas are vulnerable and were affected with the sudden increase of water level. The increase of temperature on the surface of the earth would also mean drought in some parts of the world. Drought could devastate farmlands that are all dependent on water supply, thus, affect agricultural production and losses pastures. Such would happen because excessive heat lower water supports, dry soils, and would impact ecology dependent on water for growth. Prolong drought can cause starvation and death of people. In aquaculture, fish kills also happened due to depletion of oxygen and warming of water. If global warming extends at larger magnitude, it wouldn’t be surprising that demands for food, water and related needs, if unmet, could result to conflict and war. The conflict of generating water as resource for sustainable living have even started already in some regions of the globe. Hunger would be inevitable as agribusiness will continue with the losses as a result of poor production. English (2007) pointed that drought can also impact to the timber industry since these are companies that are using these resources for pulp and paper production. Drought will likewise affect the medical profession since productions of medicines are dependent on organic produce of herbal plants. The impact would be upscale and unpredictable, thus, the need for all states to review the severity of sun’s effect to global situation. Conclusion The sun is millions miles away from this earth, but its heat could either support or devastate us. We needed the sun for growth, for production, for development and even in symbolically associating our lives for hope. We needed its morning light for natural vitamin E and for lighting the world. But, like a very fragile system, human beings should also nurture and redesign a system that will restore the ecosystem to protect us from its ultraviolet rays and radiation. This is because the sun is also capable of ruining not only our electric grids but could also devastate our farmlands and source of lives. Its impact can reverse the natural system ecosystem and cause irreversible environmental damages that may result to peoples’ conflict on resources and even death. Thus, it is significant that states should develop policies and contingencies that could reduce the risks in farmlands and natural resources (Quiggin & Chambers, 2003). It is not sufficient that people will secure their future with insurance policies from eventualities and risks. Nations should start rehabilitating the ecology and restore the natural system. Nations should review the geohazards and determine climactic implications. The sun is maybe too far detached from this earth, but peoples should be resolve to heal this ecosystem through integrated ecological rehabilitation plans to shield the earth from sun’s devastating coronal mass ejections and flares. Nations must therefore be involved in responsible resource management to ascertain that these are used effectively without imposing threats to ecological balance. It is high time for nations to put a moratorium on extractive industries and regulate strictly the industrial developments. The severity of the impacts of cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes can be further aggravated by continuing extraction of resources and logging operations. The absence of trees and the development of mining industries also supported the thinning or opening or our ozone layers and thus, aided further the exposure of this earth to ultraviolet rays of the sun and to harmful radiation brought by heat waves. Scientists must also develop more transparency in their continuing study of the sun and its eruptions to ready the whole world of its impacts. Lawn (2010) further propose that to support the ecologists in its protectionist advocacies, nations must adopt an economic system that is sensitive to ecological protection to ensure that sustainable development is achieved. Lawn (2010) believes that this can be achieved by extolling a three-pronged resolution. These are adopting an economy that is supportive of ecosphere, hence making the market considerate to ecological sustainability; development of a socialist paradigm where distribution of income and wealth is shared equitably amongst nations; and, nurture allocation efficiency to ascertain that an economic system are maximized to the best possible use (Lawn, 2010). By doing so, people can sustain its way of living attune to ecological needs so that when the sun reached at a period when it would ripen for more coronal mass ejections, nations are able already able to develop and restore the ecological protective shields (Quiggin,, 2008). The campaign will not be easy. It must be done at the global scale. People should realize that we are merely speck of the universe and are powerless when suns take its tool against us. Climate changes are not only encouraged by the increasing outburst of the sun but also because of human-sponsored activities which induced environmental destruction. The challenge is posed now for everyone’s response and action. The sun is there. It’s our symbolic sign of hope and our friend from darkness. However, its power extends beyond that. It shines to relate to us our powerlessness too. References Philip Lawn, "The need to move to a qualitatively-improving steady-state economy to resolve the climate change dilemma," International Journal of Green Economics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, 2010; vol. 4(4), pages 393-428, January. Ed English."110 degrees in the shade: drought sears the Southeast," EconSouth, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. 2007. John Quiggin & Robert G. Chambers, Drought policy: A state-contingent view," Murray-Darling Program Working Papers WPM03_1, Risk and Sustainable Management Group, University of Queensland, Aug 2003. NLSI. Solar Storms Could Soundblast the Moon. Science News. Moffett Field, California. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111207000851.htm Accessed: January 13, 2012. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC, "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Fourth Assessment Report; Climate Change 2007; Synthesis Report," Working Papers id:1325, eSocialSciences. 2008 Khanna, Dr. Perminder & Aneja, Reenu, "Climate change: a primer [Climate Change: A Primer]," MPRA Paper 34867, University Library of Munich, Germany. 2011. John Quiggin, "The impact of climate change on agriculture," Climate Change Working Papers WPC08_3, Risk and Sustainable Management Group, University of Queensland. 2008. YeSeul Kim, Erika Granger, Katie Puckett, Cankutan Hasar, and Leif Francel. Global Warming: Definition. Mission 2010. New Orleans. 2012. Arthey, Stephen & Clarke, Valerie A., "Suntanning and sun protection: A review of the psychological literature," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, 1995; vol. 40(2), pages 265-274. Darkstrong, Keith. The Sun in 2011. Dm& DF BWC Prodcution. http://www.youtube.com/user/drkstrong?feature=watch. Accessed: January 13, 2012. Nineplanets,org (2012) The Sun. http://nineplanets.org/sol.html . Accessed: January 13, 2012. Rasmusen, Eric Bennett (2008) "Letter: What Economists Can Contribute to the Global Warming Debate," The Economists' Voice: Vol. 5: Iss. 3, Article 2.  Read More