Does Global warming exist - Essay Example

? Global Warming Exist In recent past, there has been a debate on global warming that has caused a massive controversy asto its causes, effects and possible solutions to mitigate against it. The current world is experiencing a massive shift in temperatures in what has always been known as global warming. The question that should be asked is what causes the global warming and does it really exist? While attempting to answer this question, it is important to note that the current face of the earth is quickly changing with the coasts, forests and snow capped mountains undergoing physical changes as opposed to what was present initially. Further, due to effects associated with global warming and climate change, there has been a marked acidification of oceans due to the increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and the melting of ice that ultimately leads to the rise in the level of the seas and the oceans. This paper will attempt to prove through scientific evidence the veracity of the claim or the question as to whether global warming does exist despite many terming it as another scientist fallacy. Global warming usually occurs when greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide is trapped in the atmosphere thus causing a thickening blanket that traps the heat from the sun, making the planet earth to warm up continuously over a period of time (National Research Council (U.S.), 2010). There is clear evidence that there has been a marked change in the composition of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that currently stands at 390 ppm and even higher levels have been recorded at 400ppm at Mauna Loa, Hawaii in May 2013. It can now be proven that the average global temperature has undergone a change of about 1.4°F in the last one hundred years (National Research Council (U.S), 2010). While the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that, the period between years 2000 and 2010 was the warmest on record with 2005 and 2010 being the warmest (Giese, 20113). Scientists also project that Earth's average temperatures will raise between 2 and 12 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 which will be disastrous to human life and all the animal life in the planet earth (National Research Council (U.S.), 2011). The rise in the global temperature has been shown through the changes in weather and ultimately the climate of regions such as changes in rainfall pattern and intensity. The oceans, seas and glaciers have equally undergone changes while the oceans have become more acidic, the glaciers and ice caps on mountains and the Polar Regions have melted while the sea levels have risen (United States. (2010). These changes can be attributed to climate change have been due to human activities and natural variations in the weather and climate of a place. It is important to observe that the earth goes through a natural cycle of cooling, warming that may be attributed to factors such as changes in solar system, and acts such as volcanic activity and these cannot be the only explanation for the rise in temperatures (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009).  According to the National Research Council (U.S) (2010), the biggest cause of the increase in the global temperature of the earth is the trapped greenhouse gases in the air that trap the warmth leading to heating. This has been proven using satellite technology to measure the fluctuations in the energy from the sun; scientists have proven that the sun’s contribution is minimal as compared to human activities. The upshot of this is that the increase in temperatures currently experienced globally is due to the warming properties from greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere. The increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere that also aids in the trapping and retention of the excess greenhouse gas emissions. Because water vapor is a greenhouse gas, it leads to further warming through a magnification of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009).  A change of about two degrees of temperature can lead to serious consequences on the human life and what it depends on. For example, an increase of 2°F in temperature can lead to a 5—15% reductions in crop while a 3—10% rainfall increase due to factors attributed to global warming can increase flooding and a chance of 200%—400% increase in wildfire in the United States (National Research Council (U.S.), 2011).  The emissions of carbon dioxide due to activities attributed to human activities also have an impact on the earth’s climate. Plants, oceans and the soil in the planet earth all release and absorb high quantities of carbon dioxide as part of the natural cycle of carbon, which leads to a balance between released carbon dioxide and that which is absorbed over time. This is in contrast to the carbon dioxide released from humans and their activities, which are not part of this cycle that increases the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. This as evidenced by ice cores which reveal that the level of carbon dioxide presently is higher as compared to one million years ago (U.S. Global Change Research Program and Karl, 2009). This therefore lends credence to the fact that the current level of increases in global warming is due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as methane that are produced due to the activities of human beings (National Research Council (U.S.), 2011). The rapid change in the global temperature has the possibility of causing droughts and wildfires in certain regions, flooding, heat waves, tsunamis and other effects of global warming that may also result into destruction of infrastructure critical to the existence of human beings. In conclusion, from the foregoing, global warming does exist and is really happening as evidenced by multiple temperature records from all over the world that show a trend in warming. These records have been found to be reliable by most agencies in the United States such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) amongst others (United States, 2009). Furthermore, observations that show a rise in the global temperature can be found through the warming of oceans and seas, melting of arctic sea ice and glaciers also seen on Mt. Kilimanjaro and Kenya in Africa, increased amount of rainfall and the change in patterns of wind. This calls for every person to undertake appropriate actions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to lower the risk of much greater warming and its consequences that are severe. However, there is still disagreements amongst scientists in an attempt to answer questions such as to the occurrence and magnitude of the warming, how fast it will warm and what are the consequences of the warming in every or specific region (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007). Despite these arguments, research shows that global warming is real and does occur in the normal daily life and governments and people need to adopt a strategy to help in mitigation against the risks posed by global warming. The existence of global warming and its adverse effects that have already been discussed in the preceding discussion require that states adopt strategies that will enable them deal with the challenges of global warming. This could be through the adoption of green or what is referred to as renewable energy instead of those that emit the greenhouse gases. References Giese, A. (2011). 2010 Hits Top of Temperature Chart.Retrieved from http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C51/temperature_2011 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2007). Climate Change 2007: The physical science basis : working group I contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. National Research Council (U.S.). (2010). Advancing the science of climate change. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. National Research Council (U.S.). (2011). Climate stabilization targets: Emissions, concentrations, and impacts over decades to millennia. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. United States. (2010). Climate change indicators in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. Global Change Research Program., & Karl, T. (2009). Global climate change impacts in the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. United States. (2009). Technical support document for endangerment and cause or contribute findings for greenhouse gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. Washington, D.C: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs. Read More