Human is the Cause of Global Warming - Case Study Example

Human is the Cause of Global Warming Introduction Global warming is a characterized by an increase in global atmospheric temperatures caused by increase in “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere (Michaels, 2004). The major greenhouse gases responsible for increasing atmospheric temperatures include methane; carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Global warming has affected the existence of animal life and vegetation in most parts of the globe and is causing destruction of the Ozone layer gradually hence exposing animals and plants to dangerous solar radiations (White, 2011). The increasing human activities are influencing the atmospheric temperatures thus resulting to global warming. This document will examine how human beings are contributing to global warming. There have been many studies on the topic of global warming, but experts say that humans are the cause for the drastic climate changed going on around the world due to resource consumption, resource disposal, and population growth. According to Watts (2007), human activities have influenced the atmospheric temperatures across the globe. The rising global temperatures have become an issue of concern due to the impact it has on animal and plant lives across the globe. Increasing human population has resulted to increase in consumption and generation of materials and all contribute to global warming (Casper, 2009). The climate change has affected the activities of human by changing the land use and human struggle to reverse the situation. The understanding of how man has contributed to global warming can be gained by considering the impact of the human population, consumption and disposal of waste influence the atmospheric temperatures (Watts, 2007). Also, the knowledge is essential because it can direct organizations and the states to design policies that can regulate human activities hence reducing global warming. 1. Humans contribute to global warming through resource consumption. According to Casper (2009), there is an increasing global demand for energy and other commodities both processed and unprocessed goods. Developed nations are the major consumers of fossil fuels hence they are leading in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the United States has about five percent of the world population but contributes about twenty five percent of carbon emissions in the globe (Murtaugh & Schlax, 2009). Murtaugh and Schlax (2009) further argues that the United Nations Population Fund suggested that, by the year 2050, the world growing economies such as India and china will contribute more than fifty percent of the carbon emissions. The level of emission of greenhouse gas increasing in the developing countries since the rate of consumption of fossil fuel is increasing due to the establishment of industries (Pongratz et.al, 2008). The increasing consumption of fossil fuels alongside the population growth has continued to increase global warming. According to McNall (2011), the fossil fuels are burnt to generate energy for industrial and domestic consumption. More than seventy five percent of energy consumption in the world is obtained from fossil fuels. Burning of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere hence contributing to global warming. Different nations across the globe are competing for development activities mostly through establishing industries (Pongratz et.al, 2008). Industries rely on fossil fuels as the major source of energy. The increasing consumption of industrial goods has contributed to increasing in the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. As more carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere the global atmospheric temperatures continue to rise and cause global warming (Casper, 2009). The human consumption is inclined to industrial goods to live better lives. The increasing demand for better lives by human beings has contributed significantly to global warming. There is an increasing demand for cars, airplanes, better houses and modern infrastructures (Filho, 2011). Vehicles emit a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere thus contributing to global warming. Construction of better houses and infrastructures require machines that emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As people continue to demand more vehicles and airplanes they will continue contributing to global warming. Increase in development activities increase the consumption of power especially electricity hence increase in global warming (Filho, 2011). The increase in human population increase consumption and increase in waste products. 2. Humans contribute to global warming through resource disposal. The increasing human activities and consumption of resources generates a lot of waste resources that contribute to global warming. Increasing disposal of waste resources from the households adds to the landfills (Haldar, 2011). Some of the landfills are reused by different companies to produce various products for further consumption. Some of the garbage are burnt at various places thus releasing a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Some wastes materials contain chemical substances that undergo a chemical reaction when they come into contact with water vapor hence releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Hateren, 2012). The biodegradable waste materials undergo decomposition hence causing global warming. When waste materials undergo decomposition they release different gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of the waste material contains chemical substances that reacts on exposure to the atmosphere and releases a lot of greenhouse gases (Haldar, 2011). The accumulation of greenhouse gases has contributed to rising global temperatures. 3. Humans contribute to global warming through population growth. There was an unprecedented growth in human population across the globe from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion in the twentieth century (Shapiro et.al, 2011). During the same period, the level of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere increased twelve times. There is a significant concern among the environmentalists about the potential of the planet to support life under the increasing havoc caused by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Doyle, 2013). The increasing human population is contributing to emission of greenhouse gases in a variety of ways thus contributing to global warming. The increase in human population has continued causing pressure on the natural resources. Human beings have to find a way of surviving thus the increase in human population increases demand for energy such as gasoline, nuclear energy, fossil fuel, burning of charcoal (Shapiro et.al, 2011). The accumulation of greenhouse gases has results to a gradual destruction of the ozone layer hence exposing animals and plants to dangerous solar radiations. The increase in human activities increases the emission of greenhouse gases hence increasing global warming (Solway, 2008). Demand for energy and settlement areas have contributed to deforestation that has contributed to global warming across the globe. The increase human population has contributed to deforestation as the human struggle to create a place for settlement, agriculture, mining, and establish industries among other activities. Trees help in cleaning the atmosphere by utilizing the carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and releasing oxygen gas into the atmosphere (Maslin, 2007). Therefore, deforestation results to the accumulation of greenhouse gases by reducing the number of trees available to consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Burning of charcoals for fuels has resulted to carbon emission into the atmosphere and subsequent global warming (Solway, 2008). The increase in human population has increased transport activities that contribute to global warming. The rising human population has increased the movement of people and goods from place to another (Maslin, 2007). For example, as more people demand food and other substances, those commodities have to be transported to and from different places using vehicle and other means of transport. These vehicles used for transportation release a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere hence causing global warming (Solway, 2008). The growing human population has increased agriculture activities hence increase in global warming. In order to produce enough food for the rising human population, human beings have intensified the farming techniques to maximize output. The use of current farming techniques such as mechanization, greenhouses and chemicals has added the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (Pongratz et.al, 2008). Most of the chemical and fertilizers used by the farmers decompose and release greenhouse gases hence causing global warming. The establishment of Agro-processing firms has resulted to global warming. For example, abattoirs contribute release a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Doyle, 2013). Therefore, increasing agricultural activities to meet the increasing demand for food has contributed to increasing in global warming. How Greenhouse gases contributes to global warming. Greenhouse gases possess more than two atoms per molecule that make those gases possess “internal vibration mode.” The atoms having internal vibration mode can take in and emit infrared radiation that in turn causes “greenhouse effect” (Smith & Taylor, 2008). In addition, the greenhouse gases have a long lifespan and can remain in the atmosphere for up to two hundred years. This implies that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases has a devastating effect due to emission of infrared radiation hence increase in global warming (Doyle, 2013). The greenhouse gases cause atmospheric temperatures to rise. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere traps solar energy thus resulting to overheating of the atmosphere. The incoming solar rays have a shorter wavelength thus can penetrate the cover formed by the greenhouse gases to reach the earth surface (Pongratz et.al, 2008). The solar energy is trapped into the atmosphere by the earth surface. However, the emitted rays have longer wavelength than the incoming rays hence they get trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Smith & Taylor, 2008). It is the trapped solar energy that is responsible for global warming. Therefore, the more greenhouse gas is present in the atmosphere the higher the solar energy it trap hence increasing global warming. Effects of global warming Global warming affects the sea waves and currents responsible for regulating weather. Global warming has affected the weather patterns and has resulted to unpredictable weather patterns across the globe. According to White (2011), rising temperatures have resulted to tsunamis and Katrina which have claimed several human lives. The erratic weather patterns caused by rising atmospheric temperatures has affected the across farming activities as a result of severe droughts or el-Niño. Ozone layer is responsible for protecting dangerous solar radiations from reaching the earth’s atmosphere (Pongratz et.al, 2008). However, global warming has continued to damage to the ozone layer hence exposing animals and plants to dangerous solar radiations. Immense solar radiations cause sunburn and can cause skin cancer in human beings and other skin infections. Those rays can cause death of animals and plants Global warming has resulted in environmental pollution due to loose dust particles and acid rain. The dust particles are blown up by the wind mix with water vapor in the atmosphere that falls later as acidic rain (Hegerl et.al, 2011). Acid rain has devastating effects on the metal items such as iron sheets and can destroy of vegetation. Global warming is responsible for melting of the ice in glaciated parts of the world such as Greenland Arctic, Antarctic and Siberia. It is responsible for the rising oceans, extreme weather conditions such as cyclones and heat waves (Smith & Taylor, 2008). Global warming has caused melting of the ice the causes the sea level to rise. The rising sea level have negative impacts on the on the low lowing regions because of tsunamis and Katarina that destroy human beings and property. Global warming has been attributed to spreading of diseases such as malaria in warmer regions across the globe (Hegerl et.al, 2011). The areas that formerly had a cold climate are becoming warmer due to global warming. This implies those diseases will continue to spread to new areas across the globe. The other risks associated with global warming include diminishing of some animal and plant species such the environment is becoming inhabitable. Conclusion The global warming is caused by increasing level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Man to blame for global warming due to increasing activities that result to emission of greenhouse gases. Specifically, the increasing human population, consumption of resources and generation of waste resources are the major causes of global warming since they increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gas trap solar radiations are thus causing a rise of the atmospheric temperatures. In addition, greenhouse gases damage the ozone layer thus exposing the earth atmosphere to intense solar radiations. Controlling human activities can reduce the adverse consequences of global warming such as erratic weather conditions, extinction of animal and plant lives, and spread of tropical diseases such as malaria, environmental pollution and destruction of the ozone layer among others. References Casper, J. K. (2009). Global Warming Trends: Ecological Footprints. New York: Infobase Publishing. Claussen, M., Reick, C., Raddatz, T. & Pongratz, J. (2008). Reconstruction of Global Agricultural Areas and the Land Cover for the Last Millennium. Global Biogeochemical Cycles Vol. 22(3). DOI: 10.1029/2007GB003153. Doyle, J. (2013). Mediating Climate Change. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Filho, W. L. (2011). The Climate Change and the Sustainable Use of Water Resources. New York: Springer. Haldar, I. (2011). Global Warming: The Causes and Consequences. India: Mind Melodies. Hateren, V. J. H. 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