Human Influence on Global Warming - Essay Example

Global Warming is Man-made Global warming has led to the increase of average global temperatures over the years. This hasled to various adverse effects on the environment because of these temperature rises. The increase in temperature creates changes the climates of the world and future projections of these effects are not encouraging. Global warming is the gradual rise of temperature in the earth’s atmosphere. Its effect came to light in the late 19th century, and they project skyward. It results from increased retention and production of heat in the lower atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, certain particulates, and current solar activity are the variables that bring about global warming. These variables differ in the extent of their influence to global warming, but their contribution to it is on a rising trend. Effects of global warming are widespread and detrimental to life on the earth surface. Change in temperature raises sea levels, changes precipitation patterns and levels. It also expands deserts. Extreme weather conditions and threats of extinction of various species of plants and animals are extensive. The causative factors have various levels of contribution to the existence of global warming. However, the human influence cannot be overstated because its impingement on the earth got realized after the industrial revolution. This is among other numerous causes of global warming that the human fraternity has effected to result in global warming. These actions that lead to the increase in greenhouse gases get explicated in this essay to prove that; indeed, humans are the key contributors to global warming. Human Influence on Global Warming The industrial revolution was the key feature in the change of global weather conditions and climates. The manufacturing industries took the world by storm in the late 18th century, and since then they have been on a never-ending rise. This came with a lot of machinery and fuel use to enable bulk production of goods. The use of coal at the beginning to drive locomotives, heavy machinery, and any other power producing device led to the massive release of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide. The industry produced a significant amount of these gases oblivious of the effects their actions had on the environment. The sulphur dioxide got trapped in the ozone layer reflecting back infrared radiation back to the earth surface containing he heat in the lower atmosphere. The carbon dioxide causes retention of heat in the lower atmosphere by absorbing it and staying within the atmosphere. These effects went on unopposed for decades until 1971 on when the SMIC conference figured out the harmful effects of human activities on the environment. This shows how global warming got caused by man over a period marred with wars and clamoring for profits without consideration for the environment. (Global Warming Timeline, 2011) Human populations have ever been on the rise arising need for land for settlement and thus clearing trees resulting to a change in global temperatures. The world population has been on an incessant rise now standing at approximately 7 billion from an estimated 3 billion people in 1960. This has led to an increase in every humanly demand such as the need to settle. Forests get cleared in a bid to create space for building houses and other social amenities such as schools, roads, and hospitals. Also, economic activities like logging have been prevalent to sustain the vast populations have led to clearing forests. Clearing for other economic activities such as animal keeping is also prevalent. Case in point Central America, where within a span of 40 years, 40% of the forest in the region have been burned down or cut down for pasture to grow for their cattle. An acre of trees absorbs about 26 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually making them significant in the control of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The deforestation done in a bid to create space for human activities has thus led to the increase in global temperatures by affecting the carbon dioxide cycle. The balance of the ecosystem has been disturbed by human activities thereby causing global warming. 94 million hectares of forest cover are estimated to have been eliminated over the last decade of the 20th century. This has left the earth with about 3.9 billion hectares of forest cover. This change in forest cover has been mainly due to human interventions that have seen to the destruction of forests. The depreciation of forest cover over the years has led to the loss of the main remover of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This has led to the accumulation of carbon dioxide as fewer trees now need it for photosynthesis. The human influence has led to this increase in greenhouse gases leading to global warming. (Gilbert, Geoffrey;, 2005) The dependence on fossil fuels over the years has also been on a steady rise and the activities used to get these fuels have detrimental effects to the atmosphere as well as their use. 17 million barrels of oil go up in flame in the US on a daily basis. Given that the US has 5% of the world’s population implying that more gallons get used around the world than in the US give that the US uses only 26% of the world’s energy. Coal also provides 22% of the overall energy consumption of the world. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a potent greenhouse gas. The mining of oil, coal and natural gas involves digging up earth to find the deposits of such fossil fuels. The earth is a sink for carbon dioxide and methane and digging it up frees these gases from the confines of the deep soil. In the Tundra, the permafrost contains about 14% of the earth’s carbon dioxide, and this gets released with mining these areas that have rich fuel deposits. Coal deposits get uncovered with a release of considerable amounts of methane. The human activities that involve digging up the earth in search of fuel and other minerals together with the use of these fossil fuels cause global warming. This shows that indeed global warming is man-made. (Larsen, 2003) Global temperatures have risen by 0.80 C since 1906 with an increase of temperatures over the years to 2005. These increasing global temperatures and its apparent effects got noted globally in the 1st Copenhagen conference in a bid to slow down global warming. The statistics were assembled, and the control measures were put in place. The Kyoto Protocol was an open admission to the human contribution on global warming. The successive environmental conferences on climate change due to global warming have increased the awareness on human contribution to global warming. The treaties signed in these conventions have been asking the member countries to limit their emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and many others. The conference stipulates the percentage to which the countries should reduce their greenhouse gases emissions. Carbon dioxide causes about 36- 70% of the overall global warming on earth. It is this fact that encourages the global unions to urge the human population to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases from their daily activities. Therefore, human interaction with the environment has caused global warming. (Baumann, 2012) Conclusion Global warming has various causative factors; both natural and human. The human advances in industrial prospects, the increase in human population that has seen to the clearance forests to settle and the mining and use of fossil fuels all cause global warming. These human activities and their effects have influenced the formation of treaties to curb the rate at which global warming is taking effect. References Baumann, C. (2012). Kyoto Protocol: Outline the Rationale Behind and the Main Provisions of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change for Both Developed and Less Developed Countries and Assess Critically the Effectiveness of the Treaty. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Gilbert, Geoffrey;. (2005). World Population: A Reference Handbook. Santa-Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Global Warming Timeline. (2011, 12). Retrieved 11 26, 2012, from www.aip.org: http://www.aip.org/history/climate/timeline.htm Larsen, J. (2003, March). ET 03/03: Forest cover shrinking. Retrieved 11 26, 2012, from www.sdearthtimes.com: http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0203/et0203s10.html Read More