Environmental Chemistry - Mankinds 2 Emissins Are Alrting Global Warming - Essay Example

Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: TOPIC: Environmental Chemistry:-“Сurrеnt сlimаtе sсiеnсе shows соnсlusivеly that mankind’s СО2 еmissiоns are ассеlеrаting global warming”. Introduction Climate change and global warming has become an international issue which has attracted global attention. However, the scholars and policy makers alike are divided as the cause and solution to this global phenomenon. There are those who hold the view that climate change is natural but those who argue that the current сlimаtе sсiеnсе shows соnсlusivеly that mankind’s СО2 еmissiоns are ассеlеrаting global warming”. In order to tackle this question, this paper will begin by defining and explaining what climate change is all about, the causes and effects and various measure that have been put in place to deal with this phenomenon and concludes by putting all the arguments together. William and Darity (2008) define global warming as the “long term increase in the retention of the sun’s heat around the earth due to blanketing by greenhouses, especially CO2 and methane Emissions CO2” (William and Darity, 2008, p. 328). Scientists have noted that for there have been some changes on earth climate for the past 50 years. These changes has been observed through the records of the world’s temperatures, changes in the solar systems, increased volcanic activities, climate oscillations and variations in the earth’s orbit. It is due these climates changes that have made some observers to believe that global warming is being caused by human activities. The attribution of climate change to human activity is referred to in scientific terms as anthropogenic. The anthropogenic approach to climate change holds the view that human activities is behind the global warming due to deforestation and misuse of lands and the increase in the atmospheric concentration of aerosols and greenhouse gases. Such views have been expressed and advanced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) (Joos, 2001, p. 891-907) The anthropogenic advocates of climate change argue that the natural forces and atmospheric factors cannot cause climate change. These scholars argue that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide also known as chemical formula or CO2 which causes radioactive force can be traced back to the industrial revolution. Climate change is considered as the leading single environmental and humanitarian disaster that looms. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains that climate change occurs when the earth’s atmosphere is overloaded with heat trapping carbon dioxide which eventually disrupts the climate causing the large scale disasters (Haas, 2002, p. 73). Scholars such as William and Darity (2008) hold the view that believe that global warming and infact climate change is caused by human activity that begun during the industrial revolution. The emergence of industrial revolution has led to the increase of green house gases caused by deforestations and burning of fossils especially in the developing world and air pollution in the developed world. According to Haldar (2011), it is these pollutants released into the atmosphere that covers and traps the heat that comes from the heat that eventually makes the planet to become warm. This then increases the temperature in the atmosphere (Haldar, 2011, p. 45). Similar views has been expressed by the United States Global Research Program which also hold the view that climate change has been induced through human pollution of the atmosphere that has continued to affect the ecosystems, the natural and social atmosphere. The best example is the increased amount of storms and hurricanes in the US coastal lines and rise in sea levels in the Pacific Islands and Alaska (Marland, p. 34-43). On the other hand, scientists hold the view that climate change is caused by natural forces like volcanic eruptions. Such views have been expressed by Wilmoth & Lerner (2009) who argue that the scientists often refer to the term global climate change to indicate that it has nothing to do with human activities, but rather natural factors associated with global cooling and warming of the earth. As a matter of fact, climate change is a global phenomenon that has been redistributed according to the climatic zones, and not confined to one geographical location or regions. Moreover, the climatic zone depends on the temperatures of given zones, the precipitation and the ecosystems of various zones. Furthermore, there are other scholars who argue that the much talked about climate change and global warming is not real but just statistical fiction. The best proponent of these views is Lerouz who asserts that what is happening is infact, an evolution of the climate and not global warming or climate change (Lerouz, 2005, p. 412). To him the whole debate about the global warming and climate are imaginary concepts, instead what people see as global warming are the effects of evolutions or changes within the solar and variations. Those who hold these kinds of views claim that although there have been rise of sea levels, storms, hurricanes and flooding, these are just indication that the water is expanding and the ice is melting. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm and cannot conclude that the mankind C02 emissions are accelerating global warming (Lerouz, 2005, p. 412). By and large, the majority of believe that global is a reality and they can prove that is caused and accelerated by mankind’s CO2 emissions. Such views are based on the effects of climate changes in various regions of the world that have had an impact on various societies universally. Some of the effects of climate changes has had adverse negative impact on the community environmental health, water resources, energy supplies, economic production, sustainable agriculture and ecosystems. Indeed, the climate change is believed to be the cause of certain sickness and deaths, contamination of water, extreme heat waves across the world, water shortages, droughts, storms, flooding, increased wild fires and which seeks to threaten the sustainable livelihoods of human, mammals and plant species (Satterthwaite, 2008, pp. 539-549). Global warming has also caused the increase in global temperatures, expansion of sub topical deserts, contributed to the loss of human and animal habitats, contributed to the heavy rainfalls and other extreme weather conditions and natural disasters, contributed to ocean acidification, decrease of crop yields that has threaten the food security and extinction of some kind of species. Given that global warming and climate change is caused by methane Emissions through human activity it would require human approach to the solve it. This is the view that is held by many physical scientists who argue that human activities is behind the green house gas and effect which is associated with methane emissions, depletion of the ozone layer, the rise in water vapor and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Cox et al, 2000, pp. 184-187) According to Hardar (2011), the greenhouse effect is related to how infrared radiations is usually absorbed and emitted into the earth’s gas surface and the atmosphere. The emission of C02 is largely connected to the pollution and destruction of the earth caused through the burning of fossil fuels from the industries and forests. The responses to this phenomenon can be approached from two perspectives; the first perspective is the social scientists approach through international political policies to lobby the international community to adopt measures of dealing with emissions of C02. This perspective also incorporates international conventions and policies that address issues such as the mitigation on the reduction of emissions and geo engineering. Such measures must be done through the top level of the national government and trimmed down to the local grassroots and community levels (Sheffields et.al, 2008, pp. 79-105). This approach is based on the social scientists view that climate change is man made and must be dealt human level through social interaction and political goodwill. This approach requires the formulation of social-economic and political conventions to force governments to regulate the amount of C02 emission through companies, corporate organizations and industries. Social Scientists claim that this approach has been successful in lobbying and convincing particularly the governments, international organizations and multinational companies to adopt measures for reducing pollution levels through renewable energies and cleaner technologies (Sheffields et al, 2008, pp. 79-105) The social political approach tends to emphasize initiating measure to put pressure on the developed nations and heavily industrialized countries to commit themselves to the mitigation process. Mitigation is associated with the efforts of reducing the amount of GHG emission and green house gas in the atmosphere in respective countries. The best example of this approach is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which ratified the Kyoto Protocol that came into effect in 2005 (Nordhaus 31-34) The second perspective is concerned with the scientific research that draws from different physical scientist with the view of observing and conducting research on the impact of global change on human habitation, and also detects and monitors the trends of global warming. This perspective hold the view that climate change goes beyond human activities or anthropogenic, but has a lot to do with the natural forces. This approach usually incorporate the advice and services of national science academies and research agencies such as the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), NASA and the United States Global Change Research (USGCRP) in the USA and Royal Society in the UK. These agencies and research bodies focus on coordinating and integrating all the research programs, provision of information, education and advisory services on global changes. They also observe, detect and investigate the climate changes and its effects on the human and animal habitat and the best responses (Nordhaus 11721-11726) The scientific approach also holds the international database that is used to inform and warm the world regions on the looming environmental disaster and how to adopt measures in response to climate change and climatic variations. Apart from the computerized statistical models, the scientists also use another model commonly known as geo-engineering which is useful for investigating the correlation between climate change/ global warming with solar radiation, and ways of removing carbon dioxide (Bengtsson 229-234). In conclusion, this paper looked the argument that current climate science shows conclusively that mankind’s C02 emissions are accelerating global warming. This has paper began by assessing three divergent views on global warming and climate change. The first view argue that global warming is caused by human activities (anthropogenic) and therefore the solution to the problem lies with human themselves to come up with measures for reducing the burning of fossil fuels and reduce pollutions. The second view argue that global warming and climate change are caused by natural forces and has nothing to do with human activities and the solution to this issue lies with concerted efforts within the academic research bodies and agencies to study, observe and warm on the affects of global warming/climate on humanity. The last view argues that there is no such thing as global warming or climate change, what we are seeing are rather evolution of climate change which should be viewed as a natural phenomenon. Indeed, all these views tend to agree that global warming and climate change has had negative effects on human and animal habitation. Its effects are seen in the deforestations, rising temperatures, heavy down pours, ocean acidination, wild fires and droughts. This paper takes the view that although global warming is also a natural phenomenon it has been accelerated by mankind’s C02 emissions. Therefore, mankind has a role to play in the protection of the environment and Mother Nature. Works Cited Bengtsson, Lennart. "Geo-engineering to confine climate change: is it at all feasible?." Climatic Change 77.3 (2006): 229-234. Copeland, Brian R., and M. Scott Taylor. "Free trade and global warming: a trade theory view of the Kyoto protocol." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 49.2 (2005): 205-234. Cox, Peter M., et al. "Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled climate model." Nature 408.6809 (2000): 184-187. Haas, Peter M. "UN Conferences and Constructivist Governance of the Environment." Global governance 8 (2002): 73. Haldar, Ishita. Global Warming: The Causes and Consequences. New Delhi: Mind Melodies, 2011. Print. Joos, Fortunat, et al. "Global warming feedbacks on terrestrial carbon uptake under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 15.4 (2001): 891-907. Khasnis, Atul A., and Mary D. Nettleman. "Global warming and infectious disease." Archives of medical research 36.6 (2005): 689-696. Leroux, Marcel. Global warming-myth or reality?: the erring ways of climatology. Praxis Publishing Limited, 2005. Nordhaus, W. D. (2006). After Kyoto: alternative mechanisms to control global warming. The American economic review, 96(2), 31-34. Nordhaus, William D. "Economic aspects of global warming in a post-Copenhagen environment." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.26 (2010): Nordhaus, William D. The challenge of global warming: economic models and environmental policy. Vol. 4. New Haven: Yale University, 2007. Satterthwaite, David. "Cities' contribution to global warming: notes on the allocation of greenhouse gas emissions." Environment and Urbanization 20.2 (2008): 539-549. Sheffields, Justin, and Eric F. Wood. "Projected changes in drought occurrence under future global warming from multi-model, multi-scenario, IPCC AR4 simulations." Climate Dynamics 31.1 (2008): 79-105. William, A and Darity, Jr. Ed. “Global Warming”. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Vol. 3. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 327-330, 2008 Read More

According to Haldar (2011), it is these pollutants released into the atmosphere that covers and traps the heat that comes from the heat that eventually makes the planet to become warm. This then increases the temperature in the atmosphere (Haldar, 2011, p. 45). Similar views has been expressed by the United States Global Research Program which also hold the view that climate change has been induced through human pollution of the atmosphere that has continued to affect the ecosystems, the natural and social atmosphere.

The best example is the increased amount of storms and hurricanes in the US coastal lines and rise in sea levels in the Pacific Islands and Alaska (Marland, p. 34-43). On the other hand, scientists hold the view that climate change is caused by natural forces like volcanic eruptions. Such views have been expressed by Wilmoth & Lerner (2009) who argue that the scientists often refer to the term global climate change to indicate that it has nothing to do with human activities, but rather natural factors associated with global cooling and warming of the earth.

As a matter of fact, climate change is a global phenomenon that has been redistributed according to the climatic zones, and not confined to one geographical location or regions. Moreover, the climatic zone depends on the temperatures of given zones, the precipitation and the ecosystems of various zones. Furthermore, there are other scholars who argue that the much talked about climate change and global warming is not real but just statistical fiction. The best proponent of these views is Lerouz who asserts that what is happening is infact, an evolution of the climate and not global warming or climate change (Lerouz, 2005, p. 412). To him the whole debate about the global warming and climate are imaginary concepts, instead what people see as global warming are the effects of evolutions or changes within the solar and variations.

Those who hold these kinds of views claim that although there have been rise of sea levels, storms, hurricanes and flooding, these are just indication that the water is expanding and the ice is melting. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm and cannot conclude that the mankind C02 emissions are accelerating global warming (Lerouz, 2005, p. 412). By and large, the majority of believe that global is a reality and they can prove that is caused and accelerated by mankind’s CO2 emissions. Such views are based on the effects of climate changes in various regions of the world that have had an impact on various societies universally.

Some of the effects of climate changes has had adverse negative impact on the community environmental health, water resources, energy supplies, economic production, sustainable agriculture and ecosystems. Indeed, the climate change is believed to be the cause of certain sickness and deaths, contamination of water, extreme heat waves across the world, water shortages, droughts, storms, flooding, increased wild fires and which seeks to threaten the sustainable livelihoods of human, mammals and plant species (Satterthwaite, 2008, pp. 539-549). Global warming has also caused the increase in global temperatures, expansion of sub topical deserts, contributed to the loss of human and animal habitats, contributed to the heavy rainfalls and other extreme weather conditions and natural disasters, contributed to ocean acidification, decrease of crop yields that has threaten the food security and extinction of some kind of species.

Given that global warming and climate change is caused by methane Emissions through human activity it would require human approach to the solve it. This is the view that is held by many physical scientists who argue that human activities is behind the green house gas and effect which is associated with methane emissions, depletion of the ozone layer, the rise in water vapor and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Cox et al, 2000, pp. 184-187) According to Hardar (2011), the greenhouse effect is related to how infrared radiations is usually absorbed and emitted into the earth’s gas surface and the atmosphere.

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