Is Global Warming a Hoax - Research Paper Example

Global warming, the theory of climate change has aroused intense controversy regarding the extent to which our activities affect global temperature and weather patterns. Although there a lot of people out there who are trying to keep their carbon emission to the minimum, skeptics believe that human induced global warming is insignificant and the evolution from fire to nuclear energy is a path of improved human health and welfare arising from efficient and effective access to energy. Whatever may be the argument, earth temperature is rising year after year.

In this regard, my research aims to ultimately address the issue: is global warming a hoax and is it actually an exaggeration? Certain atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and water vapor, trap solar energy and keep the temperature of the earth warmer than it would be without such gases (Henson, 2006, pp. 19-26). This is known as greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is absolutely necessary to keep the Earth at a temperature that sustains life. Without greenhouse effect, the temperature of the earth would be colder than today’s average range, too cold to sustain the earth’s existing plant and animal life. . 279).

Global warming is having an adverse effect on the environment in the Arctic. Rising temperatures endangers populations of animals that live in an ice based ecosystem. Polar bears, walruses and seals are now often underweight or malnourished because higher temperatures limit their ice based food sources and disrupt their feeding and weaning cycle. Although natural climatic changes are partially responsible for the rise in the average temperature over the past century, the current rate of glacial erosion suggests that higher levels of greenhouse gases are contributing significantly to global warming.

Glacial melting could lead to damaging flash flood in some locales. Other region that depend on melting snow for hydroelectric power could run low on water after glaciers have disappeared, requiring more communities to use pollution-creating oil or coal for energy, which in turn would produce more green house gases and more global warming. Most scientists who have participated in recent climatological studies agree that global warming will affect the world’s ecosystems and weather patterns.

In addition, rising temperature and increased precipitation are likely to have harmful effect on human health. It also facilitates the growth of many disease insects like anopheles gambiae mosquito, Culex mosquito and flies (Johannes, p. 611). Global warming due to industrial pollution increases the cancer rate (Koeppel, 2001, p. 16). “As the planet’s largest consumer of fossil fuel, the United States, whose industry is responsible for some 35 percent of all the greenhouse gases ever created by human activity, was already cast as villain” (Christianson, 1999, p. 255). Due to the alarming levels of greenhouse gases continuing to increase