Human Beings Are the Major Contributors to Climate Change - Essay Example

Climate change Thesis ment - Human beings are the major contributors to climate change. The term climate change has been common in the contemporary world. Everyone seems to have an idea or clue concerning the issue due to recent media sensitization as well as worldwide demonstrations concerning the need for various governments to act on climate change. Climate change refers to major and lasting modification of the statistical distribution of weather models or patterns over a long time extending from decades over to millions of years (Birch 4). The change or modification can be in the distribution of weather about the known weather conditions or the average weather conditions of a place over time. There are several signs and effects of climate change in the world. First, there is reduction and loss of Arctic sea ice. The rising global temperatures leading to global warming has caused a decline in Arctic sea ice. The reduction is on both the thickness and extent of sea ice and has occurred over recent decades. According to Satellite observations, Arctic ice is currently melting and declining at a pace of 11.5 percent for every decade (Birch 4). Secondly, changes in vegetation type, coverage, and distribution prove the existence of climate change. For example, changes in the climate of a given region may lead to increased warmth and precipitation that cause improved plant growth, as well as enhanced sequestration of carbon dioxide from the environment (Davoudi & Jenny 35). Consequently, a steady increase in the temperatures of the region can result in earlier flowering as well as fruiting seasons thus affecting the life cycles of organisms dependant on the process. Moreover, huge, faster, and radical modifications of climatic patterns may cause vegetation stress, rapid loss of plants and desertification. A good example is the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse (CRC) that occurred 300 million years ago and led to the loss of tropical forests within the equatorial regions of America and Europe (Davoudi & Jenny 35). The event led to extinction of many animal and plant species. The third evidence of climate change is the alterations in precipitation patterns and level. There have been alterations in the precipitation patterns over the recent decades. Due to global warming, some places that were once receiving low precipitation have recorded high precipitation while others with high precipitation currently records low precipitation levels (DiMento & Pamela 45). This is because the high global temperatures have increased evapotranspiration rates. Fourth, the loss of different species on earth has been linked to climate change. The loss of biodiversity occurs since the changes in climatic patterns do not favor their survival, and therefore, die and become extinct. However, species that have adapted to the new climatic conditions have undergone evolution leading to loss of the ancient species (DiMento & Pamela 45). Thus, the common causes of species loss and extinction levels occur due to climate change. Finally, recent changes in sea level have proved the existence of climate change. Global warming causes melting of icecaps at the Arctic and Antarctic regions as well as on mountain peaks. The resultant water flows to the seas and oceans leading to a rise in sea levels. The sea levels have been constant and this suggests the presence of a gradual climate change (DiMento & Pamela 59). Since climate change has had massive negative impacts on earth, several reasons have emerged concerning its causes. Various reasons have been outlined as causes of the climate change. Some argue that it results from natural factors while others argue it occurs due to anthropogenic activities, which result in global warming. The natural causes include volcanic eruptions, solar radiations, biotic processes, and plate tectonics (Newman 23). In this topic, there are two factions with different beliefs on the major causes on climate change. Some scientists believe that the event occurs from natural factors while others believe that human activities are the most responsible for the development. However, I agree with individuals who believe that anthropogenic activities are the major contributors of climate change. With regard to solar radiations as a major cause of climate change, some scientists believe that between 3- 4 billion years ago, the sun discharged 70% of its power, which is more than it emits in the modern world (Newman 34). However, the following four billion years has seen an increase in the output of heat from the sun causing increased surface temperatures leading to global warming. Despite partially agreeing to this view, I do not believe that it is a major contributor to climate change. Concerning this view, I believe that human processes and activities such as industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, and pollution of the environment arising from combustion of petroleum products have immensely contributed to global warming and thereafter climate change (Newman 51). For instance, increased industrialization, modernization has led to the production of greenhouse gases, which prevent reflection of solar heat into the outer space, and this causes global warming. Further, increased use of substances or products that produce Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), increased combustion of fossil fuels, as well as extensive ranching, produces methane and other CFCs gases (Birch 21). These gasses reduce the extent of terrestrial radiation thus leading to increased surface temperatures, which later lead to global warming and climate change. Despite increased input of solar radiation on the earth, such amount of heat cannot have the huge impact over a short time as compared to the influences from human activities. This clearly shows that anthropogenic activities greatly contribute to climate change. Secondly, some scientists have a notion that volcanic eruptions immensely contribute to climate change. Volcanic activities such as eruptions generate particulates and gases in the atmosphere. In most cases, such eruptions result in a cooling effect caused by blocking the penetration of solar radiation onto the earth (Birch 23). Thus, the temperatures on earth remain low due to lack of heat from the sun and this cause climate change. Consequently, volcanoes release carbon dioxide stored in the earth’s mantle and crust over the long time. This counteracts the uptake or sink of the gas from the atmosphere by the sedimentary rocks. However, I disagree with this idea since for such situation to occur, such eruptions must be large. Consequently, such eruptions do not frequently occur within a century thus, reducing its effect on the earth. The U.S Geological Survey argues that human activities produce between 100 -300 more compared to the amount generated from volcanic activities and this proves that the impacts of volcanic emissions on the earth are insignificant compared to human activities (Davoudi & Jenny 47). It is, therefore, true that human activities immensely contribute to global warming that later transform to climate change. Third, plate tectonic forces have resulted in the configuration of ocean and global areas leading to the production of different topographies that have great influences on the climatic, atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns. For example, the formation of the Isthmus of Panama around 5 million years ago led to complete cut off direct mixing of waters from Atlantic and Pacific Oceans thereby leading to the formation of Gulf Stream (Davoudi & Jenny 49). Scientists argue that this led to the emergence of ice cover on the Northern Hemisphere thereby causing climate change. Consequently, plate tectonics was believed to have caused huge storage of carbon as well as glaciations in the Carboniferous period that was around 300 – 360 million years ago (Davoudi & Jenny 54). These events led to reduced surface temperatures thereby causing climate change. However, these events could not have greatly resulted in the huge discrepancies witnessed in global climate. Such events occur over long periods and thus have a moderating effect. Therefore, I still believe that human activities are the major contributors to climate change due to the use of aerosols, manufacture of cement as well as combustion of fossil fuels that lead to the production of carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Finally, some people believe that climate change results from biotic process such as release of carbon during decomposition of organic matter such as vascular detritus plants (Newman 57). They argue that the carbon released increases concentration of greenhouse gas that later prevent escape of reflected heat from the ground. The concentrated heat results into global warming and later climate change. However, this notion is misleading since decomposition of detritus vascular plants has occurred since time immemorial and has never released the huge amount of carbon dioxide gas with a higher concentration as it is in the current world. The high concentration of the gas results from excessive combustion of fossil fuels by man as well as unsustainable exploitation of forests for timber. Such activities generate huge quantities of carbon dioxide gas that cause global warming and climate change. Moreover, since forests sequestrates huge volumes of carbon dioxide gas which it uses for photosynthesis, the removal of forest through deforestation limits this role thereby increasing the concentration of carbon on earth (Newman 78). This later leads into global warming since there is no terrestrial radiation of heat back into the space. Despite the argument that natural factors have greatly contributed to climate change, I believe that anthropogenic activities cause the situation. Man’s increased desire for increased production of goods, as well as pressure due to population increase, has greatly contributed to the emergence of climate change. The use petroleum products to power motor vehicles as well as operating machines have led to large-scale emission of CO2 into the environment that is significantly responsible for global warming (Newman 83). Consequently, changes in land use more so destruction of wetlands for development purposes have greatly reduced the role played by such ecosystems in regulating the temperatures and climate. Wetlands act as huge sinks for carbon and their destruction lead into increased concentration of the gas in the atmosphere and thereby causing climate change through global warming (DiMento & Pamela 89). The same purpose served by wetlands is played by forests and, therefore, their removal through deforestation limits their role as carbon sinks leading to enhanced level of CO2 in the environment. Finally, human activities such as animal agriculture as well as actions leading to ozone depletion also causes the release of greenhouse gases leading to global warming and climate change. Since human actions are greatly responsible for climate change, I would recommend that necessary actions should be taken in order to minimize this problem. This is because failure to act on time will destroy the earth and, therefore, cause loss and extinction of species. Thus, since our ancestors acted wisely by conserving the environment thereby making us alive and enjoying the fruits of their efforts, I would appeal to fellow human beings to remain cautious in their activities, in relation to environmental protection. This is because failure to act will cause misery and predict a doomed future for planet earth. Works Cited Birch, Robin. Climate Change. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009. Print. Davoudi, Simin, Jenny Crawford, and Abid Mehmood. Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners. London: Earthscan, 2009. Print. DiMento, Joseph F, and Pamela Doughman. Climate Change: What It Means for Our Children, Our Grandchildren, and Us. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2007. Print. Newman, Jonathan A. Climate Change Biology. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI, 2011. Print. Read More