Global climate changes are manmade - Essay Example

Observations recorded from 1976 indicate an average increase in temperature of 0.12 0C for every 10 years (Dalton-Stein, Knebel & Wicke, 2005). The increase in global temperatures has been credited to the augmentation in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Many scientists and scholars have made the greenhouse effect the common claim supporting the rising temperatures. The greenhouse gases (GHGs) have formed a layer that absorbs long-wave radiations from the earth’s surface (Booker, 2010). This warming has created changes in the seasons with winter becoming shorter and warmer, and the snow coverage has reduced drastically.

The mountain vegetation has changed due to the warm temperature, and extreme weather conditions are experienced in various parts of the world (Booker, 2010). Conversely, global warming is caused by the increase in the sun’s temperatures. The average surface temperatures rise faster than those of the atmosphere (Booker, 2010). This is as a result of additional solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface. According to the greenhouse effect, the radiation from the earth’s temperature warms the atmosphere.

The surface temperature depends on the intensity of the sun’s radiation. Therefore, the high surface temperatures are as a result of rising radiation from the sun and not the effect of GHGs (Booker, 2010). The cloud cover is responsible for regulating the surface temperatures. Low-level cloud cover is responsible for cooling the earth’s surface. The decrease in cloud cover has increased the net radiation reaching the earth’s surface. The changes in the sun’s radiation have increased its irradiance (Stern, 2007).

This effect is transmitted to the earth’s surface, which has the effect of global warming. This supports the claim that global warming is a natural phenomenon due to solar activities. This paper supports the claim that global warming is manmade due to the rising emission of GHGs