Local and Global Climate - Case Study Example

Local and Global Climate There are areas in the world that have similar climatic conditions due to similarities in altitude and other physical features. It is difficult for climatic conditions of a place to remain constant for long; the global and local conditions keep changing day in day out. This study will explore the conditions of the global and the local climate, as well as the different concepts that relate with climate. Further, the study will examine global warming and the possible policy adjustments, which will contain the problem of global of global climate change. Local and Global Climate 1. Describe the difference between local climate and global climate According to Braasch & McKibben (2009), local climate refers to the environmental conditions of regions that are not significant, but the natural conditions of these regions tend to be uniform. For instance, a small city, seashore, and intermountain basin are all local climates. The scale of local climate falls between the microclimate and the macroclimate; this is because the local climate is influenced by the natural surface of the ground in the region of concern. The topography of a region, soil type, buildings and vegetation can be regarded as some of the factors that affect the local climate of a region. Local climate is rounded up from the conclusions of statistics of the local climatic condition in a period of more than three decades. On the other hand, global climate is the average of the weather conditions of the whole planet regardless of the physical conditions of the world surface. The global climate encompasses the statistical conclusions obtained from different parts of the world (Silver, 2008). Global climate is used to gauge the climatic changes of the whole world, and the statistics are used to inform the policies that aim to control the factors that affect global climate. It is imperative to note that, the climatic conditions, whether global or local, vary within the lower atmosphere, but in the higher atmosphere, the climate remains fairly constant (Braasch & McKibben, 2009). 2. Survey the current evidence that global warming is taking place. Assess the validity of these data Current reports from atmospheric research indicate that the globe is warming at an alarming rate. The evidence is drawn from the entire factors that increase or decrease in a world that is warming (Braasch & McKibben, 2009). From these factors, the temperatures of the air and the land surface have continued to increase beyond the normal levels; these high temperatures spread to other areas. Similar to the increased land temperature, sea temperature has risen to alarming points, with the previous decade recording the highest levels of temperature. Further, the wind currents that sweep the oceans are warm as the air temperatures continue to soar. The troposphere temperature (lower troposphere) upon recording indicates a gradual increase in temperature within the last couple of decades. In the period from 2000 onwards, the temperatures were highest as compared to the previous decade. Furthermore, the previous decade registered lower temperature than the preceding decade. A bigger proportion of the heat from global warming goes to the ocean than the land; it contributes to rise in the level of the sea (Braasch & McKibben, 2009). The level of the tides indicates that the sea is rising at a high rate, which endangers lives in case of natural disasters. Furthermore, the specific humidity of the atmosphere has gone up due to excessive evaporation resulting from global warming. For the last consecutive couple of years, the world has experienced a net loss of glaciers and retreating ice on the top of the mountains (Maslin, 2009). For instance, the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased substantially in the last couple of decades. Lastly, the ice of Arctic sea has experienced dramatic changes. This is because the extent of the sea during the month of September has reduced by 35% compared to the size in the late 1970s. 3. Analyze the difference between natural and anthropogenic climate change. Anthropogenic climate change describes the greenhouse gases and their production and emission to the environment (Braasch & McKibben, 2009). These gases are produced by the activities of human beings as they perform their daily tasks. Therefore, the activities of the human beings have increased the amount and level of greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases made their phenomenon increase following the industrialization of human activities, and excessive consumption of fossil fuels to run machines, vehicles and industries. Therefore, anthropogenic change of climate results from human activities. On the contrary, natural, climatic change is caused by continental drift and the tectonic plates; this results to variations in the climatic conditions of the world. The tectonic plates grind against each other or separate, and they cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (Braasch & McKibben, 2009). The volcanic eruptions emit volcanic dust that blocks the light from the sun; this reduces the temperature of the earth. Further, the shifting position of the earth, in relation to the sun, results to changes in climate, which may not be influenced by human beings (Maslin, 2009). Therefore, the natural changes in climate occur on their own without any input from the human beings. 4. Do you believe that policy changes should be mandated in response to global climate change? Should certain nations be held to more strict standards than others, or should all be equally regulated (if regulated at all)? Provide support for your position. I believe that proper policies should be formulated and implemented to control the problem of erratic global climatic changes. All the industrialized nations and the nations aspiring to become industrialized should formulate and implement policy laws, which will limit the emission of greenhouse gases. All nations should be held to same standards of control and regulation because the problem of global warming and global climatic changes affects the entire human race, regardless of the level of pollution from individual countries. There are countries that pollute the environment more than others, but the best approach to combat the problem of erratic global climatic changes is to develop policies that apply to all people without favoring anyone. In conclusion, local climate refers to the environmental conditions of regions that are not significant, but have natural conditions that tend to be uniform. Local climate is rounded up from the statistics of the local climatic condition over a period of not less than three decades. Global climate is the average of the weather conditions of the whole planet regardless of the physical conditions of the world surface. A bigger proportion of the heat from global warming goes to the ocean than the land and contributes to rise in the level of the sea. Anthropogenic climate change describes the greenhouse gases, their production and emission to the environment. Natural changes of climtaic conditions come from continental drift and the tectonic plates, and results to variations in climatic conditions. All the industrialized nations and the nations aspiring to become industrialized should formulate and implement policies to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. References Braasch, G. & McKibben, B. (2009). Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming Is Changing the World. California: University of California Press. Maslin, M. (2009). Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Silver, J. (2008). Global Warming and Climate Change Demystified. London: McGraw-Hill Professional. Read More