The Role of Man in Climate Change PDF

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A 3500 argumentative essay with arguments for and against the role of mankind in global warming...

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Running head: THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE

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THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 2 The Role of Man in Climate Change Of all the contentious issues that are characteristic of the modern world, none poses a greater impact on the earth and its inhabitants than global warming. Indeed, when global warming finally reaches a climax, it will be to the detriment of all nations despite their wealth, geographical location, or any other factor that an otherwise uninformed individual would pose. Global warming refers to an environmental phenomena caused by the accumulation of harmful gases, carbon dioxide in particular, within the atmosphere. The accumulation of these gases, commonly referred to as greenhouse gases, causes a greenhouse effect. This means that the rays produced by the sun can no longer escape the atmosphere with the same ease or proportions that they would have under conditions of lower green-house gas levels. These heat rays are trapped within the atmosphere and therefore they begin to raise the temperature of the atmosphere (Change, 1998). Global warming is an on-going disaster which could prove lethal if not mitigated with the same urgency and drive that sparked it. Some argue that global warming is not a real thing, or that despite its existence, there is little man can do about it since it is natural. Since scientists first began looking into the role of greenhouse gases in climate change, and especially after the 1990’s when scientists could rely on dependable computer models several parties have come forward to propose their own theories (Wang and Chameides, 2007). However, these parties often have little evidence which would suggest that their opinions are only meant to protect their interests. Oil and other fossil fuels produce the largest amount of carbon dioxide which is the largest contributor to global warming. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that those who deny the existence of global warming are the beneficiaries of oil and coal conglomerates. Their denial of this plain truth baffles some and frustrates others who understand clearly the effects that this phenomenon will have if it is left unattended. The research on global warming shows that it is real, man-made, and that its effects are far reaching and pose a threat to life on earth. Many scientists around the world including the largest assembly of scientists in 1988 agree that global warming is caused by greenhouse gases (Leggett, 2001). In the past, one could have been forgiven for asserting that climate change was not a result of human activity. There existed a lot of uncertainty regarding climate change especially among the public and world leaders. As a result the United Nations General Assembly convened a panel of unprecedented size and scope to discuss climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC as it is commonly referred to, bore the enormous responsibility to advise the world’s nations on climate change and how to alleviate it. Over the period of eighteen months, several scientists and policy makers around the world went over the issues at hand and how policy could be amended to slow climate change or perhaps end it completely. According to Leggett, in reflecting his time in the panel, recalls the roomful of nodding heads when the chairman of the panel posed the all-important question as to whether greenhouse gas emissions would lead to warming (Leggett, 2001). It is hard to imagine that the largest collection of environmental experts ever to convene at the time were all wrong, or misinformed. Three hundred scientists, all

THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 3 sitting in the same room agreed that greenhouse gases were increasing as a result of human activity, and further, that greenhouse gases would ultimately cause global warming. Additionally, the report also discussed a few impacts such as the need for people to move away from areas of increased rainfall and flooding, as well as from spreading deserts due to decreasing rainfall. These are all events that are happening today. On a global scale, the predictions by scientists regarding climate change are yet to fail. By use of global circulation models, scientists and climatologists continue to predict the inconsistencies in seasonal patterns and precipitation that are to be expected. Lesley Hughes points out that even the physical features of the earth’s surface like glaciers and sea ice are also responding as they should be to the warming trend (Hughes, 2000). It is easy to make arguments about the atmosphere and other intangible factors such as carbon content. Nevertheless, physical evidence is hard to dispute. The earth’s glaciers are melting at extraordinary rates leading to unwelcome rises in sea levels. Additionally, the unpredictability of weather patterns and the increase in occurrences of storms also aligns with the numerous predictions regarding the effects of climate change. More worryingly, scientists continue to make such predictions which could have devastating effects were they to pass. One such prediction is that a rise in temperature of just 3 degrees Celsius would see isotherms in the current temperate zone shift approximately 300-400km along the latitude (Hughes, 2000). Although this particular prediction is yet to pass, such drastic changes in the climate system would spell equally drastic consequences for life on earth. One of the predicted outcomes of global warming is frequent severe weather. A rise in global temperature means that weather patterns all over would be upset, leading to unpredictable storms, floods, draughts and even heat waves. In the prime conditions of a warm climate, the atmosphere has a greater ability to collect and store water. This means that when a saturation point is reached, the ensuing rainfall would be on an extraordinary scale. Furthermore, it means that more water can be collected by the atmosphere from dry areas leaving them even drier (Denchak, 2016). The range of potential hazards is broad, and there seems to be no other explanations save for rising global temperatures. The seemingly minute increase in temperature over the past few decades has resulted in disastrous effects as evidenced by the United States spending on disaster management. Between 1980 and 2015, average spending on disasters is about $5.2 billion. However, between 2011 and 2015, this spending averages at $10.8 billion (Denchak, 2016). This is indicative of the drastic rise in frequency and severity of disasters across the U.S. for additional context, it is worth noting that scientists predict a rise in global temperatures by about 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100 (Denchak, 2016). Given the detrimental effects that the earth is already experiencing, one can only imagine how a continued steady rise will affect the planet and its residents. The single largest threat to life as a result of global warming takes the shape of rising sea levels around the world. This rise is largely due to the accelerated melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers that support the ocean system. The rise in sea levels is only expected to get worse

THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 4 even as island countries like Kiribati continue to drop below sea levels. The issue is of such severity that some island nations have been reported to seek assistance of large countries like Australia and India to host their people. Denchak notes that entire island nations are under a direct threat from rising sea levels. By 2100, it is estimated that the earth’s oceans will have risen between one and four feet (Denchak, 2016). However imprecise the approximation, it is expected that the effect will likely be similar either way even if takes a bit longer. Additionally, the rise in sea levels will not only affect small island nations, but also major coastal areas. Unlike the local effects in each region of the world, from which the rich can shield themselves sufficiently, rising sea levels will hit even the most prosperous cities like New York and Los Angeles. The only plausible solution for the inhabitants of a sinking land is to seek out new land. While this is entirely possible, particularly in countries like the United States, the effect would still be devastating and would go on indefinitely unless met with serious mitigating efforts. The fact that serious mitigating factors are currently in operation as other continue to be put in place is evidence that climate change is real, otherwise, there would be nothing to mitigate. Global warming is largely the result of growing carbon emissions. Therefore, it follows that much of the mitigating efforts should be geared toward reducing carbon emissions. Various policy directives exist today for this reason. One such policy is the implementation of emissions or carbon tax where corporations and individuals are charged for their role in contributing to global warming as a deterrent to unnecessary pollution. Nations like Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands have adopted this measure in light of the growing body of evidence to support the role of carbon emissions on climate change (Poterba, 1991). The introduction of carbon tax, in conjunction with widespread activism, has led to dedicated research with the objective of creating ‘clean’ and feasible energy. The research investigates the feasibility of other natural resources such as hydrogen and the role they could play in combating climate change. Currently, various alternative sources of energy such as wind solar and the previously mentioned hydrogen are already in use, although not on a large enough scale to impact any significant change. The largest reason for this slow adoption is the heavy reliance that corporations and world economies place on fossil fuels and the enormous cost that would have to be met to undertake a complete, global overhaul. On the other hand, counties such as China have taken several steps, albeit less urgent ones, to mitigate the growing crisis. Rather than cut coal consumption, China’s idea of mitigation involves the application of technology to ‘scrub’ carbon emissions so that they contain less carbon. Nevertheless, it is still an effort towards mitigation and should point to the fact that climate change is happening, and greenhouse gas emissions are to blame. Global warming poses serious threats to human health and general well-being. The first part of global warming is the pollution of the atmosphere and particularly the air. The increased carbon in the air will ultimately pose serious threats to the respiratory system since; after all, excess carbon is poisonous for humans and other animals. The continued inhalation of air filled with carbon poses significant health impacts such as tuberculosis among other complications of the lungs and chest (Dockery and Pope, 1994). China is a perfect example of the threat we face.

THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 5 The pollution in china due to excessive burning of coal to run industrial facilities is so high that visibility reduces to zero on some days. Smog fills the air forcing residents to wear face masks in hope that they will be protected to some degree from the pollutants. Children are the worst affected by this social injustice forcing parents to result to extreme measures. In fact, air purifiers are a growing trend in China as they allow families to live comfortably in their homes. Other days, the government imposes regulations to limit the number of vehicles on the road so as to reduce the amount of carbon being emitted that particular day in hopes of restoring visibility. This is point of great significance since it proves the effect of global warming and the acceptance of man’s role in causing it. The country relies heavily on coal which should motivate them to deny the role of carbon emissions by human activity in climate change. However, this is not the case. The most apparent reason for this submission is perhaps the fact that the problem has gone out of hand and can no longer be kept hidden. Another reason could be that they do recognize the problem and are very much concerned about it. Evidence towards this notion lies in the fact that China have significantly reduced their carbon emissions in recent years through the adoption of technologies that purify greenhouse gas emissions to a significant extent. China is perhaps the worst polluted country in the world which makes it a suitable case study as to the causes and effects of pollution. Air pollution and global warming doesn’t only pose health threats against the respiratory system, but contributes directly to death rates. In china, the largest threat to one’s health as posed by pollution is respiratory complications. Ultrafine particulate matter is the reason for the adverse respiratory effects that threaten the Chinese. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends a daily concentration of 250 micrograms per cubic meter or less for any inhabited area to be considered safe. Starting December 30 2016, China’s northern cities suffered through the longest period of light-blocking smog ever recorded in the country’s history (Jia and Wang, 2017). During this time, the concentration of particulate matter in cities such as Beijing surpassed 500 micro grams per cubic meter (Jia and Wang, 2017). In the U.S., heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other complications caused by the high temperatures resulting from global warming are a major cause of death. Indeed, according to Melissa Denchak, extreme heat in America kills more people than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and lightning combined every year (Denchak, 2016). A troubling fact of these extreme conditions, as noted earlier, is that they pose the largest threat on the lower financial cadre of society. In china, the lower class cannot afford air purifiers to keep themselves healthy especially during periods of extreme atmospheric conditions. Likewise, in America, the inability to pay for an air conditioning unit condemns one to any detrimental effects the severe heat may cause. This is especially true when heat waves span for days at a time, offering little relief even at night. Some argue that global warming is a result of the earth’s natural cycle, placing little or no blame to human activity for this growing issue. Science provides that the earth is susceptible to natural change as evidenced by the ice age and various other historical events. Logic dictates that these changes are natural since there is no possibility that the limited intelligent life on earth in

THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 6 pre-historic times could have had any impact on climate change. However, this is not the case today. Increased human activity on a global scale can severely impact the largest ecosystems, the environment, and consequently the climate of the planet. Since the industrial revolution, man’s impact on the climate has increased exponentially and continues to do so without any significant efforts at mitigation. Data suggests that the global temperature has been increasing even long before the industrial revolution. Indeed, global temperatures have risen by about 0.7 degrees, a significant number despite its seeming triviality. Nevertheless, half of this increase has taken place over the past few decades, during the peak of human industrial activity. Additionally, the atmosphere’s carbon content has been seen to rise from 280 parts per million to 380 parts per million which is close to the threshold where global warming as a phenomenon would become irreversible. Current levels of carbon in the atmosphere are the highest they have ever been in the last 650,000 years (Wang and Chameides, 2007). A logic-based approach would have no choice but to yield that this rise is the direct effect of human activity seeing as nothing much has changed in that time apart from human activity which consists largely of industrial activity. Here, one could argue against the scientific methods applied to reach these conclusions. The most important point to note here, then, is that the isotopic composition of carbon is unique and identifiable. Additionally, scientists can obtain data of carbon levels in prehistoric times by collecting air samples from bubbles trapped in polar ice. Despite any arguments otherwise, it is apparent that global warming and climate change as it relates to increased levels of carbon content in the atmosphere have progressed dramatically in the face of increased human activity in the past few decades. As part of the argument which attempts to place blame on the earth’s natural cycle, those opposed to the idea of global warming as a result of human activity point to the Medieval Warm Period which lasted for nearly four centuries between the 10th and 14th centuries. The first point of note here is that unlike the present situation, the Medieval Warm Period only represented a significant rise in temperature for the North Atlantic Region. At the time, various other parts of the world such as the tropical pacific were significantly cooler and ultimately culminated into what is now commonly referred to as the little ice age (Wang and Chameides, 2007). The problem of adverse climatic change today is on a global scale. Additionally, even with this realization, the peak temperatures during this period are far less than the global temperatures that prevail today. A report by the National Academy of Sciences on Climate reconstructions in 2006 found that global temperatures today are much higher than those of the north Atlantic region during the MWP. The second point that invalidates the MWP as evidence of the role that the earth’s natural cycle plays in causing global warming is the variation in the mechanisms that caused warming. Scientists are confident in their analysis of the situation. During the Medieval Warm Period, warming occurred due to a combination of several natural events. The first of these is increased solar radiation which would have caused significant warming. Reduced volcanic activity also had a major role to play in the warming. Scientists also point to a change in ocean circulation patterns during that time of warming (Wang and Chameides, 2007). Ocean circulation led to a higher than average influx of warm waters into the north Atlantic leading to

THE ROLE OF MAN IN CLIMATE CHANGE 7 warming. However, no such natural events have been observed in the recent past with the increased output of carbon the only variation of substantial scale to be observed. It is apparent that the Medieval Warm period cannot be used as justification for the view that global warming is a result of earth’s natural processes. As mentioned earlier, those of the view that climate change is not caused by human activity aim to discredit scientific findings and thus discredit their assertion that global warming is caused by human environmental pollution. One such case that constantly recurs is the prediction made in the 1970’s that an ice age was imminent. Ice ages last anywhere between 10,000 to 100,000 years and have the ability to destroy most life on earth (Wang and Chameides, 2007). One can then understand why skeptics have such strong opinions regarding scientific findings. Nevertheless, perhaps their bias is unintentional. During this period, warnings of an impending ice age lined the front pages and took over the media for a significant amount of time. However, what skeptics don’t understand, or choose to ignore, is that research literature at the time maintained that global warming was on the rise and that the rising temperature would eventually nullify any threat of a potential ice age. Earth is currently in a period referred to as an interglacial as it was in the 1970’s (Wang and Chameides, 2007). these periods usually occur in between ice ages and are caused by various changes affecting the earth’s orbit around the sun. for this reason, combined with the fact that global temperatures stopped rising abruptly in this period, it is understandable how one would have been led into believing that an ice age was just around the corner. However, scientists today are aided by advancements in technology which enable them to accurately determine the causes of various phenomena and observations. One such advancement is in the field of co...