Global warming is a great threat to our entire planet and is a condition that was created by man as far back as the Industrialization Era. Unless we begin to make changes to benefit our environment and the Earth now, there will be devastating consequences later.
Humans are the most dangerous animals on the planet. Who else can destroy our oceans and land? Who else can cause pollution and destroy our forests? Who else can use other animals for experiments and cause pain and suffering? Who else can exploit other organisms and cause global warming and affect climate change? Humans. We are the most intelligent species on the planet yet we are destroying Earth, OUR Earth- OUR HOME. This is the place where we live and breathe. This is our home yet every day all over the world people are doing things that are contributing to global destruction. While there is a global awareness of this problem, not enough change is taking place in order to even begin to reverse the damage that humans are causing. In order to save our Earth on the community level there are programs like recycling, conservation, using energy-saving technologies, cleaning up the environment, cleaning the oceans, etc. On a widespread level, more needs to be done--- much more.
Global warming is increasing and is a serious threat to the surface air temperatures that show up in the climate record. The term global warming is usually attributed to human activities, such as increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases from automobiles and industrial processes (Ahrens, G6). Observations on and above the Earth’s surface reveal that global warming has actually been around at least, since the time of the Industrial Revolution. During the 1800s when people began to move into the cities, the development and production of new and innovative products started off greenhouse gas emissions, and every year since then the temperature of the Earth has risen. Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels that is caused by humans. Between 1880—the year that accurate record keeping began—and 1980, the temperature has risen on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled. For the last 40 years, we’ve seen the global annual temperature rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade (MacMillan and Turrentine, 2021). Global warming is not just the warming of the Earth’s surface- it is the steady warming of the atmosphere and the oceans, as well. Nowhere is exempt. The term ‘greenhouse effect’ came from the comparison of when the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat making the surface air temperature much warmer than it should be; with the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the outgoing heat, and energy of the Earth is what is trapped. According to Ahrens, carbon dioxide is entering the atmosphere at a greater rate than it is being removed besides gases like methane, nitrous oxides, and chlorofluorocarbons. When they become trapped, the destruction of the environment occurs. We have all heard stories of the glaciers melting and Polar bears being stranded and the Earth will undergo a series of many other unfortunate changes if global warming continues: ocean levels and temperature will rise, more heatwaves will form, warm winters will occur, and precipitation will worsen, just to name a few. In the future, some species may even become extinct. Not only would oceans be affected in this way, but “rising ocean temperatures will cause an increase in evaporation rates decrease in condensation rates, and roughly double the temperature feedback on the climate system” (Ahrens, 92). Humidity and vapor will undergo changes for the worst and “an increase in global cloudiness may offset some of the global warmings depending on which clouds are present and which are more reflective and cooling” (Ahrens 92). If we do not lower our emissions within the next 7-17 years, the death toll will also rise and more people than ever could be living on the poverty line. People’s health can also suffer as a response to global warming. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, potential effects of climate change on human health include higher rates of respiratory and heat-related illnesses, increased prevalence of vector-borne and waterborne diseases, food and water insecurity, and malnutrition. People who are elderly and sick or poor are especially vulnerable to these potential consequences.
No one can deny that global warming exists (or can they?) but there are several beliefs that people have when it comes to this debate: 1. Global warming is occurring naturally; 2. Humans are the cause of global warming; 3. Some people believe global warming is nonexistent. With all of the scientific data available, it is not clear why anyone would not believe global warming is happening. Groups attempting to instill seeds of doubt, though, seem like a reach when real, scientific facts exist. The debate over global warming and climate change is a popular one concerning if there is one, how it started, who is at fault, what the remedies are, and if those remedies should even be put into motion. No particular scientific group supposedly denies any of this but there are organizations worldwide that fall into the category of being noncommittal and do not see global warming nearly as seriously as others. Studies have found wide political divides in views of the potential for devastation to the Earth’s ecosystems and what might be done to address any climate impacts. When it comes to party divides, the biggest gaps in climate policy and climate science are between those at the ends of the political spectrum. (The Politics of Climate, 2021). It is certainly interesting that politics plays a role in this topic because no matter how you look at it, It is. Is. Happening. Our Earth is warming. Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate (Global Climate Change, 2021).
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I believe that global warming exists and it is at the hands of humans. Scientific data proves it to be so- why wouldn’t I believe it? These men and women who are researchers do this for a living. I believe their facts are real. However, there are other sides. The first involves people who think this is part of what the Earth does, and we should not be naming it; they believe that science and instruments are unreliable; last but not least some believe that global warming is a conspiracy theory. Another group involves Republicans and Democrats. Originally the debate was about whether climate change was occurring at all. Now it more relates to the cause and continuation of it. Nearly half of all United States adults say there is climate change due to human activity and a similar share says either that the Earth’s warming stems from natural causes or that there is no evidence of warming at all (Politics of Climate, 2021). The debate, however, has turned political. Democrats tend to support actions they believe can and will reduce greenhouse gases and emissions, whereas Republicans reject actions due to the fact that they are not tried and true and tested, nor do they see it as a crisis. The correlation between the two groups debating is that global warming is a fact that can be mostly agreed on. The average global surface temperature has been rising; gases like CO2 have increased and so on. Republicans just do not believe in developing and accepting policies and efforts to assist in the global warming effects.
Ramifications of global warming include the following:
- Loss of snow cover and ice- snow and ice can easily change to water and this will not only create a devastating impact on cold weather wildlife but can cause erosion and flooding and sea levels, even ocean currents. It is literally like a snowball effect- not just one thing changes- many things will. Currently, in the Arctic, the ice is melting and what is left is thin and unstable Orcas are now able to travel farther north due to the melting ice- ice that is no longer there. This has consequences of course. It can affect the food chain and the ecosystem and the human race.
- Increasing average temperatures- it is not nicer to have hotter summers and warmer winters- is a clear indication that something is very wrong. Extreme weather events can and will continue as well like having more frequent and worse storms and hurricanes than usual.
- Our farms and agriculture will disappear- plants and crops grow poorly during too many changes and the imbalance will cause these crops to perhaps fully disappear. Currently in Brazil, a country known for its green, lush land, global warming is taking hold. Many parts of this country are turning into a desert, or ‘desertification’. There are warmer temperatures, less rain, poor soil, no crops can grow, livestock is dying and farmers are now living in poverty.
- Hurricane formations can change and become more frequent, and lightning strikes could become more prevalent creating stronger and more dangerous weather events.
- High levels of greenhouse gases could stay and last in the atmosphere for prolonged periods causing sea levels to rise and ocean water to become warmer.
- The effects of global warming on the Earth’s ecosystems are expected to be profound and widespread. This could contribute to the disappearance of over one-half of the Earth’s plants and one-third of animals from their current range by 2080 (Bradford and Pappas, 2017).
Unless changes are made, the Earth as we know it will cease to exist.
There are ways to take part and for people to have a voice when it comes to climate change mitigation. Finding ways to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases is of the utmost priority. Some strategies include making buildings more energy efficient, adopting renewable energy sources like solar and wind, and water; helping cities develop more sustainable transportation like bus rapid transit, using electric vehicles and bicycles and biofuels, and promoting more sustainable uses for land and forests. People can reuse and recycle often, use energy-saving appliances in the home, be educated about the topic of global warming and what it means for them and their kids and grandkids- and become a volunteer. To this date, there is no real evidence or facts to support any drawbacks to pursuing any prescriptions in regard to global warming except that it will take time. But if plans are in place and are enacted the planet may be on the right track. “It’s a stretch,” is the general consensus on many of the sites I visited. They provided some positive outcomes such as - If the ice were to melt more passageways would open for the passage of ships; warmer winters mean not as many people would die from the cold; vegetation would flourish. Of course, the negative impacts of global warming completely overshadow any of these weak positive outcomes. Any ‘positive’ outcomes even presented were for the immediate here and now- the real devastation due to global warming would occur after we are all gone.
Global warming is a problem that affects the entire planet. As we are seeing the effects of it today, we know that the effects will be worse in 5, 10, or 50 years unless more is done to control the burning of fossil fuels and decrease these greenhouse gases that are wreaking havoc on our planet. Many changes are being developed and made today and it is a start.
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