Causes of Climate Change Essay

I believe that climate change is a real issue today. There are numerous pieces of evidence and facts to support this statement. Since 1880, the annual temperature has been steadily rising. There are at least five different science agencies that concur with this statement including the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The ten warmest recorded years, according to NASA, have all happened since 2005. According to another study done by NASA, 2016 was the warmest year on this planet since 1880. With the annual temperatures increasing, it is highly possible that any year in the near future will set a new record high temperature. There are multiple ways to prevent this from happening. Some simple ways include being more conservative with energy use, recycling, and trying to eat less meat. However, what many people have chosen to do, is to speak up about it. If done correctly, this can be very effective.

A popular way to help with climate change is to speak up about the issue. The way to speak up about this issue is by protesting which is a popular method worldwide. There have been protests everywhere from Germany to Washington DC. These protests are very effective but not necessarily if not done in the correct way. If protests and speaking up about the issue are done correctly, then this can prove to be very useful. However, people often overlook the bigger picture. Many protesters are arguing that leaders of nations need to do more to help prevent and ideally stop climate change. Other protesters are holding up signs simply to spread awareness and even facts for people who aren’t aware of this ongoing issue. The problem with protesters is people like Greta Thunberg. Thunberg called out leaders of nations to act on climate change. This was very smart and intelligent of her to do. However, she took an approach to try to blame older generations. While she isn’t wrong, blaming other people for issues won’t solve anything. Yes, it is awful that older generations have had a major contribution to climate change. However, blaming them won’t help solve it. We need to try to stick together if we want to fix climate change. Calling out and forcing leaders to do something is how it can be solved, not by blaming other generations.

The IPCC has three different working groups as well as a Task Force that all look into climate change. The first working group is supposed to assess the physical science of climate change. This group looks at greenhouse gases, changes in temperature, changes in the ocean, and weather patterns. This first group looks at how those changes are having an impact on the environment and on global warming. Working Group I also provides information that is relevant to the global community. Working Group II looks at what parts of the earth are most vulnerable to climate change and what areas will be impacted the most. They also look at consequences and how areas can try to adapt. A final area that this group looks at is how climate change has been in the past as well as looking into the future. By looking into the future, scientists can try to predict ways it can be prevented and hopefully better prepare. Working Group III studies methods on how we can reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They also study if we will be able to completely remove these gases. The Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI) was created to try to stop greenhouse gas emissions. They work with many other technical departments from different organizations to figure out how people can be productive without harming the environment.

Climate change is caused by the greenhouse effect. This is what happens when the heat gets trapped in the atmosphere. There are gases in the atmosphere that prevent heat from escaping, and therefore send more of the heat towards the earth. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas. NASA says “It acts as feedback to the climate.” The amount of water vapor will increase as the atmosphere becomes warmer. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the sun's energy reaching the earth is also a cause of climate change. The intensity of the amount of heat reaching the atmosphere is continually growing. The effect of the sun's energy on climate change is not very big. However, when combined with the greenhouse effect and other factors, it can have a big impact. The greenhouse effect and the sun's energy does have a negative effect on climate change. The cause of these, however, is most likely due to humans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that there is a 95% chance that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed the planet. Much of the human effect is due to the industrial activities that our society relies on today. When this is added to the amount of pollution that humans put into the air, there is no question that humans have caused this.

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Climate change can have major effects on the planet and impact the life we live. The most obvious impact is global warming. Temperatures have been increasing every year since the late 1800s. This imparts due to humans and natural causes as well. What is concerning is that 2016 was the highest recorded year in temperature. If we continue to live how we do now, it would not be surprising to see every year become a new record for high temperatures. For humans, the main effect of this is a rising temperature. This may not seem like a big deal; many people even prefer warmer weather. With that being said, warmer weather brings more risks. In US cities, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more server, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The extreme events range from heat waves and wildfires to flooding and coastal storms. Humans are not the only species facing risks. Some wildlife animals are facing risks as well. For example, polar ice caps are melting due to rising temperatures. This is not good for polar bears and other animals who live in cold climates. This is their home that is being destroyed. The sea level is continuing to rise and the oceans are becoming warmer. According to the WWF, marine turtles off the coast of Africa face a very high risk. The sand temperatures changing can affect the sex of the hatchlings. In the words of Michael Scott, “Where are the Turtles!?” While he was talking about chocolate in that scene, it is a very real possibility that turtles will go extinct due to humans ruining their homes.

Just like some people who don’t watch The Office, some people don’t believe in climate change. People are allowed to believe what they want. However, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that proves that climate change is real. According to NASA, there are many different pieces of scientific evidence that prove that climate change is real. The first is that the global temperature is rising. Since the end of the 19th century, the global temperature has been rising more than 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit annually. In 2016, eight out of the twelve months had record high temperatures. With the temperature rising, the temperature of the oceans is also increasing. The ocean temperature has been increasing by .4 degrees Fahrenheit every year since 1969. The ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica have been shrinking drastically. From 1993 to 2016, Greenland lost an average of 286 billion tons of ice every year in that time period. During that same time period, Antarctica lost 127 billion tons annually. In the past ten years, the rate of Antarctica's ice loss has tripled. glacial retreat is also happening… everywhere. Everywhere from the Alps to the Andes, to Alaska, Glaciers are melting. Overall, there has been less snow. Satellite observations have shown that snow cover in the northern hemisphere has decreased over the past 50 years. There are also rising sea levels. The global sea level has risen eight inches in the past century. In the Arctic Sea, there is less ice. Not only is there less ice but the density of it is much thinner than it has been in the past. There have been extreme weather events, ranging from long droughts to intense rainfalls. The last main piece of evidence is ocean acidification. Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean acidification has increased by about 30%. This is caused by humans emitting more Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Therefore, more is being absorbed by the oceans.

Climate change has to be stopped as it has begun to have a direct impact on the lives of humans. In sub-Saharan Africa, there have been prolonged droughts. In a place that is already as dry as there, they rely on water to live and function. Across Southeast Asia, The Caribbean, and the Pacific, tropical storms have been devastating. Tropical storms will always happen, but the amount of power and damage will continue to increase unless we do something about climate change. Heat waves have been happening all across the globe. They’ve happened in Japan, Pakistan, Greece, and even the United States. These have caused wildfires and have taken the lives of hundreds of people living in those areas. If it didn’t take their life, the wildfire most likely took their home and completely changed how they will live.

There are different ways that anybody can try to help stop climate change. People will tweet, protest, write letters, etc. to leaders begging them to do something about climate change. If the Political Leader listens and does something about it, it will be a major change in hopefully a positive way. However, if they don’t do anything and you just sit there waiting for them, then nothing will get done. Some easy ways to prevent climate change are to use energy wisely. By doing this, you will also save some money. You can use energy-efficient light bulbs. Another easy way is to unplug a TV or computer when it is not being used. Another way to help stop it is by using renewable resources. These will not always be available to use but if they are, using them can be beneficial. A common thing people are doing is eating less meat and buying organic. This is very important and can be beneficial. However, it can also be very difficult. Many people enjoy eating meat and it is a constant part of many meals consumed. Another way that you can help with climate change is to commute differently. This can mean taking a bus to work or carpooling with friends to a game. The less carbon dioxide in the air the better our environment will be. We can all do these things and it will help make an impact on the environment. However, we need big companies and corporations to also do something. The large companies that have money are people who will be able to make the biggest impact in stopping climate change.

Climate change is a real issue in the world today. Any scientific evidence will prove this statement to be factual. “The temperature has been rising annually since 1880”, is the largest piece of evidence that global warming is real and a result of climate change. People are beginning to realize this and they are starting to speak out against the government and nations' leaders to do something about it. Climate change is said to be caused by older generations, but now it is everyone's responsibility to try to slow it down by doing the best that we can. Most organizations have various departments looking into what can be done to stop climate change. They also look into how to prepare if we are not able to stop it. Climate change is happening and it is happening fast. Climate change won’t stop unless we as a society do something about it. We can stop or prevent this real-world issue from happening in our lives to ensure that our kids have the opportunity to live in a better tomorrow.

Works Cited

1. “Scientific Consensus: Earth's Climate Is Warming.” NASA, NASA, 3 Oct. 2019, https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/.
2. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.” IPCC, https://www.ipcc.ch/.
3. “Top 10 Things You Can Do about Climate Change.” David Suzuki Foundation, https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/.
4. 'Global Warming and Climate Change.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999211/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=aeea1fc7. Accessed 4 Oct. 2019.
5. Sengupta, Somini. “Protesting Climate Change, Young People Take to Streets in a Global Strike.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/climate/global-climate-strike.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/climate&action=click&contentCollection=climate®ion&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.
6. Canadell, Pep. 'Global Warming and Climate Change Can Be Stopped If People Try Harder.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IADDFI058285395/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=55b5534f. Accessed 4 Oct. 2019. Originally published as 'We can still keep global warming below 2°C – but the hard work is about to start,' The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2017.