By Katherine Grayson
The most recent and extreme wave of climate change has been a significant issue
in the environment for around 10 years, not to exclude other warming and cooling phases of the Earth throughout millions of years in history. In the latest years, however, science has revealed more about our current temperate changes. We’ve discovered that humans have made the largest contribution to climate change so far to date due to a high output of man-made greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases facilitate the greenhouse effect1, which is something that we need in order to live. However, when too many of these gases, like CO2, get trapped in the earth’s atmosphere, the heat from the sun gets trapped as well causing temperatures to rise.
It wasn’t until 2004 that global warming became a public issue. At this time, films, books and artwork started being released, which generated more interest in the matter. Next, major tropical storms, heat waves and increasing sea levels drew alarming attention. By 2009, scientists realized that climate change was happening more quickly than predicted, and it wasn’t something to take lightly.
The main argument against claims of human-induced climate change is that it is normal for the earth’s temperatures to fluctuate periodically. While this is true, scientists have been collecting data from all over the world, looking at CO2 output from things like cement production, deforestation, and burning coal, natural gas and oil (also known as fossil fuels). The unanimous conclusion is that humans are the reason behind the spike in levels of atmospheric fossil fuels.
In a report put out by the Potsdam Institute in Germany, our average global temperature will rise by 7.2°F by the end of the decade at our current level of CO2. The World Bank Group adds, “This report provides a clear picture of the devastating impacts on agriculture, water resources, ecosystems, and human health. While every region will be affected, those least able to adapt – the poor and most vulnerable – would be hit hardest.”
Climate change is an issue that cannot be pushed to the side. It is not going to suddenly disappear, and there are still so many who reject its scientifically proven existence. We should do our own research to stay informed and up-to-date, share with others and do our part to reduce our footprint.
1Greenhouse Effect: Energy radiated by the sun converts to heat when it reaches earth. Some heat is reflected back through the atmosphere, while some is absorbed by atmospheric gases and radiated back to earth.
Find out more about the risks of global warming and what you can do to help at
http://EPA.gov/climatechange or co2now.org
Sources
“Climate Change.” WorldBank.org. World Bank, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
“Global Warming Timeline.” Global Warming Timeline. AIP, Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
“What Are the Main Sources of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions?” What’s Your Impact? Whatsyourimpact.eu.org, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.