Assignment 1- Climate Change
Introduction
What is climate change?
Climate can simply be described as a change in climate measures that is quite significant. It involves a change in climate such as rainfall, temperatures, winds that usually last over a long period such as decades or even longer. Looking at the earth’s history, climate change is quite significant from events such as long warmth periods to ice ages.
What are the causes of climate change?
This climate change is caused mostly by the humans. Human beings are living beyond their means which is causing climate change. The burning of fossil fuels of large amounts and deforestation are some of the causes of the climate change that is being experienced. Other few natural factors are also leading to climate change such as volcanic eruptions and changes in the intensity of the sun. Assignment 1- Climate Change
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Why addressing climate change is important?
One cannot fail to notice the devastating effects climate change is causing affecting human life including our wildlife, forests and even our water sources (Hajat et al. 642). Temperatures are going to extremes with regions having cold spells and even heat waves. Forests fires are becoming such a common thing with great destruction coming from it such as the death of wildlife. Droughts and flooding due to climate change are leading to shifting of people to other places.
Thesis: The increase of levels of climate change leading to deaths and destruction of property shows the need for human beings to address this issue.
History of Climate Change
Climate change was first identified in the 19th century when scientists began to notice ice ages and greenhouse effects. Arguments began to arise that climate change could occur from gases from greenhouses. In 1960, it became convincing that climate change was occurring from the warm effect brought about by carbon dioxide gas. Most of these causes of climate change were human-induced. Samuel Pierpoint became the first scientist to do calculations on climate change caused by humans. He aimed at determining the temperature of the surface of the moon by calculating the infrared radiation that was exiting the moon and getting to earth. He found that the radiation of the moon had to pass by weaker measurements of water vapor and carbon dioxide to reach the earth when the moon was low. Discoveries like this lead to scientists looking more into the issue of climate change. Since the 1990s, research on climate has expanded and people now have a better understanding of climate change.
The Worst Form Of Climate Change Happening
Global Warming
Global warming has increasingly become a major concern in our world today. Most people do not believe that it is really happening yet evidence exists of the occurrence. Global warming is on the rise with evidence showing that global temperature is increasing at the fastest rate ever witnessed. Every year the global temperatures are increasing with even higher temperatures being expected in centuries to come.
Causes and effects of global warming
Global warming is caused when pollutants of the air and greenhouse gases absorb sunlight that has bounced back off from the earth’s surface and lead to the planet becoming even hotter. This heat would have otherwise escaped into space if it were not for the gases. Some of the leading causes of global warming have been seen to be fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and the transportation sector. The effects of global warming are becoming, even more, each year affecting the environment, the economy and even the health of human beings and animals. The rising sea levels are causing flooding, habitats are being destroyed leading to the death of animals and their extinction, and diseases such as asthma are becoming even more common today. Countries such as China and the US have been found to have the largest amount of carbon emissions which is affecting the planet in whole. Although some efforts are being made to reduce the emissions, other countries that do not do anything about it make these efforts not to be a success. Assignment 1- Climate Change
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Effects of Climate Change
Examples of places affected by climate change
The floods in South Asia, the hurricanes in Haiti, the Drought in East Africa and the heatwave in Pakistan and idea are some of the effects that climate change has brought. The floods in South Asia have affected over forty-three million people leading to over 1200 deaths. Hurricanes such as hurricane Harvey became the first in the United States displacing over tens of thousands of Americans. Heat waves have also led to the deaths of thousands of people such as the one in India in 2015 that killed over 3,700 people.
How people are affected by climate change
Although most of the climate change is being caused by rich countries, the poor countries are becoming the most affected by the change. Disasters such as floods displace people from their homes and the ones who are poor find it hard to recover later on. Poor farmers are made to look for work from other places when forests are burnt and even when deforestation occurs. Climate change has led to soils not being able to support the growth of food any more leading to extreme poverty among people. Conflicts are also arising from climate change. People moving to other countries when they have been affected by climate change causes instability in these countries. Some countries become afraid of other people taking over their countries.
Conclusion
Trends in climate change
Climate change is no longer a threat that is imaginary but a reality that can be seen. Human beings are the major causes of this climate change (Cook et al., 17). Arguments on whether human beings are really to blame on being the causes of climate change are currently going on. Although some scientists dispute this fact, great evidence exists that shows human beings being the cause of climate change. Since 1850, greenhouses have been seen to cause long-term warming being experienced on the planet. The availability of aerosols has reduced this warming by cooling the planet which without them the planet would be three times warmer than it is today. These human aerosols are, however, expected to reduce significantly by the time we get to 2100 which shows that global warming will lead to devastating effects later on.
How people can solve the issue of climate change?
An effort such as the one in the USA by President Obama to cut on carbon dioxide emissions has been made. However, human beings are greatly ignoring that climate change is a major disaster that is happening. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the air is greatly increasing every day from the efforts of human beings. Simple actions such as buying vehicles with less emission, using public transportations sometimes instead of using one’s car and even buying appliances that have energy labels will greatly help in solving the climate issue in the planet. The current trend and the future estimates of climate change show the need for human beings to be at the forefront of addressing this issue on climate change by living in much healthier environments.
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