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Controlling Climate Change

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In the year 2014, it seems that there should be no doubt that global warming is among us and climate change is affecting the earth in a negative pattern. What many people are unsure about in regards to climate change include where it comes from, what the major implications could be if global warming is not addressed, as well as what we as humans living on planet earth can do to aide in creating a sustainable future. Through this article, with the help of experts, we will address all of these areas involved with today’s climate change. It is hard to pin point one exact cause for climate change because in reality there are many things that contribute to it. Al Gore points out in his speech that the burning of fossil fuels, namely coal, is the main reason that we are observing global warming. (Gore, 2009) According to the EPA, the electricity we create today by burning these fossil fuels accounted for thirty-two percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2012. Although burning coal and fossil fuels is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions, a surprising factor to climate change is the fact that agriculture makes up for nearly ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural emissions come from sources such as agricultural soils, rice production, as well as livestock, such as cows. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012) Environmental author Anna Lappé also notes agriculture as being a large source of the greenhouse gas emissions weakening our planets health. Lappé explains how agriculture is affecting climate change and why it is becoming a problem by stating: “Since New Guineans developed taro production eight thousand years ago and the Chinese started growing rice four thousand years ago, methane has been released during food cultivation. Since ruminants, like cows evolved to chomp grass, these animals have emitted methane in the natural process of