...Andrew Mosolovich Week 9 Assignment Professor Pavlov 06/07/2013 Is our environment being compromised from excessive use of different chemicals? This is the question that has been the ground for major debate for many years, is our advancements causing global warming? When debating global warming the first thing to consider is what the cause of global warming is, and the answer to this basic question is greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are natural gases such as CO2, Nitrous Oxide or Methane and are created in one of two ways. The first way is, through natural cycles, for instance, CO2 is released through animal respiration or plant photosynthesis. The alternative greenhouse gas production comes from man’s use of different fuels and products; this can lead to anthropogenic climate changes. Anthropogenic Climate Changes are changes in the atmosphere brought on by human activity, and there is evidence of these kinds of changes all over. By studying the size of the polar ice caps we can see that they are shrinking and this may be due to a warmer atmosphere temperature brought on by none other than an anthropogenic climate change. An IPCC report from 2007 showing levels of some of the greenhouse gases also shows that the levels of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere has skyrocketed since the post-industrial era, this can only be attributed to man-made machines that have come to rise. So how does human activity attribute to the climate rise? Greenhouse gases are natural...
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...Global warming: cause and mitigation Name: Institution: Introduction Global warming refers to climate change that causes an increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere. Though global warming has many different causes, it is greatly associated with human activities especially those that leads to release of greenhouse gases. This paper aims at evaluating both the scientific basis of global warming and the role of human beings in global warming. The paper achieves this by comparing natural and anthropogenic climate changes, providing evidence that global warming is taking place, and assessing carbon taxing and clean coal technology as current alleviation strategies for global warming. The paper finally proposes policy changes intended to stabilize global climate and points out nations and business sectors that would encounter strict standards on implementation of the proposed policies. Natural versus anthropogenic climate changes The climate change debate seems to be divided into two major sides. One side argues that the current global warming is caused by human factors while the other side credits global warming to natural processes. Although some scientists acknowledge natural processes as a cause of climate change, it has often been noted that there is no enough quantitative evidence to support that natural forces are dominant causes of current climate changes (Giddens, 2009). Many scientists credit the recent trends in climate change to anthropogenic causes...
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...Climate change is attributable to both natural and anthropogenic factors. Anthropogenic climate change, which are also known as human induced climate change, is a result of increase in greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere, increase in atmospheric aerosols, and changes in land use, for instance, through cutting down of forests to create farms. The increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes an increase in the amount of heat that is being retained and consequently, increasing the temperatures on the earth’s surface significantly. For example, the amount of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has risen by more than 30 percent since the industrial revolution (Mulvaney, 2013). Atmospheric aerosols absorb infrared and solar radiation and also change the chemical composition of the clouds, both physically and chemically. Industrial processes, human activity, biomass burning and exhaust emissions lead to chemical reactions, which consequently, form aerosols in the atmosphere. Changes in land use have also led to a significant increase in the sunlight reflected back into the surface. In North America and Eurasia, during the industrial era, it is estimated that one-fifth of land was attributed to agricultural activities and deforestation. On the other hand, natural climate changes can be a result of changes in suns energy and shifting of the orbit of the earth. Essentially, the earth’s orbital...
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...Elizabeth Brabson | Global Warming: Cause and mitigation | Introduction To Physical Science | | Joshua Kyle | 3/3/2016 | The difference between natural climate change and anthropogenic can be summed up in relation with greenhouse gasses and how they are introduced into the Earth’s atmosphere. With the natural greenhouse effect, gasses such as methane and carbon dioxide are introduced naturally through such events as volcanic activity. In the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, those gasses are introduced by burning fossil fuels and from the intestines of livestock animals among other means. Also, due to deforestation and tillage of the ground, the Earth’s natural ability to store carbon is hindered. The Earth naturally maintains a level of homeostasis, when anthropogenic forms of greenhouse gases are introduced, it is too much for the planet to naturally maintain control of. Personally, I believe it as a slap in the face to the scientific community as a whole to deny climate change when there is a large amount of evidence to back up what 97% of scientist have pretty much agreed on. There are mountains of evidence, but I will present three. First and foremost, carbon dioxide levels are increasing substantially. Scientist have tested air bubbles in ancient ice from Antarctica and Greenland, and have determined that CO2 levels for the past 650,000 years or so have stayed between 180 and 300 parts per million. However, since the industrial revolution, that...
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...Global Warming Mitigation Strategies and Solutions David Zavala University of Phoenix/Axia College Our atmosphere took billions of years to develop into what we know today but technological advances have given today’s society the power to change the atmosphere in less than a century. The revolution that began in the late eighteenth century made it possible for inventors to create many energy-saving machines. The only energy these machines save is human energy and time because these machines use energy in the form of fossil fuels, which is made from large amounts of carbon. They were created when the organic remains of plants and animals were buried millions of years ago. Over time, heat and pressure changed the remains into coal, oil, and natural gas. When people burn fossil fuels, huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases are released into the atmosphere; which result in several changes to the make-up of the atmosphere. The most significant environmental problem this paper will focus on is Global Warming. People who grow flowers year-round often use a special building that has walls and a roof made of glass. The transparent glass allows insolation to enter but prevents heat loss by radiation; so when the insolation enters the green house, the sun’s energy is trapped and warms the house. This keeps the greenhouse warmer than its surroundings; carbon dioxide and water vapor are like the glass in a greenhouse. They allow insolation to reach Earth’s surface but they...
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...Assignment 2: Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation Introduction to Physical Science xxxxxxxxxxxx December 6, 2015 Strayer University Professor xxxx xxxx One of the most all time debated and controversial topics to date in science is global warming. Over the last few decades climate change have lead scientist to develop a theories that human beings are the major contributors to the global warming crisis. Many theories suggest that different types of issues contribute to the warming of the planet but the mitigation strategies to slow this process down vary as well. When speaking of this topic there are two basic types of climate change, natural and anthropogenic. Main contributor in the climate change or global warming can be referred to as greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are derived from water vapor, Methane, Chlorofluorocarbons, and Carbon dioxide. Anthropogenic theory state that the development and consumption of fossil fuels for human life has generated and released a large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to this theory the excess carbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change around the world. This process prevents heat from earth to escape naturally into space and hence cool the earth. The theory known as the natural theory states that the earth is going through one of the many peaks and valleys of changes. This of course being a peak of...
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...Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation Tyler Turner Strayer Introduction to Physical Science SCI 110 Prof. Amanda Slaughter June 5, 2016 Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation In this paper I will be discussing different causes and effects of global warming. First we will look at comparing and contrasting natural versus anthropogenic climate changes and include examples of each type. We will then discuss which position I will take in wither global warming exists or not. After that we will I will assess two current mitigation strategies for global warming and analyze the effectiveness of the mitigation strategy. Lastly we will look at the policy changes that I would propose to help stabilize global climate, and what business sectors or nations would be held to stricter standards to my proposed policy. To start this paper off I will first look at comparing and contrasting natural versus anthropogenic climate changes and providing examples of both. But I think to start off we need to first know what natural climate change and anthropogenic climate change are. Natural climate changes are anything that effect the climate of the earth in natural ways, for example the sun, the moon, the atmosphere. But what is anthropogenic climate change? Anthropogenic climate change is defined as; “the production of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity” ("Anthropogenic Climate Change," n.d.). Let us first look at natural climate changes, and what causes these type of changes. There...
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...Professor Richmond Jones Expository Writing September 18, 2014 Assignment 2 Global Warming: Get Used to It Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International argues in his 2007 essay “Global Warming: Get Used To It” there is no stopping global warming; it is going to happen regardless of human activity, so adaptation and mitigation are essential. Zakaria cites reliable sources, including the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Frances Cairncross, and their policies for adaptation programs like developing new crops, constructing flood defenses, and making different building codes to prevent building close to sea level. His main purpose is to inform us about the rapid negative effects of global warming in order to persuade his audience to start acting by reducing fuel consumption methods and carbon dioxide pollution. Zakaria stresses the importance of early planning for the inevitable impact of climate change, and although the initial cost might be high, it is worth in the long run. Zakaria is effective because he utilizes rational and emotional evidence to support his claim. Zakaria shows good use of rational evidence when he provided facts and expert opinions to support his position about climate change, mitigation, and adaptation. For instance, he states, “Of the 12 hottest years on record, 11 have occurred since 1995.” This example indicates the rapid growth of global warming in a short span of time and how it will only continue to get worse. Zakaria emphases...
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...Abstract Global warming is a large increase in the Earth’s climatic temperature over a short period of time, and had become one of the most controversial topics that we have been facing. What impacts does global warming have on the atmosphere and what actions can we take to rectify the problem. Does global warming exist and what can we do about it? Global warming is caused by natural and human interference. Some global warming differences with natural and anthropogenic climates changes are, natural climate changes include volcanic activity and anthropogenic changes are caused by human influences such as burning coal oil. I believe that global warming is taking place; climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers are shrinking, ice on rivers and lakes are breaking up earlier, plants and trees are flowering sooner. The changes in the weather is one indication, many places have been experiencing more floods, droughts and more severe heat waves. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average surface temperature across the contiguous 48 states has risen at an average rate of 0.13°F per decade. Average temperatures have risen more quickly since the late 1970s and seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the United States have occurred since 1998, with 2012 being the warmest year on record. A second indicator is the change in the sea level. After a period of approximately 2,000 years of little change, sea level...
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...Lab Research Report 2: Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation Rhys Greer September 14, 2014 Dr. Rana Miller Strong University Compare and contrast natural versus anthropogenic climate changes. Include specific examples of each. In an article written by the United States Environmental Association (EPA) it lists natural changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, volcanic eruptions and solar energy as some of the natural causes of climate changes on earth. The article goes on to say “Recent climate changes, however, cannot be explained by natural causes alone. Research indicates that natural causes are very unlikely to explain most observed warming, especially warming since the mid-20th century. Rather, human activities can very likely explain most of that warming.” These human activities are the causes of anthropogenic climate changes. The article also adds “Since the Industrial Revolution began around 1750; human activities have contributed substantially to climate change by adding CO2 and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. These greenhouse gas emissions have increased the greenhouse effect and caused Earth’s surface temperature to rise. The primary human activity affecting the amount and rate of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.” Some human activities that initiate climate changes are caused by the gas emissions from fossil fuels used to heat homes, petroleum based fuels like gasoline and diesel used for transportation...
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...climate change. Most recently, portions of Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Caribbean United States of America were hit by Hurricane Sandy, which later developed into a super storm. Scientists had previously warned that climatic changes have increased the likelihood of occurrence of hurricanes of such magnitude. Other effects of climate change that continue to be experienced include increased frequency of droughts, decrease in crop productivity, water stress and the rising of sea levels. The problem is that these effects of climate change are predicted to worsen since the global average temperature continues to increase. Governments have set and embarked on a global goal, aimed at limiting the degree of warming to below 2oC above pre-industrial levels by 2100. From a scientific standpoint, it is unfortunate that there continues to be a significant gap between the actualities of global emissions, and the level of mitigation on climate change that is required to stay below 2oC by 2020 (Bowen and Ranger, 16). From a political and philosophical context, there are actions and commitments for both the short and long-terms, which had been agreed upon in previous conferences such as Copenhagen 2009, and agreements such as the Bali Road Map of 2007 that have been delayed. Also, there has been the withdrawal of key governments such as Canada and other rich industrialized countries from international agreements. According to UNCCD (9), after years of negotiation regarding key climate change...
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...Global warming and climate change are terms for the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system and its related effects.[2] Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming.[3][4][5] Although the increase of near-surface atmospheric temperature is the measure of global warming often reported in the popular press, most of the additional energy stored in the climate system since 1970 has gone into ocean warming. The remainder has melted ice and warmed the continents and atmosphere.[6][a] Many of the observed changes since the 1950s are unprecedented over tens to thousands of years.[7] On 12 November 2015, NASA scientists reported that human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to increase above levels not seen in hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans and remains in the atmosphere.[8][9][10][11] Scientific understanding of global warming is increasing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in 2014 that scientists were more than 95% certain that global warming is mostly being caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) and other human (anthropogenic) activities.[12][13][14] Climate model projections summarized in the report indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to 1.7 °C (0.5 to 3.1 °F)...
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...Global warming and climate change can both refer to the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system and its related effects. Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming. More than 90% of the additional energy stored in the climate system since 1970 has gone into ocean warming; the remainder has melted ice, and warmed the continents and atmosphere. Many of the observed changes since the 1950s are unprecedented over decades to millennia. Scientific understanding of global warming has been increasing. In its fifth assessment in 2014 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that scientists were more than 95% certain that most of global warming is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and other human activities. Climate model projections summarized in AR5 indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further for their lowest emissions scenario using stringent mitigation and for their highest. These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of the major industrialized nations. Future climate change and associated impacts will be different from region to region around the globe. The effects of an increase in global temperature include a rise in sea levels and a change in the amount and pattern of precipitation, as well as a probable expansion of subtropical deserts. Warming is expected to be strongest in the...
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...different ecosystems rely on warm and cold temperatures, winds, rainfall, and even fire to flourish. Due to historical issues such as Apartheid, the almost 4 million residents of Cape Town (City of Cape Town) are often times racially divided in terms of physical housing locations. Some areas are much more impoverished than others, causing the effects of climate change to be felt more intensely and mitigation efforts to be more difficult (Ziervogel, Shale and Du). Climate change is largely attributed to global warming. In a nutshell, this involves greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide to collect and form a layer in the atmosphere. The sun’s heat is then trapped in the atmosphere, causing a rise in the planet’s average temperature (NRDC). This collection of meteorological phenomena poses threats to the planet and the people living in it. Three different effects of climate change in Cape Town will be discussed, explaining the factors leading up to these, how the local people are affected, as well as mitigation efforts and the effectiveness thereof. Coastal Zones: Global warming, as described, causes thermal expansion of the water of the oceans. Another contributor to the rise of the sea level is the melting of the glaciers. This has many effects, including increased saltwater intrusion, higher tides, more flooding and increased coastal erosions. In some areas, developments have taken place too close to...
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...Global Warming : cause and Mitigation SCI 110 December 4, 2013 Global Warming: cause and Mitigation Comparing contrast natural versus man-made climate changes. My sciences agree that there are natural causes to climate change so says the sun greenhouse effect and reflectivity. Many would also debate the man-made atmosphere changes can increase these significantly to be determined as a man-made change the global climate. Whenever sciences look at the history of the changes and whether they can have many different conclusions for rising temperature stay in that can be a normal Earth cycle. The greenhouse effect is something scientism turn was the resolution of plants release some energy back into the estimate fear is he causing a greenhouse type effect on the entire planet. The rule of reflectivity in the past sciences have concluded that ice melting and increase call cover can contribute to climate change also known is volcanoes eruption's in the past have been known to change the atmosphere. In my opinion global warming does exist the amount of man-made materials and emissions into the atmosphere is almost uncountable. To be naïve to believe that these emissions’ staying with in our atmosphere does not have a change on our global climate is ignorant to the fact that these emissions are home for toxic and dangerous to humanity and the earth itself. Although it may be difficult for politicians and business people to believe are to take advantage of the information given...
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