THESIS STATEMENT: The effects, causes and solutions to global warming are many and understanding these points is crucial to promoting the wellbeing, diverse and vigor of life on earth.
I. Background of global warming effects
A. Extreme weather
B. The changing climate
C. Melting ice in the poles
D. Increase in ultra violet rays
II. Causes of global warming
A. The depletion of the ozone layer
B. Clear cutting the jungle forests
C. Over population of the earth
D. The overindulgence of natural resources
III. Solutions to global warming
A. Lowering fossil fuel consumption
B. Population control
C. Limit urban sprawl and deforestation
D. Living a sustainable lifestyle
Introduction: Since the start of the industrial age some 200 years ago humans have been changing the earths mean temperature to rise a few degrees by increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This has been the popular belief and the mainstream thought of scientists and concerned people in the recent past. The new hypothesis however is more controversial and now being passionately debated. Dr. William F. Ruddiman is a marine geologist and professor of environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. His view is that global warming started thousands of years earlier then the advent of coal burning factories and gas burning cars. Dr. Ruddiman says that the early farming of the early people of the earth started to change the climate much earlier then is traditionally thought. As long ago as 8000 years stone age Europeans started to clear forests for growing crops and in so doing took away some of the natural CO2 absorbers from the environment. It is at this point in time when Carbon Dioxide levels started to rise and reversing the previous trend downward. Ruddiman suggests that early humans prevented another ice-age because of their activities. Global warming according to Dr. Ruddiman and other scientists believe that this warming has been going on for some time now. Because of this human activity a coming ice-age was averted. Regardles of the origin to global warming its apparent that this problem must be dealt with quickly and with knowledgeable understanding.
The effects of global warming can be dated back easily to the turn of the century with weather records and past extreme weather patterns. The solutions to global warming are simply the reduction of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. The greenhouse gases consist of not only carbon dioxide but chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) as well and all have been rising steadily since 1970 and the first measurements could be made. The gases act as a blanket to the build up of warmth in the atmosphere and prevent its escape to sustainable ratios. This reduction that is necessary is very accomplishable and needs to take place if the planet as we know it is to survive for future life.
Thesis statement: The effects, causes and solutions to global warming are many and understanding these points is crucial to promoting the wellbeing, diverse and vigor of life on earth.
Effects of global warming:
A. Extreme weather The effects of global warming are many and still being discovered today but the primary effects of global warming are extreme weather and climate change, continued ice melt of glaciers at the poles and the continued increase of damaging UV rays reaching the earths surface.
The recent tsunami off the coast of India and the surrounding areas are more evidence to support that the earth's climate is changing to the extreme. In 2003 a warning was issued by the World Meteorological Organization to the world that extreme weather had taken place and this further feeds the idea that the earth's weather is becoming more unstable and extreme. The W.M.O. has been monitoring the temperature of the globe for some 144 years and they report that the predictions of the past have come to light and that in the years 1998, 2001 and 2002 have been the warmest on record. Here in America there has been many extreme weather patters from the decade long drought in the southwest to record wet in the south east. Hurricanes are forming and coming ashore more often with every new fall in the eastern united states. This type of extreme weather causes heavy damage to property and the environment due to heavy winds, rain and storm surge. The debris and pollutants that is washed into lakes and streams and then eventually to the ocean from these massive storms will further change the natural environment. These are all signs that the weather is changing to the more extreme and unstable.
With the steady rise in average temperature across the world the more unstable the atmosphere becomes and this then changes the jet stream and in turn puts new weather patters in place. These new weather patterns then affect new areas unaccustomed to this pattern change. This winter alone has seen record rain fall in the areas of southern California and this increase in rain have caused major land slides in the coastal towns and flash flooding in the desert regions. The Pacific Northwest has seen record drought during this same time period and a water emergency has been issued in this area from Oregon to Canada. The jet stream has shifted south to give rain farther south then normal and leaving Seattle and surrounding areas with very little rain that is unusual for that part of the country. This is another recent piece of evidence that global warming changes weather patterns and its effects on the country are very real.
B. The changing climate Climate change could be one benefit from global warming. A study done on global vegetation showed that a warmer earth is a greener earth. The study, first reported in the June 6 issue of Science, addresses the question of how global vegetation has responded to changes in precipitation, temperature, and cloud cover patterns. These climate factors determine how vegetation grows. The data was gathered between 1982 through 1999 and an increase of 6 percent in vegetation was observed. The most increase was in the Amazon basin that accounted for 42 percent of the global increase in vegetation, according to the study. In the Amazon cloud cover determines the rate of growth and during the observed time an increase in sunshine was recorded. With more sunshine the Amazon plants were able to photosynthesize for a longer period of time and produce more energy for growth. In other parts of the world like Australia, India, and southern Africa, water is the primary force for vegetation growth. In the last few decades these areas have experienced more rain then usual, and thus, increased plant growth, according to the research. The positive to this greater amount of plant growth is more food to help feed the increase in population across the globe. Also the plants convert carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) into energy and then give off oxygen as the by product. This by definition should help global warming and reverse the current process but scientists caution that despite an ideal scenario global warming will be with us for another 100 years at the least. This is true because the oceans, which make up roughly 90% of the earths surface, are the driving force to climate change since they cool and heat slower then the atmosphere does.
NASA satellites launched in 1999 as part of the space agency's Earth Observing System will continue to monitor the Earth to determine if the current patterns in vegetative production continue.
C. Melting ice and glaciers The massive ice sheets in Greenland are melting according to Jonathan Gregory, the new study's lead author and a climate scientist at the University of Reading in England. Gregory says that this is a real possibility if current global warming trends continue at the present rate. The melting that is predicted by this new study would then begin as early as this century. This is a scary thought for the future as the sea would rise globally by 23 feet putting Los Angeles and all of Florida under water to name a few. Greenland mean temperature will need to rise just 3 degrees for this to occur and by the year 2100 it will come to pass as the study predicts. This melting will not be instantaneous but it will over time gradually raise the sea level and this melted ice is not likely to return to Greenland. The polar ice caps as well are at risk of beginning to melt but not for a while and if that where to happen there would be far less land then there currently is now. The mighty ice sheets of the world are very susceptible to global climate warming with just a few degrees to play with. Once the melting cycle starts it is very unlikely that it will be return to the way that it was as least not for a very long time say millions of years.
D. Increase in ultra violet rays Skin cancer is caused by in part from skin being over exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. The ozone layer keeps these harmful rays from reaching the earth's surface to a minimum and thus making the planet habitable to many plants and animals to include humans. The increase of greenhouse gases to include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere that causes global warming is eating away at this very important layer called the ozone and making holes in it at the point where it is the thinnest. The area of the planet where the ozone layer is thinnest is at the poles due to these areas being very cold. The South Pole has been observed by scientists to have a hole in the ozone layer and has been monitored since 1986 by NOAA and other related organizations. The first real sign of the loss in the ozone layer has occurred this past winter with the mean temperature in the layer at its lowest in fifty years. A large area of polar stratospheric clouds has been present in the area and is now the largest it has been in twenty years. These observations confirm that the layer is depleting and be cause for concern. It is estimated that it will require at least 50 years before adequate chlorine and bromine has been removed from the stratosphere by natural processes and the Antarctic ozone hole disappears. (Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory 2005) As of know the ozone layer across the globe has thinned by 10% of its original thickness since 1979 so more harmful UV rays are passing through and causing future health problems.
Causes of global warming:
A. Ozone Depletion The thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere could cause the warming of the globe to accelerate. The added amount of ultra violet rays reaching the earth from this depletion will change the rate of plant production and produce fewer crops. The oceans will as well be affected by the increased UV rays. The reduction in productivity of surface-dwelling phytoplankton, which could upset aquatic food webs, decrease yields of seafood eaten by humans, and possibly accelerated global warming by decreasing the uptake of CO2 by phytoplankton.(Miller pp.263) The other effects of ozone depletion are human health problems such as skin cancer, cataracts and more severe sun burns. The most concerning cause of the thinning ozone layer is the reduced production of plant life on the planet. The less plant life that is around to take up the CO2 production the less clean air will be available and thus contributing to more accumulation of greenhouse gasses.
B. Clear cutting the jungle forests At the national aquarium in Baltimore there is an exhibit that shows the density of the world jungles as they were just some 30 years ago. The display is then interactive as visitors can push on a future date and see the rapid decline of the forests. Today there is just a bit of wild jungle left in the world to see. The jungle is a huge supplier of clean air to the world as it takes up a tremendous amount of carbon from the air and converts it into energy for the forest and the living breathing organisms of the world. As this type of forest disappears from clear cutting more and more greenhouse gases is left in the atmosphere to further blanket the earth and warm it.
C. Over population of the earth One example of population growth is in India, where population has gone from approximately 650 million people in 1983 to more than 1 billion people who live there today. The population growth has been growing exponentially for more then 100 years now. The countries hardest hit by population explosions are the third world countries like Africa, Latin America and the areas of Asia. In these areas the 35 percent of the people are under 15 years of age. The population grows at a rate of 1 million people every four days in these developing countries. It is projected that by the year 2020 the combined population of Africa and Asia will equal the amount of people living on the entire planet right now which is 6 billion. Eighty percent of the world's populations live in these developing countries but they only own 15 percent of the world's wealth and use only about 12 percent of the worlds resources. America has the most wealth and uses the most natural resources of any other country on the planet. The problem with over population as it contributes to global warming is that more forests will be clear cut for crops. All of the jungles of the planet are in these developing countries with the highest population and the jungles are rapidly disappearing. The poorest people of the world tend to have more children due to the low mortality rate but this puts a greater strain on the natural resources. The choices that they make will not be earth friendly ones but survival ones such as cutting the forest so they can eat.
D. The overindulgence of natural resources Global warming can be attributed to mostly human activities. The excess use of fossil fuels is the biggest support of global warming. The more carbon that is used the more it contributes to greenhouse gasses. Many countries use much more natural resources then are needed including the United States. The airline industry has been hurt greatly since 9/11 but the earth has welcomed this. The day that all flights were grounded in the U.S. did much to give mother earth a needed breath of fresh air. This event not only saved fuel but eliminated the release of carbon dioxide for one day. Air traffic is second only to the automobile in the contribution to global warming. The continued overindulgence of natural resources by humans will certainly contribute to global warming as this is the biggest threat.
Solutions to global warming:
A. Lowering fossil fuel consumption This by far is the biggest thing humans can do to prevent the acceleration of global warming. The modern industrialized countries need to learn to live on less and waste less. Cities such as Las Vegas are fuel guzzlers for the purpose of luxury and fat living. America is the largest user and waster of fossil fuels in the world. One way to reduce is to rely more on mass transit as the Europeans have done. Latin America has done more to help global warming yet they use the least of the resources. In Curitiba Brazil with a population of 2.1 million this is a standard for lowering fuel consumption. In this city trees are every where and a permit is needed to cut one down and two must be planted if one is cut down. The bus system is arguably the best in the world and carries 75 percent of the cities commuters and shoppers. There are also 90 miles of bike paths in Curitiba alone which further helps reduces the car traffic. This city has very clean air and citizens and politicians who work together for the good of the environment as they have realized the importance to do so.
B. Population control China has done a drastic measure to help curb its population growth by limiting its couples to just one child per household. The best way according to the democratic society to deal with population growth is education. The more people know of the impact to over population and its demand on the natural resources the better choices people will make. Also preventing poverty will help in population control because this will increase the mortality rate and the need to have more children will diminish. If the population of the world can stay steady then the earth and its natural cycles will begin to catch up and global warming will be on the right track once again. If there are less people to influence the environment by their activities them there will be less emitted greenhouse gases.
C. Limit urban sprawl and deforestation By limiting urban sprawl more of the forest can be saved and people are forced to live in closer proximity to one another. This will help to insure that people take care of the home and community that they presently live in instead of buying further and further out to escape rundown communities. The luxury of large homes and its wastefulness of resources must be curbed in some way. The loss of natural forest and habitat is now to costly to go if global warming is to be curbed in the future. The areas where growth has taken place should be redeveloped to provide newer and upgraded energy efficient structures that are earth healthy rather then wasted.
D. Living a sustainable lifestyle To live a sustainable life requires people to give up certain luxuries of the modern society for the good of the earth. This statement is much easier said then done but is manageable if the right attitude is instilled in the minds of every day people. Every April 20th is declared earth day in this country and people are encouraged to ride a bike to work are use public transportation. The gas powered car for instance is one luxury that must be given up in order to live a sustainable lifestyle. Other more optimistic scientists believe that the remaining available supply of crude oil will make that decision an easy one. They state that once fuel becomes scarce the emissions will then be reversed and the planet will begin to cool again. Estimates have showed that the world will run out of fossil fuels as early as the next century. The hydrogen fuel cell is a good alternative fuel source but much more will need to be developed for this technology to be readily available to all people.
Also there are organized community clean ups on this day and other events that support good green living. This event however needs to be an everyday decision for people if we truly want to live sustainable lifestyles and reverse the trend of global warming.
There are many ways humans can help with the global warming problem and give mother earth a helping hand. One such way is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in everyday life such as only own cars with a 35 mpg rating or more. Other ways include car pools, public transportation, walking more and bicycling. Planting and taking care of more trees to help absorb the carbon dioxide in the air. It has been estimated that one tree will absorb enough carbon dioxide in its life time to balance the amount given off by the average automobile when driven 26 thousand miles. Keep lots of plants inside and outside as well to help the carbon absorption. A home can be insulated properly to keep in heat during the winter and coolness in the summer. All of these changes save energy, money and improve the quality of health for the planet.
Conclusion:
A leading conservation biologist in Leeds United kingdom predicts that a million species of plants and animals are on the road to extinction by the year 2050 or 45 years from now. This is a sad prediction and some scientists believe that Homo sapiens are not far behind on that list which is an even more sad and scary prediction. Human kind must act now if we want mother earth to take care of us in the future. Global warming is still a big issue and we must act now and change the way we live. If we take care of the earth then it will take care of us.