Climate Change and Global Warming Essay

Planet Earth, our only home and shelter is slowly being poisoned by none other than the species it protects from harm, humans. As humans have evolved over time, so have their needs. These needs have propelled humans to discover sources of energy which we now use in our daily lives. So was the case when oil and fossil fuels were discovered and are now used as gasoline that fuels our modern transportation (ex: cars, planes, trains, etc.) as well as electricity. Such things have become essential to us in our day-to-day life, but that which is now essential is threatening the wellbeing of not only Earth but humans as well. Climate change and global warming are phenomena which are a result of the usage of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Although many are skeptical of the legitimacy of climate change, it is without a doubt a phenomenon brought upon by human consumption of greenhouse gas emissions. Precisely about these problems, we will talk in this work 'Climate Change and Global Warming Essay'.

Before explaining why humans are influencing climate change and global warming, needing to know what they are is crucial. Although the terms global warming and climate change are usually used interchangeably, they refer to slightly different things. Global warming according to NASA, who is a U.S. agency responsible for science and technology related to air and space, “refers to the long-term warming of the planet” which has been “documented since the early 20th century” caused by greenhouse gases. Climate change also according to NASA “encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet” such as “rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers” which are the “consequences of warming caused mainly by people burning fossil fuels” and “putting out heat-trapping into the air.” The burning of fossil fuels and oils produces Carbon Dioxide which contributes to the Greenhouse Effect. The Greenhouse Effect is the trapping of the sun’s warmth which causes the warming of the Earth’s surface and the air above it. As stated by the Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy, a department whose purpose is to protect and conserve the environment, water, and heritage of Australia explains that “the greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface” brought by “the Sun’s energy which reaches the atmosphere while some are reflected back to space or re-radiated by greenhouse gasses.” The Greenhouse effect is a necessity seeing as it keeps Earth livable by holding onto some of the heat energy so it will not all escape towards space. The reason why the greenhouse effect is seen as negative nowadays is because of how humans have altered and added more greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere creating Earth to be warmer in the process. This would also be the case and vice versa if Earth had minimal greenhouse gasses as it would get colder.

Humans are the main culprits in the warming and harming of Earth. As stated before, the greenhouse effect is necessary in order to keep Earth going however humans have been releasing huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and such actions have forcefully increased the temperature on Earth. As addressed by The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine, a nonprofit institution that provides expert advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation as well as the world state that “scientists know that the warming climate is caused by human activities” due to “burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.” It was also noted that in “Earth’s distant past, it would take between 5,000 to 20,000 years to see the amount of change in carbon dioxide levels that humans have caused in just the last 60 years” which is mind-boggling. Some may oppose that humans are not responsible for such levels of warming on Earth and that today’s warming is no different than previous warming periods in past, this, however, is false for natural changes in the Sun and Earth are not able to explain our current levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Fossil Fuel Company are heavily respons

The effects of climate change and global warming are becoming an impending doom for humankind. Earth is being affected severely and is progressing to the point of no return. Extreme weather also comes with climate change which comes as a result of humans having dirtied the weather by using dirty energy sources like oil, coal, and gas. The Climate Change Reality Project, founded by Vice President Al Gore to educate and move the conversation of global warming forward and turn awareness into action all around the world warns about the dangers such extreme weather will have for our health. The air quality humans are accustomed to will only get worse if “pollution from burning fossil fuels continues.” Pollution of the air is also possible through wildfires and imposes a risk to the well-being of humans for “wildfire smoke carries fine particles that can penetrate deep into your lungs.” Exposure to wildfire smoke particles has been linked to lung and heart disease or failure, burning eyes, and death. National Geographic, a global nonprofit organization who are committed to protecting and exploring our planet agrees with the claim that global warming and climate change are horrible for the health of humankind. They point out that “greenhouse gasses have far-ranging environmental and health effects” and also “contribute to respiratory disease from smog and air pollution.” Earth becoming warmer will also make humans more prone to the contraction of vector-borne diseases according to by The Climate Change Reality Project. Vector-borne diseases are illnesses spread by insects or arachnids like mosquitoes, fleas, mites, and ticks.” As Earth becomes warmer, “some insects will see their geographic ranges grow - bringing the Lyme disease and West Nile or Zika viruses.” The illnesses contracted by these insects cause fever and aches as well as sores that are felt around the body. The extreme weather could cause another horrific incident like Hurricane Harvey that of which was a category 4 hurricane which left catastrophic flooding and death in its wake all over Texas and Louisiana. Hurricanes, as well as Typhoons, work like “giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel” which presents a problem if global warming continues to warm up the planet. These devastating hurricanes would be more common and so will the disaster it leaves behind. Many will lose their homes, cars, and other valuable possessions they hold dear. The loss of loved ones will also be more prominent in such extreme weather conditions. Even Though extreme weather warrants more rain to fall, climate change actually increases the risk of severe drought. As The Climate Reality Project has observed, “contrary to what you might expect, more intense rain does not necessarily mean wetter or healthier soils. Quite the opposite. Rain that falls as a violent downpour does not gently soak into the soil, and instead quickly runs off into rivers and is carried back to the sea, leaving the land to get drier between periods of precipitation.” Droughts, and in this case severe droughts harm the economy and lead to devastating social disasters, such as famine, forced migration away from drought-stricken areas, and conflict over remaining resources. Not only will humans be affected, but the vegetation and wildlife as well.

With such terrifying events that are bound to happen if humans continue down the path of harming the environment, there are many individuals who are trying to prevent or contain it. The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes to cut emissions ExxonMobil is the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, and (the country leading the way for renewable)Sweden is aiming to be the world’s first fossil fuel-free nation. In 2015, Sweden brought forth its ambitious goal of “eliminating fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2040 within their borders”. Sweden has ramped up their investment of “solar, wind, energy storage, smart grids, and clean transportation.” Costa Rica, over the past 4 years has achieved 95% renewable electricity. Costa Rica has “produced 95% of its electricity from hydro, geothermal, solar and wind over the past four years.” The next goal Costa Rica has on their agenda is to “be entirely carbon-neutral by 2021.” By doing so, Costa Rica is trying to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as possible. This is a huge step in the right direction but just becoming carbon neutral unfortunately will not stop climate change completely. However, it is necessary to move forward because with the reduction of carbon dioxide being emitted to the atmosphere, climate change and global warming will slowly but surely come to a halt with extra precautions put in place. Many other nations are adopting becoming carbon neutral as well in order to prevent the horrific effects of climate change. Scotland is working on building the world’s largest floating wind farm. These wind farms are placed in the ocean because the offshore wind speeds are typically faster than that of the wind speed on land. Scotland answered its energy needs by using wind power. The wind power produced by the floating wind farms will “generate 98% of Scotland’s electricity needs”. Germany is a world leader in renewable energy in their respective right. During the first half of 2018, Germany “produced enough electricity to power every household in the country for a year.” They have also set the “ambitious target to get 65% of their electricity from renewables by 2030.” Although Germany is a rather cloudy country with over 80 million people, they are very optimistic to move forward with solar energy. If we summarize essays on climate change and global warming, then in my opinion this topic is very relevant.