The major question in environmental contemporary issues is, ‘is man responsible for the fast increasing global warming in the globe?’ this paper supports the fact that man is sorely responsible for the widespread global warming. However, man is only responsible to a certain extent and similarly, nature is has its portion of contribution in the vice.
Currently climate change continues to dominate in the globe. Relatively, there is a remarkable increase in global population such that there is a highly pronounced impact on the available natural resources. Since man entirely survives on nature. Currently the rate at which human beings depend upon nature is higher than nature can support. This implies that nature is gradually being degraded.
The food chain approach
In any given ecosystem, there must be a food chain which dictates the order in which major components of the ecosystem feed. In the current situation, man is top on the food chain. This is an indication that man depends on most components of the ecosystem for survival. Whenever there is any form of imbalance, one of the components in the ecosystem is subjected to degradation. Currently, vegetation is under pressure and at risk of degradation due to human overdependence on wood. Similarly, human increasing population has resulted into more demand for land for settlement and other activities alike. Man is exploring every corner of the globe and by default nature is one of the major avenues that have been left unturned (Briand and Cohen 1987).
Reasons why human beings are core causes of global warming are as explained in the following arguments. First is that the increased demand of land for settlement and other relative activities causes imbalance in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere such that the rate of absorption and retention of heat in the atmosphere increases. This has been gradually been increasing with respect to time which basically explains the reason why there is an increased rate of global warming (Briand and Cohen 1987).
Inertial factors include increase in atmospheric temperature as a result of desertification. Once there is an increase in the atmospheric temperature, temperature tends to continually increase causing the temperatures to induce drying up of the available vegetation and this in turn causes decrease in the amount d available vegetation. This phenomenon explains the encroachment effect of the sun (Arthur et al 1998).
Human beings are also causative agents because of the activities in which they engage in. one of the major activities in industrialization. Processing and manufacturing industries are so rampant due to the fact that due to increased human activities, there is demand for food for sustenance. Unfortunately, the numerous activities with which human beings have involved themselves with do not build natural resources but degrade them.
Lack of practicality with which human beings build the environment has been so prevalent that despite the fact that many policies are being reviewed to preserve forests, the need surpasses these efforts. Therefore there is need for leniency which contributes to people having to depend on the environment (Arthur et al 1998). On the similar aspect, efforts for efforts to enhance forestation have to a great extent grown futile since the rate of growth of planted forests is slower than the increased demand. Increased exhaustion of the soil has caused the rate of growth of forests to be slower. Climate conditions are relatively worse due to deteriorated climatic conditions. As a result planted trees take longer than they could have taken initially. Planted forests also take time to harbor support ecosystems which in effect imply that it is very impossible to create fully fledged forests.
Human disposal activities are destructive to the environment. Chemicals which are released on the ground destroy cellular microorganisms in the soil such that initial soil properties are altered. Therefore vegetation initially supported cannot be supported. Industrial chemicals drained into water bodies like rivers, lakes and oceans destroy planktons. This has currently been so effective in the ocean where the rate of carbon dioxide absorption decreased by almost half over the last few decades. This means a double tragedy since the rate at which carbon dioxide is absorbed from the environment has drastically reduced.
Mining is another human activity which contributes to global warming. One of the ways through which the vice contributes to global warming is through underground mining. This is because, during the mining process, the soil that many miles deep is brought onto the ground and this generally alters soil quality hence vegetation cannot grow effectively. In some places, vegetation completely fails to grow and this leads to adverse biodegradation. A good example is the mining of gold.
Mining of oil is also very effective as far as degradation of the environment is concerned. Oil mining sites are normally flooded with oil and thus aeration of the soil is altered. Some oil mining sites have contributed to destruction of marine life, a factor which has direly affected the rate of carbon dioxide balance in the universe (Turk and Bensel 2011).
Industrial products like refrigerators produce chlorofluorocarbons which compose of the main compound which leads to the wearing away of the ozone layer. The ozone layer prevents certain sun rays from penetrating and reaching the earth’s atmosphere. These rays are not only harmful to biodiversity but also contribute to drastic increase temperatures in the earth’s atmosphere. However, this is not a major factor which contributes to global.
Human exploration on the universe is an evident factor which indicates that mainly some of the land is reclaimed from sea and the polar cover. However, despite the fact human activities alter these areas, they end destroying the existing ecosystem (Arthur et al 1998). For instance, for man to be able to reclaim land from the sea, some major living organisms, which have their varying impacts?
Despite the fact that many factors are involved in natural balance of natural resources, it is evident and unfortunate that the various ecosystems are dynamic. Nature cannot adapt to the current conditions since they are changing actively with time (Pearce 2007).
However, human mind cannot be fully liable to the impacts of global warming. Various natural factors have basically contributed the impacts of nature. One of the natural factors is volcanic eruption. Extreme volcanic eruptions has been known to cause a heat wave and hence a sudden increase in temperature over a wide area. Volcanic eruptions have been observed to cause devastating effects on the climatic conditions.
Another natural factor which contributes to global warming is increase in solar heat. Sun rays have been gradually increasing in their magnitude. This is to some extent attributed to the theoretical analogies that the size of the sun in changing gradually over time. Therefore, there is likelihood that some rays from the sun, with a shorter wavelength are released. Changing climatic conditions are as a result of the changed atmosphere.
Another major factor that is natural activities attributed for the natural activities in the ability to develop questions, the scope of the study and mainly the essence of the study in relation to the prevailing current environmental conditions.
Finally, all factors which contribute to global warming are natural. Just the way nature has its way of self regulations; it should get into the cycle of self regulation. For instance, carbon dioxide is natural. Additionally, other factors which are causatives of global warming are all natural, for instance, increase in temperatures increases the level of clouds and a continuous airflow. This implies that there could be other factors which are responsible for global warming.
References
Arthur C. A., Conrado R. M., Odin L. (1998). The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Briand, F.; Cohen, J. E. (1987). Environmental correlates of food chain length. Science (4829): 956–960. Retrieved: http://www.ethanolstocks.com/food_chain/encyclopedia.htm
Pearce, Fred, (2007). With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. Boston: Beacon Press.
Rivington M, Matthews K. B, Buchan K, Miller D (2005). An integrated assessment approach to investigate options for mitigation and adaptation to climate change at the farm-scale. NJF Seminar 380, Odense, Denmark. Retrieved: http://www.enotes.com/topic/Climate_change_mitigation
Turk, J., & Bensel, T. (2011). Contemporary environmental issues. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUSCI207.10.1
