Man and Global Warming
Each year, a person creates their own carbon print from the time he wakes up and to the activities he does before sleeping. These carbon prints would be then multiply to match the entire population of the globe, and it doubles with the amount of carbon emissions from all nations. Adding these numbers, one could easily estimate that it is the same amount of pollution that causes the problem of global warming today. Many experts have argued as to what actually induced global warming, from the arguments it is a natural occurrence, to the fact that it is influenced by man’s development. However, considering the increasing development of man’s machinery and his need for energy creates pollution that ultimately causes the globe to warm up as it is now. With man as the primary suspect in the increasing global temperatures and high rate of harmful pollution, man is now trying his best to resolve and eliminate the risks caused by global warming.
According to Maslin (2007) anthropogenic global warming or man-induced global warming comes from most of his activities, such as the creation of energy and his use of chemicals and machinery that causes contamination and pollution. The first hints of anthropogenic global warming is seen in 1896 with Svante Arrhenius’ discovery that human activity fosters the increasing rate of carbon dioxide production that is recorded in the atmosphere. Sources, according to Arrhenius, could be from factories, chemicals and pollution from various man-made activities. However, many did not consider Arrhenius’ study to be a plausible theory to explain the rising temperatures of the planet; having the theory accepted as one of the minor factors which influence his Ice Age theory. Since the release of Arrhenius’ study on Ice Age, and subsequently, his theory on man’s influence to the environment, other scientists tried to explain it by noting that other factors could have influenced global warming. This could either be from the cosmic weather changes or patterns of natural calamities, which also influence how natural changes happen such as tidal waves and production. It has been noted that there have been cases wherein scientists discovered sunspots, which affected the production of food in the European region. Volcanoes have also influenced the climate as it produced massive sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxide, which also fostered a barrier that trapped the sun’s radiation to the Earth instead of this radiation returning back to space. There is also a study in 1940 that showcased that global warming was influenced by the Earth’s change of orbit as it revolves around the sun, causing the end of the Ice Age and influenced the globe. Some studies in the period have also cited that even if human kind continues to produce carbon dioxide, it would not influence the climate. Carbon dioxide itself is see as a capable protection from the sun’s radiation and would continue to remains scarce. Experts who have accepted this argument also noted that a high CO2 emission would absorb more radiation once these particles are in the atmosphere .
However, there where scientists that have seen the relationship of additional carbon dioxide production, coming from man, and how it influences climate change. Pittock (2009) noted that Charles Keeling and Roger Revelle had created theories that showcased that as carbon dioxide continues to increase, global warming’s effects also increases. Several studies have already supported the Revelle-Keeling discovery as it shown that man has indeed influenced the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Magazines and newspapers showcased photos of coal smoke coming out from factories and houses, showing how others saw the Revelle-Keeling discovery more acceptable. Several international and regional scientific and political organizations have also supported Keeling and Revelle such as the World Meteorological Organization in 1976 and the United Nations Environment Program in 1985. Both groups posed several advisories that warns the people for their action, and how it could spell disaster should it not be prevented. Additional studies have also showcased the effects of global warming to the environment should man continue to use down natural resources such as fossil fuels and animal and plant life without regulation. The IPCC had also launched its own report that climate change or global warming is indeed fostered by man as many nations are now dependent on oil, coal and other forms of fossil fuel; which then produces high concentrations of CO2 emissions. Currently, China and the United States are the leading consumers of fossil fuels, which still increases each year.
According to the assessment done by Eichler (2007), significant global changes have been reported since the time the global warming issue had been introduced to the public. Surface temperatures have increased from 0.5 to 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit since the end of the 19th century, exhibiting temperatures that are considerably warmer than the rest. Several snow covers have also been reported to have melted, causing sea levels to shot up to eight inches and increases each year. The Arctic had also been reported to have warmed up eight times higher in a century as compared to the Pre-Industrial Revolution Period, subsequently causing several ice shelves and snow caps to melt. Some of the notable signs of these changes could be seen in Mt. Kilimanjaro, Antarctica, and in Glacier National Park. Reports have also noted the high velocity and severity of global weather and natural calamities, damaging any country that goes along its path. These warmed up temperatures, as well as the changing seasons now influences the ecosystem as fawn and fauna are now having problems coping up with the changes, making it hard for humans as well to cope up with the heat and food source production. With these changes induced by the global warming phenomenon, the international community and the various governments around the globe are now trying to reduce the risks imposed by global warming through various policies, programs and initiatives supported by each nation .
The international community has already established several discussions, protocols, and programs to aid various nations in reducing their carbon footprint and contribution to global warming. Proposals of creating alternative energy sources and sustainability measures have already been placed around the globe to help in the global warming efforts. The WMO and the UNEP joined forces to set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1988 which serves as the body that assesses the situation of the globe with the problem of climate change. International agreements and negotiations are also placed through the UN to limit and restrict greenhouse gas emissions and adapt policies that would lessen the burdens caused by climate change. The IPCC had already released four principal Assessment Reports from 1990 to 2007, detailing the possible scenarios on how climate change/global warming can be influenced should emissions increase or decrease. The UN had also created the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in February 1991, which serves as the head of talks in devising policies and principles that would stabilize member country’s emissions and pollution rate. Several meetings have already been done by the UNFCCC, which was made famous by the Conference of Parties 3 held in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. The COP-3 meeting launched the creation of the Kyoto Protocol, designed to create a guideline on how greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced from both Annex I and Annex II nations .
Several other meetings were also held by the UN to reduce the influence and impact of global warming. According to Doyle and Wynn (2010), the United Nations has seen the pledges of the 110 member states of the UN who took part in the Copenhagen Accords. The pledge constituted the reduction of world temperatures up to 2 degrees Celsius each year. However, the report written by the authors stressed that the solution to limiting the emissions would not be enough to create such temperature drop each year without assessing how the Kyoto Protocol would enforce the action. It is also noted that the Kyoto Accords itself is better than the solutions filed in Copenhagen Accords, due to the number of policies and changes it has administered to the nations that ratified it. For the UN’s actions on emission reduction to work, the organization must acquire 100% support from all nations to remove the threats global warming has in the country. Considerably, states themselves must also work with their constituents to enforce change and reduce the possible emissions and pollution the public could administer without guidance .
Man’s continuous improvement as well as his creations continues to influence the growth of global warming in an alarming rate that now threatens the entire planet. On the one hand, it is certainly arguable that every cycle has a natural cause, which may foster severe damages. This can also be seen in the case of global warming, as natural causes also influences its growth and the impact such as natural calamities and the changing cosmic weather outside the planet. However, on the other hand, the natural occurrences themselves could be overwhelmed with other factors that also the same effect. In the case of global warming, anthropogenic global warming fosters severe damage that now creates the calamities and problems which makes global warming dangerous. With global warming rapidly influencing the cycle of the ecosystem, sustainability is also put at risk as resources are now as scarce as they could be and the environment no longer can sustain enough life without presenting risks. It is to this extent that humans are now working various policies and programs to revive this sustainability despite the increase man-induced global warming.
References
Doyle, A., & Wynn, G. (2010, March 31). Copenhagen Accord climate pledges too weak: UN. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/31/us-climate-accord-idUSTRE62U13M20100331
Eichler, B. (2007). Climate Change. In L. Hjorth, B. Eichler, A. Khan, & J. Morello, Technology and Society Issues for the 21st Century and Beyond (pp. 244-259). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Maslin, M. (2007). Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future. Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company.
Pittock, B. (2009). Climate change: the science, impacts and solutions. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.
