Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Man Warms Up The Earth Essay
Abstract Many causes of global warming have been theorized by scientists and researchers for decades. Some say it is caused by natural causes like orbital planetary alignments and geothermal progression of the earth while there are many who contradict by saying that man has brought it upon himself through his constant abuse of the environment. Economical and political principles add up to the confusing problem being focused on. Whatever the causes may truly be, global warming is already causing enough trouble for mankind and everything should be done to stop or slow it down. Man Warms Up The Earth            Global warming is a very sensitive issue in the scientific field. Many scientists and environmentalists are doing their best to create programs for governments and communities to become more aware of human activities that are aggravating the situation. Many people believe that industrialization and other capitalist concerns have to stop or slacken its pace to rehabilitate the damaged environment. There are those, however, who also believe that nature is simply running its usual course and that man does not have any way to stop it.            The debates have grown mostly in favor of those who believe that man causes global warming. A large number of studies have already been released and reported through different media like television, radio, newspapers, scientific journals, magazines, etc. Countries have already tried to address the problem by convening through agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Protocol. Assessments of these activities, however, do not always show that the agreements have been enough to really create change in the damage mankind has been doing to his environment.            These studies, agreements and activities lead to the conclusion that global warming and earth’s destruction is inevitable and coming too fast. It creates a sense of panic for those who would read and listen to the debates being engaged in by scientists and environmentalists. This paper seeks to know the real causes of global warming and to conclude whether man truly gives a great contribution to the issue. What is global warming?            Global warming pertains to the increasing hot temperature within the planet. According to scientific studies, carbon dioxide and methane gases collect in the atmosphere and form a sort of thick blanket that traps the heat within the earth. When heat is trapped, the resulting climate becomes warmer and changes the natural temperature and weather of the planet.            Although global warming seems just a simple change towards hotter temperatures, its effects can be devastating. Warmer temperatures can make glaciers melt which can cause the release of greenhouse gases and unavoidable water shortages in certain areas of the globe. The melting ice can also cause big floods that can drown out many parts of the world.  Warmer sea surfaces can lead to more serious hurricanes. The rising temperature also causes the increase of pests and the diseases that come along with it. The change in temperature can also affect the many habitats of the 30 million other creatures on earth and further their extinction which will upset the ecological balance even more. Man may be the only driving force towards these changes yet these affect the total population of the whole world.            According to different scientists, global warming has two major causes: natural and man-made or anthropogenic. Natural Causes – Theories and Myths?            Global warming, some scientists believe, is a predicament that is inevitable because of the earth’s cycle of climate changes and natural emission of greenhouse gases by living creatures. Evidences have been given to show that these factors are the main cause of the issue.            Climate Change Cycle. Scientists say that the earth changes its climate every thousands of years although there are variations to the number being projected. There are those who believe that the cycle is every 40,000 years but according to the studies made by Tom Scheffelin (2007), a member of the California Air Resources Board, the climate cycles may be within periods of 1,800 years. He argues that based on marine scientist, Otto Pettersson, the relation of the sun with the orbital alignment of the earth and its moon occurs in the suggested period and this causes the alteration of underwater movement which in turn results to a modified ocean temperature change that consequently revises climate. Pettersson’s theory is based on his own review of many studies including Peter Freuchen’s Book of the Seven Seas (2003) which gives concrete observations and evaluations of tidal cycles. This theory was supported by Dr. Charles Keeling, a carbon dioxide scientist, through his research entitled, â€Å"The 1,800-Year Oceanic Tidal Cycle: A Possible Cause of Rapid Climate Change,†which gives many analysis of ice-core and deep-sea sediment-core records regarding the past million years. According to these theories, the planet shall continue to warm up until the year 2350 and may only return to its current state of temperature after around 900 years.            Carbon Dioxide Emissions. Living creatures naturally emit carbon dioxide as a product of breathing in oxygen. Also according to Scheffelin, current carbon dioxide emissions should not be affecting climate change towards global warming as other scientists propose. â€Å"Carbon dioxide levels track temperature changes between 300 to 1,000 years after the temperature has changed. â€Å" (par. 8) This simply means that carbon dioxide responds to normal biological activity and does not create changes in the earth’s climate.            Methane Gas Emissions and the Arctic Tundra. Some scientists believe that the Arctic Tundra’s gradual thawing is a natural phenomenon and should not cause concern. These researchers theorize that the geothermal heat radiating from the core of the earth is causing the oceans to get warmer. While this is happening, the ocean slowly stops absorbing carbon dioxide at its present rate.  This is a cause for concern because the carbon dioxide content of oceans are fifty times greater than the amount in the atmosphere. Therefore, even if only a two percent decrease rate happens, the amount contained by the atmosphere shall double and cause the oceans to increase its hot temperature even more. There are also theories that say that if the shallow Arctic Ocean will get warmer, it shall release more methane gas which will eventually make the atmosphere even warmer. Al Gore, in his book, The Shadow Our Future Throws (2006), explains that this can cause a great acceleration for global warming. When the tundra begins to thaw, methane gases will be emitted to the atmosphere and â€Å"each methane molecule is twenty times more effective as a greenhouse gas than each molecule of carbon dioxide.†(p. 53) Man-Made Causes            Many causes of global warming are currently being attributed to man’s own destruction of his environment. Specific causes include fossil fuel burning, pollution, population, poor knowledge of environmental use and economic policies that threaten our natural resources.            Fossil Fuel Burning. According to scientists, the burning of fossil fuels release carbon dioxide molecules into the air and these form a thick blanket that traps heat within the planet. Fossil fuel is needed for many of the machines and transportation vehicles that man is using for economic development. Without fossil fuel, industries will not be able to flourish and the economies of many countries will fall.            Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas that attributes to the entrapment of heat within the earth. Fossil fuels, as the name implies, are resources that have to be uncovered from the earth’s layers underground. Digging up fossil fuel not only releases carbon dioxide but also methane, another greenhouse gas. Continual excavation for fuel and the resulting release of greenhouse gases is therefore dangerous. However, digging up these greenhouse gases is only the start of the problem because the conversion of fossil fuel and its use also result to pollution that adds to the growing problem of global warming.            Pollution. Air pollution is one of the greatest concerns of environmentalists. Scientists who support these ecologically concerned groups say that emissions from cars and other vehicles that use fossil fuel are worsening global warming. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (2007), automobiles are the second largest source of carbon emissions which creates around 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly from the United States alone.            From another part of the planet, Asians have also studied their own contribution to the problem of carbon dioxide emissions. In a study made by Dollaris Suhadi and his colleagues (2005) from the environmental studies faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia, the photochemical smog in Metropolitan Jakarta is also a major contributor to the problem of air pollution.  According to researchers, photochemical smog is a condition that develops when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are created by the burning of fossil fuel and biomass and are mixed with sunlight to produce dangerous secondary gas pollutants. Ground-level ozone is then produced. The results of the research concludes that smog pollution potential in the location is high because of the increasing traffic emissions of ozone precursors and the meteorological conditions (warm tropic temperature, high solar radiation and calm wind conditions). (p. 118)            Coal burning is also another major contributor to air pollution. This activity is common to many countries because it is a process necessary to get power for the operation of many machinery.  Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution  they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. (Natural Resources Defense Council, par. 1)            Ozone Layer. In the 1980s, concern over the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in chemical production was raised in relation to global warming. According to a report published on In Focus, a newsletter propagated by the Interhemispheric Resource Center and Institute for Policy Studies, CFCs and other chemicals are destroying the ozone layer of the earth. The ozone layer is important because it blocks off enough ultra violet rays of the sun towards the earth. Excessive exposure to the ultra violet rays causes skin cancer. According to the report, ozone layer depletion is masking the problem of global warming because its effect on the stratosphere makes the climate seem cooler than it should. The ozone layer simply aids in deceiving people from knowing the alarming rate at which global warming is rising.            Global warming and ozone depletion are interrelated because the rising temperature of the earth also adds to the content of water vapor in the atmosphere. This traps infrared heat in the parts of the atmosphere nearer the earth that should have been thrown back into outer space via the stratosphere. On the average, the earth as a whole reflects around 30 percent of the total radiation back into space and a change in the amount of water vapor or any other element in the ozone layer can affect the heating or cooling of the atmosphere. (Tillery, 2007, p. 577) When the stratosphere is cooler, the increase in water vapor would have an effect on the increase of ice crystals within the ozone, concentrating on the polar regions wherein the CFCs are bound to stay. The CFCs in the ozone near the polar region will then hasten the depletion of the ozone layer at an even faster rate. Population. The seemingly uncontrollable rise of population is another source of concern that can result to global warming. A research was made by a group of scientists from Canada and Spain, regarding the possibility of humans and domestic animals contributing highly to the problem of rising planetary temperatures. The research was done by using allometric relationships that depict standard metabolic and defecation rates of the human and animal populations based on data that were gotten from the 2002 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations. According to the results, the â€Å"combined direct and indirect metabolic sources, estimated at 3.1 GtC year-1 have increased 7 fold since pre-industrial times and are predicted to continue to rise.†(Praire, et.al., 2007, p. 217). This therefore indicates that carbon emissions from living creatures also have a direct effect on the warming temperatures of the environment and may need to be considered for further studies involving global warming. Another cause for global warming attributed to population growth is the destruction of natural forests being done because of the need for additional housing and income. When the population increases, the need for shelter and urbanization also increases. These result to the need to clear up forests for villages and cities. Trees have to be cut down to make houses and furniture. Raw lands have to be turned into farms to create income from agriculture. This has happened in many countries, especially the Third World nations who are grappling in order to cope up with world economy. Denudation of Forests. Forests are the very basic in the ecological system of balance. This is because much of the carbon dioxide on earth is replaced and converted into oxygen by the many trees and plants in these areas. One of the major concerns of environmentalists is the rampant denudation of forests that could help in the balancing off of the carbon emissions of man. A great example of how forests can actually affect global climate was explained by Al Gore. â€Å"When I was flying over the Amazon rain forest in a small plane, I was struck by what happened immediately after a thunderstorm moved across an area of the forest: as soon as the rain stopped, clouds of moisture began to rise from the trees to form new rain clouds that moved west, driven by the wind, where they provided the water for new rain falling out of new thunderstorms. An interruption of this natural process can have a magnified impact. †¦ And when the overarching canopy of leaves is removed, the sudden warming of the forest floor leads to the release of huge quantities of methane and CO2, as a kind of biochemical â€Å"burning†takes place. (p. 51)            The example mentioned above is merely a depiction of how important forests are to mankind with respect to global warming. The Amazon forest and the ones in Indonesia make up most of the forest reserves of the world. The importance of these forests cannot be undermined according to Franz J. Broswimmer (2002). According to this environmentalist, the top 15 underdeveloped countries who are debtors of international institutions have tripled the rates of forest denudation. This is caused by the race towards international economic survival. Brazil and Indonesia, for example, are some of the heaviest indebted countries who count on their virgin forests for the production of new goods that would earn their nation’s payments to world banks. The deforestation rates of these countries have increased by 82 percent and 245 percent respectively since the 1970s. (p. 89)            The rampant increase of deforestation, without the allotment for planting new trees to replace the old ones, carry great implications in the upset of the natural ecological balance of the earth.            Economic Policies. Governments of different countries have been so focused on getting their numbers right for their Gross National Products but have disregarded the usurpation of natural resources. Many international organizations have convened to help the growth of the underdeveloped or Third World Countries but have consistently ignored the possible consequences of their agreements to the earth itself.            According to a study made by Julius Kenneth Ningu (2006) and his colleagues regarding the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)co, the economic agreements made had a negative effect on the country’s environment.            The research analyzed the activities that happened from 1994 to 2004 since the NAFTA was agreed upon. Before NAFTA, 70 percent of imports were tax free and did not result to an increase in the destruction of the environment. In fact, Mexico established monitoring programs for pollution and had environmental policies being strictly followed. However, the NAFTA forced Mexico into an economic crisis and by the end of the first year, the country’s government had to relax its environmental policies by almost 45 percent. By the year 2002, â€Å"In 2002, the costs of environmental degradation and natural resources depletion amounted to 65,934 million dollars †¦ the expenses made in the same year for protection and reduction of environmental damage generated by production activities reached an amount of 3,473 million dollars.† This means that only 53 percent was recovered from the depletion of the natural resources used. The bulk of the environmental degradation was generated by air pollution due to the industrial factors and automobile emissions which accounted for 79.5 percent but 2.4 percent was alluded to the problem of forest denudation because of the need for timber products. (p. 7) Taxes have been instituted for protection of the environment. However, the damage being done is excessive compared to the gains and the government is hesitant to improve these conditions due to the problem of the economy.            Robert Suzuki, a staunch environmentalist, criticizes the point of view of economists with the disregard for the environment. According to his book, The Suzuki Reader (2003), economists continue to ignore the problems that their policies are making for the environment in lieu of monetary gains. â€Å"†¦global economics is ultimately destructive because it is fatally flawed: it externalizes the natural capital and services that keep us alive while glorifying human inventiveness as if it allows us to escape finite limits and manage our biophysical surroundings; it assumes that endless growth is possible and necessary and represents progress; it does not value long-term social and ecological sustainability; it rejects caring, cooperation, and sharing as irrational while promoting selfishness; and it cannot incorporate the reality of spiritual needs.†(p. 93)            The need for global economists to unite with environmentalists is great if global warming is to be averted or slowed down. Many studies have already been made to point out that economics plays a major role in the activities of mankind that directly affect the destruction of the environment which causes changes in the earth’s climate.            Lack of Education. One of the worst problems that is wreaking havoc on the environment is lack of education. Although many studies have already been made to note that many of human activities are endangering every one’s survival on the planet, many people are still unaware that the lifestyle being promoted by capitalism does so. Most of the educational information being propagated in schools are related to pollution but the increased demand for progress ultimately sets these principles aside. Conclusion            Man’s own industrial progress is making the earth a terrible place to live in – whether these are causing global warming or not. The activities being made in the name of economics is feeding on the natural warming of the earth. Some may say that orbital alignments of the earth, moon and sun give rise to the eventual thawing of the arctic tundra. However, the increased release of methane and carbon dioxides due to pollution is aggravating it. This problem would not have been so serious if man were disciplined enough to put ecological balance upright by replacing the natural resources that has been continually depleted for his need for progress. Global warming is already existent even when scientists debate on its causes. Natural causes are unavoidable and will continue to exist even if man tries to stop them. However, man-made causes are totally in human control. Air pollution and denudation of forests are increasingly adding to the number of problems that global warming is not even part of. Sicknesses like lung cancer and chronic coughs are caused by air pollution. Denudation of forests lead to the deaths of many people because of the landslides and flashfloods it causes. Pestilence and the accompanying illnesses that are produced by it are also because of the rampant deforestation that many governments are ignorantly encouraging for national development.            The issue of global warming is only one among the basic problems that man has to resolve due to undisciplined acts of torturing the environment. Aggravating natural causes to the warming of the earth is still a major reason for concern and capitalism will never be a good excuse for destroying the only planet humans and the other 30 million creatures can live on.  References Broswimmer, F.J. (2002). â€Å"Ecocide and Globalization.†Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass  Extinction of Species. London: Pluto. Gore, A. (2006). The Shadow Our Future Throws. New York: Rodale. Pp. 36 – 55. Natural Resources Defense Council. (2007). Issues: Global Warming. Retrieved March 3, 2008,            from http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North            America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).            American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. Praire, Y.T. and Duarte, C.M. (2007). Direct and Indirect Metabolic CO2 Release by Humanity.            Biogeosciences, Vol. 4, pp. 215 – 217. Scheffelin, T. (2007). Global Warming Causes Carbon Dioxide – Erroneous Scientific            Consensus Stifles Progress. Design News. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from            http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6493634.html Suhadi, D.R. Awang, M., Hassan, M.N., Abdullah, R. and Muda, A.H. (2005). Review of            Photochemical Smog Pollution in Jakarta Metropolitan, Indonesia. American Journal of            Environmental Sciences, 1(2), p. 110 – 118. Suzuki, D. (2003). Hubris of Global Economics, Economics and Politics. The Suzuki Reader.            Vancouver:Greystone. Tillery, B. (2007). Physical Science. New York: McGraw-Hill. Annotated Bibliography Broswimmer, F.J. (2002). â€Å"Ecocide and Globalization.†Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass  Extinction of Species. London: Pluto. The book is about how global economy is actually hastening the depletion of the earth’s natural resources. The author believes that a thriving global economy is not the most important thing that should concern mankind. It is the opinion of the writer that the environment should be the priority because it is our primary source for survival. Gore, A. (2006). The Shadow Our Future Throws. New York: Rodale. Pp. 36 – 55. This book is about how mankind’s activities are affecting the environment. It uses specific examples experienced by the author to show the importance of ecological balance. It also gives theories like the â€Å"feedback†loop to show how each activity (man-made or natural) has interrelated effects on life and habitat. Natural Resources Defense Council. (2007). Issues: Global Warming. Retrieved March 3, 2008,            from http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp The article is meant to make people understand the basic information about global warming. It includes statistics and explanations on the causes and effects of global warming. It also ventures to suggest that the U.S. government has the ability to impose change on the world when it comes to ecological concerns because it is the top-most contributor to the damage of the habitat. Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North            America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).            American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. This research is about the negative effects of Mexico’s economic policies on the environment. It sought to discover how much damage has been caused in lieu of progress. The research criticized that the Mexican government has to double its initiative in caring for the environment but is constrained by the need to uphold economic principles. Praire, Y.T. and Duarte, C.M. (2007). Direct and Indirect Metabolic CO2 Release by Humanity.            Biogeosciences, Vol. 4, pp. 215 – 217. This research tried to analyze the difference between the natural carbon dioxide emissions of humans and animals in the pre-industrial era to the current situation. The researchers made use of recognized international organizational statistics to show the difference. Scheffelin, T. (2007). Global Warming Causes Carbon Dioxide – Erroneous Scientific            Consensus Stifles Progress. Design News. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from            http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6493634.html This article is made to show how environmentalists and scientists are creating panic over a natural phenomenon such as global warming. The article reveals studies made by other scientists who believe that the earth is merely undergoing a climate cycle that has been in place due to natural causes. The article sought to contradict other scientists and criticized that people are being made to panic when there is nothing that can be done anyway. Suhadi, D.R. Awang, M., Hassan, M.N., Abdullah, R. and Muda, A.H. (2005). Review of            Photochemical Smog Pollution in Jakarta Metropolitan, Indonesia. American Journal of            Environmental Sciences, 1(2), p. 110 – 118. The research is about how ground-ozone is created in Jakarta and its effect on smog pollution levels. The research shows that the major contributor for smog pollution is the automobile use. It also showed that weather or climate conditions can intensify the rate of smog pollution. Suzuki, D. (2003). Hubris of Global Economics, Economics and Politics. The Suzuki Reader.            Vancouver:Greystone. This book is a compilation of many articles written by the author regarding the effect of global economy and politics on the environment. It cites many instances wherein the government policies for economic progress have harmed man’s habitat. It also seeks to find economists who should help in the environmental cause because the author believes that the economy is actually based on its natural resources that could be depleted if not taken care of properly.
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