By Emily T
Global Climate Change has been a subject discussed for
decades. There has been debate and argument over what global climate change is,
how it affects us, and what we should do about it. I do not have all the
answers for these questions, but I believe that global climate change should be
something that everyone is aware of, particularly in regard to global warming.
But, what really is climate change? What causes it? What are
the consequences? And if we should be concerned, what can we do about it?
Here is Dictionary.com’s definition of climate change:
a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a
change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature
Here is the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of
Global Warming:
Global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in
global average temperature near Earth's surface. It is caused mostly by
increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global warming
is causing climate patterns to change
![This graph, based on the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the Industrial Revolution. (Source: [[LINK||http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/icecore/||NOAA]])](http://climate.nasa.gov/system/content_pages/main_images/203_co2-graph-080315.jpg)
It is true that the climate of the earth has always been changing. Throughout history, there have been ice ages, the last one ending 7,000 years ago, which started the modern climate era. Climate change is not new, but many scientists are concerned with the recent changes of climate. Many scientists believe that the sudden increase in climate change is due to human activity. and they are concerned as to how it will affect us as humans. What scientists believe to me the main cause of the change of temperature is the “greenhouse effect”. The “greenhouse effect” is when the atmosphere warms due to the gases that are trapped in our atmosphere. Sunlight normally warms the atmosphere and then the heat is released back into space, but when this heat is trapped then it disperses in different directions, warming the surface of the earth. The cause of this is believed to be the excessive use of fossil fuels, particularly in the last 100 years. The burning of coal and oil increases the concentration of carbon dioxide, one of the main gases involved in the “greenhouse effect”.
This change of gases causes problems with every region of
the world, including a change in temperature, sea levels, precipitation, and
other natural disasters.
According to NASA, with the exception of 1998, the 10
warmest years have occurred since 2000 in the 134-year record.
This video by NASA displays the change in temperature from
1880 to 2010:
Due to the heat in the atmosphere, ice caps are beginning to melt. The melting of ice caps is causing the sea levels to increase drastically. It is believed that the sea level may increase 1-4 more feet before the end of the century, and it will continue to rise. This increase in sea level can also cause an increase in flooding around the world.
Global climate change also may cause an increase in
precipitation and other natural disasters. Due to the increase in heat and
gases in the atmosphere, the movement of water in the atmosphere also
increases. This causes droughts and floods to be more frequent and severe.
This will have effects on agriculture, human health, and the survival of
different species. The change of climate may also increase the intensity of
natural disasters, like hurricanes. The increasing temperature of oceans causes
more hurricanes and tropical storms to become more severe, since their energy
comes from warm water temperatures.
The consequences of global climate change are scary.
However, there are things that we can do to make a difference. Small things
like recycling can go a long way. Being efficient with water, such as cutting
back on shower time, not leaving faucets running, and repairing leaks helps to
conserve water which makes a difference as well. Cutting back on driving by walking,
biking, or carpooling make difference as well because it reduces the release of
fossil fuels.
Global climate change, including global warming, is a
serious issue in our world, and it can seriously affect our future. However, if
we all take steps to help the environment, there is hope that the consequences
will not be so severe.
Sources:
"Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?" Climate
Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
"Drought, Fire, Floods | The Nature
Conservancy." Drought, Fire, Floods | The Nature Conservancy. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
"Global Climate Change: Effects." Climate
Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
"RCL Blog!" RCL Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb.
2016.
"What You Can Do." What You Can Do. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016
Some of your writing had blocks over them, so it was very hard to read. Simply redo the formatting on the colors of your fillers. Besides that this article was well written and using things like the video helps to prove and show your points. Your blog is good at gaining attention and a sense of urgency to help things like awareness of your topic.
ReplyDeleteSome of your writing had blocks over them, so it was very hard to read. Simply redo the formatting on the colors of your fillers. Besides that this article was well written and using things like the video helps to prove and show your points. Your blog is good at gaining attention and a sense of urgency to help things like awareness of your topic.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good topic to talk about. I like the use of the video and it had a lot of information that was well used. Some of your sentences are hard to read but it is an easy fix. Great job!
ReplyDelete