Global Climate Change FRQ

Joey Klupar
Mr. Long
Period 6
Global Climate Change FRQ

Today, the world is experiencing anthropogenic global climate change. This means that there is a global climate change that is being caused by humans, which is all of us. Many people are in denial that global climate change, or commonly known as global warming, is really occurring. But, global warming really is happening and there is scientific proof. In the TED talk, James Balog explains how the arctic icebergs are the “canary in the global coalmine.” The ice is deflating and receding at a very rapid rate which is higher than it ever has. Sea level is set to continue to rise at a faster rate than over the past 40 years because of the melting ice, which is proof that global warming is really happening. Also, carbon dioxide is at an unprecedented level not seen for at least the last 800,000 years. It is released through natural processes but also through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by a third since the Industrial Revolution began. The carbon dioxide levels are directly related to the population of the world. Most climate scientists agree that the main cause of the current global warming is human expansion of the “greenhouse effect”- warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Most of the outgoing heat from the Earth is absorbed by all of the greenhouse gas molecules and re-emitted in all directions. This warms the surface of the Earth and the lower atmosphere. One of the gases that cause the greenhouse effect is methane. Methane is a hydrocarbon gas produced through natural sources, but it is produced by human activities such as decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, and manure management with domestic livestock. Humans are creating this gas and which is in turn creating more of a greenhouse effect. Nitrous oxide is another powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning. All of these are human activities. Therefore, the human activities are a direct cause of the greenhouse effect which is the main cause of global warming. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is another greenhouse effect. I think the results of global warming in my lifetime will be irregular weather patterns. I believe that the average temperatures will rise globally because of global warming. Over time, there will not be as many different climates because the whole earth is warming up. Toxic gases are being produced through human activities and pollution is a huge issue now. My grand kids in the future will not be able to see different climate zones and will be living with dirty air that is heavily polluted with gases produced by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and exhaust from cars and other vehicles. The air they breathe will be smog and very unhealthy for their body. The rates of global warming are rapidly increasing, so by then, it will be no where near the weather that we have today.