This is a debate that has been there since time immemorial given the fact that change of global climate has continued to be experienced in different parts of the globe. Controversy has always occurred when scientists carry out research on global climate change and establish that it has been caused by human activities. Some other scientists have also asserted that the existence of global warming will not occur. According to the Global Warming website (2010) “Those that argue on the non-existence of global warming even had to come up with a petition which they signed stating that there is no convincing scientific evidence that the human release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.” This brings a lot of confusion when one tries to identify the truth and one is left wondering which school of thought he or she should believe. The greenhouse gases that cause global warming can only be present in the atmosphere if they are emitted and thus the emission of such gases can only come out of the activities that human beings carry out in day-to-day life. It, therefore, follows that there is a clear correlation between climate change and greenhouse gases emission from human activities (Global Warming, 2010).
To support the above statement, we shall briefly take a look at some of the human activities which promote global warming. The activities that are undertaken by human beings which lead to emissions of gases such as; sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) are the ones that lead to global warming which results to global warming. They lead to a lot of heat being held in the atmosphere which makes the planet warm. These gases are sources of the greenhouse effect on the planet earth. A greenhouse effect is a situation whereby, the sun heat reaches the atmosphere but because of the greenhouse gases, the heat does not escape back into the surface resulting in an increase in the global atmospheric temperature (EPA, 2009).
The human activities that lead to the emissions of these gases are such as; use of motor vehicles which emit hazardous gases and deforestation which is the cutting down of trees. When trees are cut down and then burnt, the carbon which is contained in trees is then released into the air as carbon dioxide. Other human activities include farming; the use of fertilizers and other chemicals in farming releases nitrous oxide which is a hazardous gas that causes about 10% of air pollution (Cynthia & Daniel, 1995).
As a result of these human activities the global climate change takes center stage. This can be evidenced from the rate at which the ice caps are melting, the unpredictable change of patterns of weather and the rise in levels of sea water. Drought continues to be experienced in many parts of the world as shortage of water becomes more and more pronounced as well the high intensity cyclones and hurricanes continue to be experienced in various parts of the earth (Global Warming, 2010).
From the U.S global change research information office, an article written by Cynthia and Daniel on the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food claims that; “the change in climate change that is being experienced today will automatically affect food supply in the world. This is due to water supply drop on crops which may limit their growth, the rise in global temperature will also affect crop growth and thus it will be very difficult for the world to predict on future food supply.” This then means that man will suffer of hunger in the near future. This has currently started to be experienced today in Africa where the Sahara desert has extended and majority of countries in Africa are suffering from shortages in food supply (Cynthia & Daniel, 1995).
References
Cynthia, R. and Daniel, H. (1995). Potential impacts of climate change on agriculture and food supply. Consequences, 1, 2-4.
EPA. (2009). Greenhouse gas emissions. Web.
Global Warming. (2010). Global warming: climate change greenhouse effect. Web.