Introduction
Scientists and various leaders globally have seriously debated the causes of climate change. Weather experts’ agreement and understanding have shown that climate is evolving due to greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Climate change refers to extended shifts in temperature and weather patterns that are due to natural causes. The astounding consensus of research-based studies on climate shows that most of the observed increased worldwide average temperatures since the beginning of the 20th century is probably caused by human activities. This is due to the increased GHG concentration from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, which generates heat that traps gas. (Trenberth, 2018). The rate of global warming is currently increasing worldwide, and if no changes are made, there will soon be an environmental catastrophe. This essay involves a discussion of how human activities cause climate change.
How Human Activities Cause Climate Change
The extent to which human activities cause climate change is extreme, with various human activities contributing a more significant percentage to change in the climate. The potentiality for human practices to raise earth temperatures through greenhouse gas emissions has been studied, researched, and computed for almost 100 years. The capacity of scientific research within numerous scientific fields agrees that human activities are warming the climate. According to the 2007 IPCC fourth assessment report, human effects on the weather system are understandable. This can be seen through the increasing GHG concentrations in the atmosphere, positive radioactivity, detected warming, and perception of the climate system. Several pieces of evidence exist for those human activities. Specifically, the burning of fossil fuels results in the emission of high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This aspect amplifies the natural greenhouse effect, resulting in increasing air temperatures, land surface, and water bodies (IPCC,2007). The impacts of tapped gases are well established through various experiments dating back to 1856.
Written Below Include Human Activities Causing Global Warming
With the increasing rates of global warming, it is evident that human activities are disrupting the natural greenhouse. For example, the Electricity sector is the primary source of total global carbon dioxide emissions, responsible for 40 % of worldwide. Generating power and heat by burning fossil fuels causes large chunks of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide that blankets the earth and traps the sun’s heat. Currently, there is global use of technological advancements that require electricity. Humans are using electronic gadgets to serve their daily purpose. The world generally consumes a large amount of electricity used in the domestic and commercial sectors, which has become a challenge to a good climate. Many areas, especially cities, are the main contributors to the change in temperature. Cities are the primary consumers of 78% of power and generate more than 60 percent of green gas release (Soon & Baliunas 2003). The large population in cities relies mainly on fossil fuels making it highly unsafe to climate change effects.
Climate change is also caused by the conversion of land to make way for human development and transforming woodlands and grasslands into farmland for agriculture. People are clearing lands for farming and domestic use in many areas, such as building homes. These aspects can be seen from the beginning of the industrial revolution, whereby such human activities changed the landscapes to emit several gases into the atmosphere. This, in turn, influences the quantity of outgoing energy bringing about warming and cooling climate effects. Human promotion of the greenhouse gas effect is of great concern since continuing emission of greenhouse gases can change the temperature to increased degrees that have never been seen in the history of the human era. For example, replacing a forest with a clear field raises the amount of sunlight reflected into the space, while when trees are cleared, they release the carbon stored. And since plantations absorb carbon dioxide, destruction due to human activities reduces nature’s potential to remove released gas from the atmosphere.
Worldwide consumption and production are also significant contributors to climate change. The production uses the natural environment and resources in a way that has continued to impact the planet negatively. For example, large manufacturers of items like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastic, clothes, and other commodities exist. This activity promotes emissions from burning fossil fuels to produce the energy used to manufacture such goods. Many scientists believe that with the evolution of the industrial era and the burning of fossil fuels, human beings began to add a significant quantity of carbon dioxide and other GHG into the atmosphere, promoting the earth’s natural greenhouse effects and higher temperatures. Since manufacturing and production industries emerged a long time ago and have grown to produce larger goods daily, the degree of climate change continues to increase, with many industries burning chemicals and releasing them into the atmosphere to make the final products.
The transportation sector releases approximately one-quarter of all energy-related to greenhouse emissions. Currently, transportation is predominantly based on the burning of fossil fuels, which makes it one of the largest sources of urban air pollution. Burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The combined greenhouse gases cause the atmosphere to warm at a rapid pace and with higher temperatures, leading to climate change. For example, in 2017, the transport sector generated the highest percentage of 29 in the United States. Motor vehicles are the leading cause of air pollution, with other modes of transport, such as cruise ships and planes, creating more significant emissions per person.
Human activities have also contributed to the increased concentration of other greenhouse gases and other contaminants. For example, in mining coal, manufacturing, transport of natural methane and oil, and the disintegration of chemical waste, methane is emitted. Studies show that methane is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Ever since the industrial revolution, there has been an increased rate of change in climate and the environment through agriculture, factory practices, and the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. High population growth has accompanied commercial changes by giving rise to the demand for more lands for farming and the development of cities leading to increased deforestation and changing environment. Therefore, the increased population results in many individuals burning fossil fuels to fulfill their need for energy. About 98% of carbonic acid gas, 24% of methane, and 18% of nitrous oxide result from fossil fuels burnt to run cars and provide heat in homes, businesses, and industries. (Cook et al., 2013). But a large percentage of emissions is primarily due to agricultural practice, cutting down trees and clearing lands, landfills, manufacturing, and mining.
Conclusion
In conclusion, natural systems worldwide are affected by regional climate changes, precisely the increasing temperature due to high emissions of greenhouse gases. There is a rising need for countries and individuals to participate in activities that lower global warming. If the earth’s temperature continues to rise soon, living things on earth will have difficulty living. Human activities affecting climate change include production, transport, electricity, and agriculture, which emits a more significant percentage of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, thereby affecting climate change. Studies are ongoing on effective and efficient ways to reduce global warming to create a safe environment for everyone. Discussed above include the extent to which human activities change the climate.
References
Cook, J. & Nuccitelli, D., Green, S., Richardson, M., Winkler, B., Painting, R., Way, R., Jacobs, P. and Skuce, A. (2013). Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the literature: A re-analysis. Energy Policy, 73, pp.701–705. Web.
IPCC (2007) Summary for Policymakers-Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Web.
Soon, W. & Baliunas, S., 2003. Global warming. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 27(3), pp.448–455. Web.
Trenberth, K.E., 2018. Climate change caused by human activities is happening, and it already has major consequences. Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, 36(4), 463–481. Web.