Lit Review

Anna Griebel
There is unlimited research out there about climate change. If you
google it, millions of blogs and websites will be thrown at you to try and sway
your opinion one way or the other. The information I am giving you in this
report is from reliable news forums, government reports, and articles from
websites such as NASA. With this information, I will be categorizing the
research into causes of climate change, impacts of climate change, and the
different political views about the issue.
Many people believe that climate change is just due to the natural
warming and cooling cycle of the earth, called the Planck Response. An
article from NASA states, Global temperatures remain stable in the long run
unless they are pushed by outside forces, such as increased greenhouse
gases due to human impacts. (citation)In saying this, it is clear that global
temperatures will remain stable, only as long as no outside forces are acting
upon it.
When I say many people believe that global warming is due to the Planck
Response, I am mostly referring to the people with more conservative views.
A poll done from Pew research center states that 2/3 of conservative
republicans believe that global warming isnt happening, or not because of
the greenhouse effect. From the same study, 64% of Democrats say that
climate change is at the fault of humans. (citation). Are politics the barrier
that are keeping us from coming up with a solution to the earths rising

temperatures? An article from the Washington Post states that there are
more republicans who are starting to believe that climate change is a real
problem, they may be a lonely few, but they are out there (Citation).
On NASAs website, there are many startling statistics about what climate
change could do to future generations if nothing is done to solve the issue. A
statistic from NASA states that, The IPPC, which includes more that 1,300
scientists from the U.S and other countries forecasts a 2.5 to 10 degree
Fahrenheit increase over the next century. The forecast may seem to be
broad, because of the gap between 2.5 and 10 degrees is alot. There is
evidence that just a change in 1 degree can cause catastrophic changes.
Another quote from NASA compliments the previous argument. 1 Degree
may sound like a small amount, but in our planets history Earths climate
record, preserved in tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs shows that climate
is stable over long periods of time, furthermore, small changes in
temperatures correspond to enormous changes in environment. (Citation).
There are so many articles that tell you al of the possible impacts climate
change can have on the earth, but what are some of the causes? There are
two paths commonly taken when it comes to causes of climate change. The
first one is that the earth goes into a natural cycle of warming and cooling.
The Planck Response plays the dominant role in restoring temperature
stability. When the earth goes into a period of warming, the earth responds
by trying to cool it, in simple terms.

There is a counter argument to that theory, though. About half the light
reaching earths atmosphere passes through air and clouds to the surface,
where it is absorbed and radiated upward in the form of infrared heat. About
90% heat is then absorbed by greenhouse gases and radiated back towards
the surface. This is a common argument called the greenhouse effect.
(citation). The earth cannot cool itself anymore because of the excess of
greenhouse gasses in the air. Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane
have a very high concentration in the atmosphere today (because of the
burning of fossil fuels, which give off these gases.) Gases such as Methane
and Carbon Dioxide prevent heat from escaping, which is why many
scientists think the greenhouse effect is the main cause for global warming.