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Madi East
Rogers 4
Government
26 October 2016
Climate Change

In Paris last December, the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to strengthen the global response to the
threat of climate change by keeping the temperature down and to pursue
efforts to limit the temperature increase that has been occurring since the
industrial era in the United States. They also agreed to strengthen the ability
of the 196 participating countries to handle the impact of climate change
and the rising temperature(United Nations). Burning fossil fuels such as
natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. The Climate Change Act of 2016 will establish a framework to
develop an economically credible emissions reduction path. This act will
insure that the United States will reduce its greenhouse emissions by eighty
percent by the year 2050. The Climate Change Act or 2016 should be
implemented because greenhouse gases are heating up the earth at rapid
speeds, the increase in ozone, and stronger weather changes are threatening
to communities.
Greenhouse gases are heating up the earth at rapid speeds. The
Earths atmosphere lets in sunlight to warm the ground, which warms the
surface to let out infrared radiation that wants to go back out through space,

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but some gases in the atmosphere wont let it. As a result, the lower part of
the atmosphere stays much warmer than it would otherwise(UNFCCC).
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of Earths atmosphere, but human
interference is making them increase at swift rates. The atmosphere and
the surface of the Earth together absorb 71 percent of incoming solar
radiation, so together, they must radiate that much energy back to space for
the planet's average temperature to remain stable(NASA). Climate
specialists know why and how these greenhouse gases work on Earth and on
other planets. That is why they worry about what is happening as humans
change the balance of greenhouse gases, for example by burning fossil fuels
that release more CO2 to the air than what is released naturally(Shah).
When humans release CO2, methane and water vapor into the atmosphere,
the infrared light cant escape. One of the main elements that traps more
heat within the Earths atmosphere is carbon-specifically in the form of
carbon dioxide(Rogers). Another gas that's been heavily increased due to
human advancement is Ozone.
Another reason that climate change is a big issue is because of the
increase in ozone over that last two-hundred years. Ozone is a result of car
exhaust, pollution from factories and animal agriculture and leads of greater
concentrations of nitrogen and carbon molecules in the atmosphere which
are acted on by sunlight to produce ozone. Although ozone was present at
ground level before the Industrial Revolution, peak concentrations are now
far higher than the pre-industrial levels, and even background concentrations

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well away from sources of pollution are substantially higher(NWF). Human

involvement to the ozone levels in our atmosphere is a great example of how
we are the biggest and most powerful players in increasing greenhouse
gases and climate change. Scientists project that warmer temperatures
from climate change will increase the frequency of days with unhealthy
levels of ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant, and a component in
smog(EPA). The increase in ozone wont just hurt the planet but is very
dangerous to people too. People exposed to higher levels of ozone are more
likely to have lung damage which can lead to asthma or other lung diseases.
Ozone can also cause extreme heating or other weather changes.
Climate change can cause strong weather changes like hurricanes and
heat waves. Increases in the number of these extreme weather conditions
can threaten people's health before and after the event. The people most at
risk include young children, older adults, people with disabilities or medical
conditions, and the poor(EPA). These extreme weather changes can affect
human health by lessening the amount of drinking water available,
damaging bridges and roads, and worsening symptoms for mental health.
Most of the warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest
years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years
occurring in the past 12 years(CMB). Global warming is occurring because of
human activity for nearly 200 years, but in the last decade the levels have
been increasing at a rapid pace.

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People say that the climate has changed before and that what's
happening to our planet is normal. They say that its the suns fault and not
human practices. Some people even say, The concept of global warming
was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive(Trump). In the past it is true that there were huge amounts of
CO2 in the atmosphere during the Cretaceous era and other eras millions of
years ago, but these gases were in balance with each other because they
had millions of years to adjust. Those abrupt global warming events were
almost always highly destructive for life, causing mass extinctions such as at
the end of the Permian, Triassic, or even mid-Cambrian periods(Skeptical
Science). All the warnings from those eras that occurred then are happening
today with the climate change that humans are causing. People also claim
that its the suns fault for climate change and not humans, but the sun has
actually been cooling over the last forty years. Since the sun and climate
are going in opposite directions scientists conclude the sun cannot be the
cause of recent global warming(Connor). The only way that people can use
evidence proving that the sun is causing global warming is by showing past
periods when sun and climate are moving together and ignoring the last few
decades when the they are moving in opposite directions.
Climate change is a major problem because greenhouse gases are
heating up the earth at rapid speeds, the increase in ozone, and stronger
weather changes are threatening to communities. The Climate Change Bill of
2016, if passed, will insure that companies are doing everything they can to

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reduce their share of releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. We

need to start to recognize climate change as a real problem. For the rst time
since 2008 at least 7 out of 10 Americans indicate that they believe there is
solid evidence of global warming over the past four decades(Borick, Rabe,
Mills). If we chose to ignore climate change and keep killing the Earth we
could face even more severe outcomes than we have in the past.

Works Cited
1. Borick, Christopher, Barry G. Rabe, and Sarah B. Mills.
"Acceptance of Global Warming Among Americans Reaches Highest
Level Since 2008." Issues in Energy and Environmental Policy (n.d.): n.
pag. National Surveys on Energy and Environment, 25 Nov. 2015. Web.
25 Oct. 2016.
2. "Climate Impacts on Human Health." EPA. Environmental
Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
3. CMB.Contact@noaa.gov. "Global Climate Change Indicators."
National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Formerly Known
as National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.

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4. Connor, Steve. "Natural Cooling of the Sun Will Not Be Enough to

save Earth from Global Warming, Warn Scientists." The Independent.
Independent Digital News and Media, 23 June 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
5. Data, By Satellite. "Climate Science Glossary." Skeptical Science.
Skeptical Science, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
6. Ichoku, Charles. "Earth's Energy Budget." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web.
25 Oct. 2016.
7. Rogers, Elizabeth, Thomas Kostigen, Cameron Diaz, and William
McDonough. "Going Carbon Neutral." The Green Book: The Everyday
Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
N. pag. Print."The Greenhouse Effect." The Greenhouse Effect | Climate
Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
8. Shah, Anup. "Climate Change and Global Warming." Global
Issues. Global Issues, 1 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
9. Trump, Donald J. "The Concept of Global Warming Was Created
by and for the Chinese in Order to Make U.S. Manufacturing Noncompetitive." Twitter. Twitter, 06 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
10.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
"The Paris Agreement - Main Page." The Paris Agreement - Main Page.
N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
11. "2. Tropospheric Ozone: Background Information." European
Environment Agency. N.p., 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.