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Climate Change: Human Tendency to Destroy

Destruction, the dictionary definition defines it as the action or process of causing so

much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired, and that is exactly what

humankind is doing to planet earth. Time after time our species has shown a pattern of

destructive behaviors to many things, sadly one of them being the environment. We have named

ourselves homo-sapiens a scientific name in latin that means wise man, but is man really so

wise? And if so how does our wisdom permit us to continue to cut down trees, pollute our air,

replace natural habitats with cities, over draft animals to extinction, and poison both rivers and

oceans. From my perspective humans do this not because of their lack of knowledge but because

of their refusal of acknowledging. This ignorance has affected our environment. Humans are

responsible for climate change because of our burning of fossil fuels, overpopulation, and

our government's denial.

Fossil fuels are a group of underground sources that formed from the ancient remains of

plants and animals about 360 to 286 million years ago, even before dinosaurs existed. Fossil

fuels include coal, oil and natural gas. They are burned in order to generate power, and have been

used since the Industrial Revolution providing power to light and heat our homes, transport us,

and economically help develop countries. However, they are also the greatest leading source of

the world's man-made global warming pollution. According to The National Academy of

Sciences, the United States gets 81% of its total energy from fossil fuels and according to Green

Energy, the entire world gets 87% of its total energy from fossil fuels. Coal, oil, and natural gas

are all responsible for the majority of several environmental issues like acid rain, wildfires, water

pollution, sea level rises, droughts, violent storms, floods, landslides, melting of glaciers, and

sudden high heat waves.

 Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the United States, in fact the United States has

more coal reserves than any other single country in the world. The Union Concerned of

Scientists explains that having a greater access to this fossil fuel has made it so cheap that today

it generates 44% of our electricity making it the single biggest polluter in the US. Coal is cheap,

plentiful and dirty, as cheap as dirt, as plentiful as dirt, and as dirty as dirt, since after all, coal is

little more than dirt that burns (United Concerned of Scientists). When coal is burned it releases

toxins like carbon dioxide, also known as CO2, into the atmosphere. CO2 is a naturally occurring

greenhouse gas that traps heat and keeps the earth warm, however, human activity during the last

century and a half has extremely increased CO2 levels making the earth retain more heat than it

should be. 2014 was popularly known for being the hottest year on earth since record keeping

began in 1880, that quickly changed in January 2016. Scientists reported that 2015 was the

hottest year in historical record by far, breaking a mark set only the year before (The New York

Times). It is not only how coal is burned that affects the natural ecosystems, but also how it is

obtained and dumped. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, waste created by just one

coal plant produces more than 125,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge from the

smokestack each and every year. Alarmingly at least 42% of this waste ends up in local ponds

near coal plants, but if the environment is not what concerns people at least their individual

health should. One study found that one out of every 100 children who drink groundwater

contaminated with arsenic from coal power plants wastes were at risk of developing cancer.

Ecosystems have also been damaged, sometimes severely or permanently, by the disposal of coal

plant waste (Union of Concerned Scientist).

Oil, is another affordable fossil fuel that impacts nearly every aspect of an everyday life

for most Americans. The discovery of oil is often described as both a blessing and a curse. As of
today, oil can be turned into any number of plastics, be used as a heating and electricity source,

but most importantly it is what gasoline and diesel liquids are made out of. Los Angeles Times

says that a study made by IHS Automobile, reports there are currently 253 million cars and

trucks on U.S roads. Each and every one of these cars contaminate the air with carbon dioxide

every second. However, the transportation of the oil itself is a big risk. Oil is moved across the

ocean in supertankers, and it is moved over land by pipeline, rail, and truck. In every case, the

risk of oil spills poses a serious environmental threat (Union of Concerned Scientists). One

devastating example of these has been the famous Gulf of Mexico 2010 oil spill. The oil wells

malfunction caused an explosion killing 11 people and injuring 17. It is officially the largest

marine spill in history. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to plug the well, but oil kept

leaking for 87 consecutive days. By the time it was finally completely sealed 3.19 million barrels

had already been leaked causing a massive killing of 8,000 animals including mammals like

dolphins and whales, birds, turtles and fishes.

Natural gas, is another fossil fuel mainly used for cooking, heating homes and electricity

generation. Out of the three major fossil fuels, the power industries have described natural gas as

the cleanest fossil fuel of them all. One reason natural gas is called clean is because it emits

50% less CO2 than coal when it is burned. However, natural gas is made up of mostly methane,

a man-made environmental threading gas like CO2, and methane is 70 times as potent as carbon

dioxide. Natural gas isn't clean. Its cleaner than coal. Its better than the worst; thats all

(Bittman). Natural gas is extremely toxic and flammable, any leakage is tremendously dangerous

as it can cause explosions or fire. When inhaled, the gas is highly toxic to both animals and

humans. The issue with gas is that it is odorless and not visible to the human eye. Natural gas has

also been linked to dead nearby plants and vegetation.

 Despite the environmental effects of the use of these fossil fuels, the global economic

society continues to use them. The effects will ultimately be catastrophic and devastating to our

planet and its inhabitants unless drastic changes are made in order to replace fossil fuels with

renewable, alternative energy sources (Thorburn). The graph below demonstrates our global

energy use by source, fossil fuels making an 87% of our current energy.

The second major reason that supports humans are the ones to blame for climate change

is overpopulation. Rapid human growth is among most environmental issues. Modern man first

showed up on earth 200,000 years ago; by the 1850's we had reproduced so successfully that

there were 1 billion people in the planet. The next billion happened in the 1920's, only 100 years

later. This means it took 200,000 years to get to the first billion, 100 years to get to the second

billion and now we add 1 billion people to the planet every 13 years. In 2011 the world's

population reached 7 billion people and it is expected to reach 8 billion in 2024.

Overpopulation leads to forest conversion. Forest conversion is the removing of natural

forests to meet human land needs like agriculture, plantations and pasture for cattle settlements.
Humans cut down forests to meet our current worldwide demand for consumer products such as

cotton, corn, soy, coffee, tea, rice and many more. The higher the population, the more food we

need, the more forests are destroyed in order to plant crops and produce livestock. The main

issue with this is that forests absorb and store great quantities of the man-made CO2; when trees

are cut down they release all the absorbed CO2 and put it back into the atmosphere, contributing

to global warming.

Overpopulation is also linked to urbanization. With more humans coming to the world

everyday at a pace that is hard to match, the increasing need for space is turning into an area of

concern. Trees are cut down to make land available to build more houses, buildings and urban

cities. The wood obtained is sold and made into paper and furniture. As the modern world

urbanizes they affect the climate; Deforestation also affects the climate. When rain falls on a

forest, new clouds are created. If huge areas of trees are cut down, clouds do not form, rain does

not fall and the land becomes drier. The CO2 builds up and adds to the global warming which is

making the Earth become hotter (Perez Torres).

Overpopulation is also responsible for the amounts of human waste. According to Duke

University, one American generates 4.3 pounds of waste per day, being 1.6 pounds more than it

was produced back in 1960. As the waste amount increases, its contamination does too. Waste

treatment and disposal produces significant greenhouse emissions, including carbon dioxide and

methane, which are contributing significantly to global climate change (Everything Connects).

The third and final reason that supports humans are responsible for climate change is our

government's denial on the issue. Politicians, the so called leaders of our nation have repeatedly
denied climate change, and some have gone as far as describing it as a hoax. Scientists have

either known or suspected for a long time who is really causing climate change, what has been

less clear is why so many U.S politicians are not listening.

Florida, is a state that faces a higher vulnerability to climate change, especially to global

warming effects. If the Arctic ice keeps melting and sea levels rising, coastal areas of Florida

would be lost underwater. However, Florida's state government is doing the very contrary of

protecting its land. In 2015, the Sunshine State banned solar panels, prohibiting the installation

of solar or any other renewable energy device. Currently, Florida is one of only five states in the

nation that prohibit citizens from buying electricity from companies that will put solar panels on

your home or business (Floridians for Solar Choice).

America's next elected president, Mr.Trump, has also publicly denied climate change. I

am not a believer he said during a radio show in September 2015. Unless somebody can prove

something to me, I believe there's weather. He argued that climate change is an expensive hoax

created by the Chinese to make U.S manufacturing noncompetitive. The elected president has

also stated that he will pull out from the Paris Climate Agreement, which is an agreement the

U.S compromised to along another 194 countries to significantly reduce our global carbon

footprint and protect the environment.

Many politicians who claim humans have little to no impact on the environment, use

researches done by scientists who do not believe in climate change neither. The problem with

this is that several scientists and academics who say climate change is a hoax have had their

researches funded by fossil fuel companies. A Greenpeace undercover investigation has

exposed how fossil fuel companies can secretly pay academics at leading American universities

to write researches that sow doubt about climate science and promotes the companiess
commercial interests. (Carter and McClenaghan). Professor and physicist from Princeton

University, William Happer, agreed to produce a research for a Middle Eastern oil company

promoting the benefits of CO2 for $250 per hour. He asked for the money to be anonymously

donated to a climate sceptic group named CO2 Coalition, of which he is a board member.

To conclude, you and I are the ones to blame for climate change; because of our burning

of fossil fuels, overpopulation and constant government's denial. Earth has given us air to breathe

in, pure water to drink, plants that provide us with medicine, and trees that clean up our carbon.

Our repayment? Pollution and massive deforestation. We cannot live forever in a period of

ignorance. Opening our eyes and accepting that this is happening, and that we are the cause is the

first step towards finding a solution.

Works Cited

How coal works. Union of Concerned Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016.

Web. 15 Nov. 2016

Gillis, Justin. 2015 Was Hottest Year in Historical Record, Scientists Say. The New

York Times. The New York Times, 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Environmental Impacts of Coal Power: Wastes Generated. Union of Concerned

Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

 The Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels. Union of Concerned Scientists, Union of Concerned

Scientists, 30 Aug. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

Hirsch, Jerry. "253 Million Cars and Trucks on U.S. Roads; Average Age Is 11.4 Years.

Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

Bittman, Mark. Is Natural Gas Clean? The New York Times, The New York Times, 24

Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Oil. David Suzuki Foundation. David Suzuki Foundation, 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Thorburn, Andrew. "Fossil Fuels, The Environmental Effect of Its Use." Fossil Fuels,

The Environmental Effect of Its Use. 04 May 2011. Web. 26. Nov. 2016.

Perez Torres, Lucia. "The Destruction of Forests." The Destruction of Forests.

Universidad De Andalucia, 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

"Center for Sustainability & Commerce." How Much Do We Waste Daily? Duke

University, 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

"Waste." Everything Connects. George Tsiattalos, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Sherman, Amy Florida Is One of Five States that Ban Certain Solar Sales, Petition

Group Says. Politifact. Tampa Bay Times, 16 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Glegaire, Carolyn. Why Some Conservatives Cant Accept That Climate Change Is

Real. The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Carter, Lawrence and Maeve McClenaghan. Exposed: Academics-for-hire Agree Not to

Disclose Fossil Fuel Funding. Energydesk. Greenpeace, 26 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.