The Earth Does Not Belong to Man

Humans are the most intelligent beings on planet Earth. As these incredibly

intelligent beings it is natural for us to learn, and build, and grow. Because of this we

have made incredible discoveries and gone further than we could have even imagined.

The saying used to be; “the sky is the limit.” This is not accurate anymore considering

we have intelligence into space and that we are burning through the ozone layer with

pollution from industrialization. So, what is the limit? How far are we willing to go? Are

we willing to learn from our mistakes, or do we keep going until it is too late?

The World Meteorological Organization has stated that the global temperature is

1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and for three years in a row, it has been

the hottest year on record (Carrington, 2016). Though the scientific evidence seems to

be overwhelming in favor of global warming, there are those, for various reasons, who

believe that global warming is a hoax or not scientifically proven. This is disappointing,

as the future of our planet and all its inhabitants are at stake, and the last thing we

should do in this critical time is argue whether our world is being destroyed because it’s

getting us nowhere. To enlighten those who believe global warming is not currently

happening, I will present evidence that will show that global warming is real due to sea

levels rising, global temperatures rising, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining

Arctic sea ice, extreme temperature events, ocean acidification, and decreased snow

cover.
 A global temperature rise has been recorded and is especially apparent in recent

years. Most warming has happened in the past 35 years. Seventeen of the 18 warmest

years in the 136-year record all have occurred since 2001 (NASA, 2017). Most climate

scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion

of the "greenhouse effect" — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat

radiating from the sun toward Earth. The global temperature rise is a recent

phenomenon and should be considered especially dangerous if it continues at its

current rate.

According to climate scientists John Church and Neil White, the global sea level

rose 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. In the last decade it has gotten even

worse. The greenhouse gas effect that causes the warming of the Earth’s surface causes

polar ice to begin melting and to lose its mass. Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each
September. September Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 13.2 percent per

decade (NASA, 2018). This is one of the main causes of sea levels rising.

Arctic Ice in 1980 Arctic Ice in 2017

Another dangerous result of global warming that is present is ocean acidification.

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has

grown by approximately 30 percent (PMEL Carbon Group, 2016). The amount of carbon

dioxide produced by emissions and pollution absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans

is growing by 2 billion tons per year (Sabine, 2004). This leaves coral reefs and many

other species living in the oceans vulnerable to adverse effects. The rise of oceanic

temperature and acidification has caused the great barrier reef off the coast of Australia

to start to perish. “An ocean water temperature spike last year caused a massive

“bleaching” event, in which colorful corals turned an antiseptic, sickly white. Scientists

believe that the reef will never be the same” states the Washington Post in an article

titled “The Great Barrier Reef is Dying.”

 A result of global warming is the number is natural disasters increases. The

number of record high temperatures continue to increase while the number of record

low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed

increasing numbers of intense rainfall events. Rising atmospheric and oceanic

temperatures as well as rising sea levels cause the major hurricane season we recently

experienced. As well as predictions of the next hurricane season to be even worse. The

higher surface area temperature of the planet has caused warmer places to be hotter

and dryer causing wildfires like the we saw in California. This brings me to the ethics

part of the climate change conversation. Our emissions and pollution from our

industrialization is in turn causing natural disasters and other things that are affecting

the lives of humans and animals. Leonardo DiCaprio states on the front page of his
foundations website; “Clean air, water, and a livable climate are inalienable human

rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of politics, it is a question of our own

survival.” Water is a fundamental human need, yet 663 million people around the world

go without safe drinking water. If humans and animals are being affected negatively by

climate change than this is not just and environmental issue anymore, it’s an ethical and

humanitarian issue.

There is still hope! Action needs to be taken against these crimes being

committed against the planet before there is no turning back. Foundations like the

Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, National Geographic, Airborne Observatory and nations

like China and Singapore are creating green cities and implementing sustainable

solutions to global warming. Karl Burkhart, the author of the article, “Project

Drawdown: 100 solutions to reduce global warming” explains “When you start to grasp

the severity of the climate crisis, it’s easy sometimes to feel a little hopeless. But a new

book called Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global

Warming presents a way forward to create a future that is perhaps greater than anyone
has imagined was possible.” This is a point by point plan to not only halt the effect of

global warming but to reverse them. The global epidemic of Climate change is

complicated and overwhelming, but it’s not over yet. Like any complicated problem,

there will be a complicated solution. These complicated solutions are coming to light,

but cannot be affective until humanity has a united front and we all become activists for

the one planet we call home.”

Citations

“Climate Change: How Do We Know?” NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.

Carrington, Damian. “2016 will be the hottest year on record, UN says.” The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 2016. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

Church, John A., and Neil J. White. “A 20th century acceleration in global sea-level rise.”
Geophysical Research Letters 33.1 (2006): n. pag. Web.

Burkart, Karl. “Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions To Reverse Global Warming.” The
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,