Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Chase Jennings
Professor Cassel
17 April 2019
In some areas north and east of Alaska and Canada where there was once a large
population of polar bears, there is only a relatively small number of them left. The population
was decreased by forty percent due to the melting of the sea ice where polar bears used to travel
to hunt and reproduce. These stunning facts resulted from the warming of the planet, which will
kill off dozens more of species if people do not act now (World Wild Life). The term “climate
change” has been around for decades, but not everyone fully understand what it means and the
impacts of it. If put into words, climate change has some drastic consequences for not just an
individual country but for the whole entire planet. It impacts literally everything that is living and
non-living. That is why people need to address this concerning and problematic topic.
Quite often, many people get global warming and climate change mixed up. According to
NASA:
Global Warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet. Climate change
encompasses global warming, but refers to broader range of changes that are happening
to our climate, including rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice
melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic; and shifts in flower/plant blooming times.
(NASA)
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When it comes to climate change, greenhouse gases are relevant and to illustrate, Earth is like a
giant glasshouse, trapping heat and warming the inside. The “greenhouse gases” are the gases
like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides. Once released into the glass house, they
become trapped and cannot escape, much like when they are released into the Earth’s
atmosphere. They become trapped in the upper layer of the Earth, causing the temperature of the
planet to rise. According to NASA, “These heat trapping gases wrapped around the Earth, which
keeps it toastier than it would be without them.” To understand what causes climate change, one
must first understand why it is important, and why humanity faces a fundamental danger to their
human activities have interfered with the temperature balance in the Earth’s atmosphere through
the industrial activities like the burning of fossil fuel, which releases carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere and causes the Earth’s temperature to rise above the normal level. The planet’s
temperature needs to remain at a certain level in order for living organisms to continue to live
comfortably. The first time climate change made headlines in North America, the population was
alarmed, but as time went by, many skeptics contributed their “scientific research” to the public
dialogue regarding climate change. The public opinion has shifted away from believing in
climate change to thinking either it is a hoax or climate change is not human made. Many climate
scientists have agreed that climate change is very likely due to human activities. According to
NASA, “Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate warming trends over the
“This graph, based on the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more
recent direct measurements, provides evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the
Industrial Revolution. (Credit: Vostok ice core data/J.R. Petit et al.; NOAA Mauna Loa CO2
record” (NASA).
Climate change is the changing of numerous climate patterns on Earth that include, but
not limited to the rise in sea level, the increase in global temperature, as well as, the changing of
the seasonal climate. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, numerous studies
have shown that the temperature on Earth’s surface has risen. This increase in temperature also
occurred in the ocean and the atmosphere. They also mention that the precipitation occurrences
and the above average temperature has increased; the frozen properties like glaciers and snow are
melting, causing the sea ice to withdraw (U.S. Global Change Research Program). For instance,
the ice in the sea in the Artic has decreased at an alarming rate of 12.8 percent every year since
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1980. The sea ice size was 8 million square km in 1980, now it is less than 5 million square km
(NASA). The increase in global temperature has significantly contributed to the melting of the
ice, leading to the rise in sea levels. The rise in sea levels has two primary causes: the water that
is contributed by the melting of the ice sheets and the increase in size of ocean water as it warms
(NASA). According to NASA’s measurements, the sea height has increased from 7.6 mm to 72.5
mm in 2015 (NASA).
There is a strong connection between climate change and global warming. The trapping
of the greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels in the Earth’s atmosphere
increases the global temperature. For instance, scientists have recorded the changes in
temperature in the Earth’s atmosphere since 1880. The average temperature has risen from
negative 0.1 degrees C in 1880 to 0.86 degrees C in 2019 (NASA). This drastic increase in
temperature causes the ice to melt in many places like Antarctica and the Arctic which leads to
the rise in sea levels which can cause flooding in many coastal cities. These higher sea levels
have dangerous consequences. Especially in the United States where a large portion of the U.S.
population thrive in coastal communities. According to the National Ocean Service, “eight of the
The burning of fossil fuels have significantly contributed to climate change. According to
Juliane Weber, a research scientist, “The generation of electric power with fossil fuel-fired
power plants is the largest source of carbon dioxide emission with a share of approximately 35%
of the global emission.” Consequently, the burning and usage of fossil fuels contribute a
significant amount of carbon dioxide emission. Other fossil fuel burning like oil and coal has
Hawaii, there has been an increase of carbon dioxide level from 380.9 ppm (parts per million) in
2006 to over 410 ppm in 2019. This shows that the burning of fossil fuel like coal and oil,
contribute greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. According to NASA, the burning of
coal and oil by themselves do not release CO2, but when combined with oxygen in the air they
Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence regarding what causes climate change,
there are others who disagree about what causes climate change, specifically in regards to global
warming. Dr. Sallie Baliunas who graduated from Harvard University with a Doctor of
Philosophy degree, has an alternative view regarding the cause of climate change. Like many
others, she agrees with the idea that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere has risen within the
past century, but she disagrees that is the leading cause of global warming. According to Gale,
Dr. Baliunas agrees that there is definitely an increased level of CO2 levels in the atmosphere,
but she does not agree that is the major cause of the warming of the globe but rather refers to the
Sun’s energy output as the primary cause. This proves that despite the scientific consensus on the
issues, there are many others who disagree with the causes of climate change, some like Dr.
Sallie Baliunas who have college degrees ("Warming Up to the Truth: The Real Story About
Climate Change”).
NASA acknowledges that the Sun’s energy output drives our climate system but do not
believe that the Sun’s energy output plays a significant role in increasing the Earth’s
temperature. According to NASA, past climate changes have been contributed to by solar
irradiance but NASA then provides several concrete evidence including why the Sun’s energy
output. It does not explain the changes of global temperature because the energy projected from
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the Sun has remained unchanged over the past several centuries, hence this does not explain why
the temperature has increased drastically since the Industrial Revolution. NASA also observed
that if the warming is contributed by the increased Sun’s energy output, the changes in the
warmer temperatures should have been constant for all layers of the planet but it is not. Between
the many parts of the layers in the upper layer and lower layer of the atmosphere, one cools
while the other warms up. Also NASA explains that the changes in global temperature cannot be
reproduced over the past several decades without the greenhouse gases.
All of these have significance implications for everyone living on Earth, especially
people who live in developing nations who will be unprepared for the drastic consequences of
climate change. In the United States, climate change also has some significant impacts both to
the economy and the public health. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program,
“Climate change affects human health and wellbeing through more extreme weather events and
wildfires, decreased air quality, and diseases transmitted by insects, food, and water.” This
explains the far reaching impact of climate change within the United States, both to the
infrastructure and the well-being of society. Another consequence is the cost wildfires can cost
In the grand magnitude and severity of the situation, if humanity is unable to reduce
greenhouse gas emission and stop climate change in it track. There will have to be some serious
considerations for adapting to climate change once it is too late. The National Academy of
Sciences have come up with four national priorities if the worst is to come. The spread of better
access as well as the serviceability of information regarding the different dangers posed by
climate; Substantial increase in investment for researches that focus on adaptation; A creation of
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a budgeting plan for the economic costs for both personal and public adaptations; And the
substantial improvement for policies that are adaptation relevant (Guile, Bruce, and Raj Pandya).
All of these are important in regards to the preparation for the many forceful changes that climate
change brings.
Climate change has and will change the lives of all significantly if action is not taken
now. Climate change, and the many causes of it, including the burning of fossil fuels, warming
of the planet, the melting of ice in many places around the world, and other human activities are
contributing to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It is imperative for people to
realize the importance of climate change and the danger it poses to humanity. The economy and
livelihood of people are at stake, and people need to do something about it. There are many
actions people can take to decrease their carbon emission such as decreasing their energy
consumption within the home by turning off lights when one is not using them and purchasing
electric vehicles to decrease the carbon emission released by gas run automobiles. The Earth is
our home and if people don’t help keep it in shape, humankind will soon be left with a place
Works Cited
"Climate Change Impacts on the United States." Environmental Issues: Essential Primary
Sources, edited by Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner, Gale, 2006, pp. 114-117.
http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/CX3456400053/OVIC?u=dayt30
NASA. “Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” NASA, NASA, 26 Mar. 2019.
Guile, Bruce, and Raj Pandya. "Adapting to Global Warming: Four National Priorities." Issues in
Science and Technology, vol. 34, no. 4, 2018, p. 19+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A549337337/OVIC?u=dayt30401
U.S. Global Change Research Program. “Understand.” GlobalChange.gov, U.S. Global Change
US Department of Commerce, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Is Sea
oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html.
"Warming Up to the Truth: The Real Story About Climate Change." Environmental Issues:
Essential Primary Sources, edited by Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner, Gale,
http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/CX3456400170/OVIC?u=dayt30
climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.
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Weber, Juliane, et al. "Impact of climate change on backup energy and storage needs in wind-
dominated power systems in Europe." PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 8, 2018, p. e0201457.
http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A551293563/OVIC?u=dayt30401
World Wild Life. “Polar Bear Population Decline a Wake up Call for Climate Change
population-decline-a-wake-up-call-for-climate-change-action.