Climate Change: Man-Made or Natural Occurrence - Research Paper Example

Causes of Climate Change Climate change is a term that is commonly used with reference to the gradual changing of the earth’s climate. Climatic change is a process that has been taking place for thousands of years. Today the Earth’s temperature is believed to have warmed to the level of the Medieval Warm Period. Climate change is a result of the increase in greenhouse gases, which trap energy from the sun leading to an increase in the Earth’s temperature. Greenhouse gases include: f-gases, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane. There has been a common debate on the actual cause of climate change. Rather, this debate is about the actual causes of the increase of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Some scientists argue that this is a result of natural occurrences while others believe that it results from human activities. This paper aims at discussing whether climate change is a natural occurrence or resulting of human activities. According to Nicola Scafetta, a scientist at Duke university climatic changes as from the year 1950 have been a result of predictable, cyclical, and natural occurrences that takes place on the earth’s with very minimal or no help from human activities. According to Nicola Scafetta, those claiming that climatic change is a result of human activities fail to take into consideration climate modulating effects of solar changes. These effects might include how cosmic rays are influenced by cloud-forming thus reducing sunspot activity. He argues that between 50%-70% of global warming on the 20th century can be associated to increased solar activity (Jarman 101). Other scientists also argue that there are many causes of global warming that cannot be linked to human activities. Such activities include ice age, hurricanes, and earthquakes. However, when you look at these occurrences and their frequency of occurrence you will notice that if in any case they were the sole causes of climate change, then climate change would not have been the big global problem that everybody is currently concerned of. For a single year the earth, usually makes a single orbit around the sun. During the process, the earth is always tilted to the angle 23.5% to the plane that is perpendicular to the orbital path. When the earth tilts there is always a small though significant change in the seasons’ strength. The there is more tilt the result would be warmer summers and colder winters. The small tilt has been leading to small but significant changes in the climate over the years. However, many scientists argue that such occurrences cannot be used in explaining the sudden increase in the rate of climate change over the past century. As for those arguing that climate change is a result of natural occurrences, there are a number of facts that back their arguments. One of the most known influencers of global warming is volcanic eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are occurrences that human beings have no control of. During the process of volcanic eruption there are always large volumes of sulphur dioxide, dust, water vapor, and ash being released into the atmosphere. Increased ash and gases in the atmosphere can lead to atmospheric cooling. Some tiny particles known as aerosols that are produced in the process reflect solar energy, causing a cooling effect on the earth. The climatic changes caused by volcanic eruptions are so insignificant that people would not have to worry about them if they were the only causes of climatic change (Jarman 134). It is also notable that the effects are mostly cooling while what is of most concern at the moment is global warming. Oceans form a significant part of the climate system. Ocean currents usually move large amounts of heat across the world. When the ocean and the atmosphere are in contact there is always a possibility of there being phenomena such as El Niño. El Nino usually occurs every 2 to 6 years. The frequency of its occurrence can be used to show its insignificance. There is always a deep circulation of cold water moving from the poles to the equator and vice versa. With the absence of this movement the poles would have been colder and the equator even warmer. This can be said to be a way through which the ocean, being a part of nature has been able to maintain the temperatures in the two extremes and make sure that they do not get neither too cold nor too warm. Given such fact the ocean can be said to be playing and important role in curbing and putting climate change under control. Shaun Lovejoy, a professor of physics at Quebecs McGill University analyzed historical data with the aim of identifying whether man made emission were the actual cause of climate change. According to professor Quebecs the rate of climate change that is currently experienced globally does not match what used to take place before human beings began involving themselves in greenhouse gas emitting activities. His assertion is that the theory about climate change being a natural occurrence cannot be true as from the year 1880. His analysis shows that human activities that result to the emission of greenhouse gases have significantly increased the rate at which the global climate is changing. Some statistics can also be used to support the argument that climate change results from human activities. According to a research that was carried out by the United Nations, 4% of greenhouse gases emission is as a result of industrial activities. 7% of the greenhouse emission was as a result of agricultural activities. 21% of greenhouse gases were emitted from transport related activities. The highest contributor to greenhouse gases emission was observed to be burning of fuels, which contributed to about 65% of the greenhouse gases emitted. 40% of the greenhouse gases was also be observed to be a result of individual activities that result from individual choices (Watts 92). These individual activities include: energy consumption at home, burning of waste products, driving a car smoking, air travelling, and many others Agriculture has developed to be one of the most significant human activities globally. Agriculture contributes to climate change through the production of greenhouse gasses such as methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. However, agriculture also contributes to climate change through alteration of the Earth’s land cover. Alteration of the Earth’s land cover interferes with its ability to reflect or absorb light or heat. Land use that involves activities such as deforestation is believed to one of the most significant contributors in the increase in carbon emission. However, human beings cannot live without agriculture as it has been part of human existence for thousands of years (Jarman 201). Human activities such as transportation usually lead to carbon emission. This is specifically because most means of transport usually depend on the burning of fossil fuels for energy. When Fossil fuels are burnt there is always an obvious emission of carbon dioxide which is the most common greenhouse gas. Transport is generally depended on in different areas of human life. Despite there being various green alternatives to fossil fuels, it is usually economically unrealistic, especially taking into consideration the recent climate crisis. Therefore, people have to settle for the means of transport that lead to carbon emission for economic convenience. As time goes by, there has been an increase in the rate at which motor vehicles are bought and used worldwide. Much of this can be attributed to the increase in human population. Speaking of population you will wonder whether the population increase can be classified as human influenced or natural. This is something that is specifically not clear especially given the fact that there are many man-made birth control initiatives. This might just mean that human population growth is a natural occurrence. If in case it is a natural occurrence then it can be said that it is nature that demand for more of the vehicles, especially when you consider that increased population is what has led to the high number of motor vehicles in the world. When motor vehicles are demanded for there will be an obvious increase in the quantity of fossil fuels that are demanded for (Simon 123). This simply means that there is an increase in the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted into the air as a result of the increased combustion of fossil fuels. Since the industrial revolution there have been many improvements in the world. However, it should be noted that increased industrial activities leads to an increase in the demand for energy. This is because increased production means that more energy is needed. Much of the increased productions can be said to be as a result of the need to satisfy the highly growing population. However, most players in the various industries usually prefer using carbon-emitting sources of energy. There are a number of factors that are believed to contribute to the large quantities of fossil fuels that are used in industrial activities. The most significant one is the fact that these fuels are usually pocket-friendly as compared to the other sources of energy that are considered to be environmentally friendly (Pringle 99). The other notable thing is their availability and accessibility. Without the use of fossil fuels in industrial activities, it is believed that there would have been a very huge difference in the rate at which the global climate is changing. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change human activities causes more than 95% of greenhouse gasses that are released to the atmosphere. Given the fact that carbon dioxide is the leading cause of climate change, it can be said that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s assertion is very true. At the beginning of the industrial revolution the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million. Despite that fact that there had been increases previously it is believed that the previous increases were very insignificant. At the moment the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is believed to be more than 400 parts per million (Jarman 227). This is the first time these levels are being reached in the millions of years of human existence. This is a clear indication that the increase in the rate of carbon emission was not that much before the industrial revolution. The same effect is believed to have been brought about by the agrarian revolution. If the argument that climate change is a result of natural occurrences is true, then there would not have been such a big difference after the industrial revolution. That rate at which the global climate is changing would have been just as insignificant as it had been before the introduction of industrialization. It can also be noticed that the increase in carbon dioxide concentration within the atmosphere can also lead to some of the changed in nature that are believed to result to climate change. For instance, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have direct impact on cloud coverage which can sometimes diminish or amplify the Earth’s temperature (Miller 67). Therefore, when cloud coverage is given as a cause of climate change, it is always important to consider the possible causes of changes in cloud coverage before assuming that the influence is due to a change in nature. It is clearly evident that scientists on both sides of the arguments have some facts to back their assertions. What is clearly evident in this case is the fact that climate change can be a result of both human activities and natural occurrences. However, the question in this case should be how significant the influenced brought by other human activities or natural occurrences is. As discussed herein, the natural cause of climate change is so insignificant. The record of the difference in the rate of climate before and after the industrial revolution explains it all. The frequency of some of these natural occurrences such as El Nino and earthquakes can raise questions on whether they can be of much effect of climate change. Another explanation is that unlike natural occurrences the rate at which human activities that lead to greenhouse gases emission are increasing. The increase in climatic change can be said to be a response to the increase in these activities. Work cited Jarman, Melanie. Climate Change. Halifax: Fernwood Pub. 2007. Print. Miller, Debra A. Global Warming. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. Print. Pringle, Laurence. Global Warming. New York: Arcade Pub., 1990. Print. Simon, Seymour. Global Warming. New York: Collins, 2010. Print. Watts, Robert G. Global Warming and the Future of the Earth. San Rafael, Calif.: Morgan & Claypool, 2007. Read More