Research Essay – Global Warming and its Effects in the Environment

Global Warming and its Effects on the Environment

What are we doing to this planet, ever wondered what will happen if we don’t change our way of thinking? What happens if Global Warming becomes worse than what it is at the moment? Sustainability, in terms of Science, investigates the interactions between global, social, environmental, and human systems. It analyzes the complex mechanisms that lead to the degradation of these systems and the risks to a human’s well-being. It is important to have sustainability in science in order to create a balance between organisms and the environment. As a result, global warming has been an issue worrying societies as it is also being affected by carbon dioxide which causes disturbances in the marine ecosystem. Carbon dioxide, a significant ozone-depleting substance, colossally affects the marine biological system since it breaks down into the sea like the fizz in a can of soda. When the compound reacts with seawater, it produces carbonic acid thus leading to a decline in pH, a process known as ocean acidification. Increased acidity eats away at the calcium carbonate shells and skeletons that many ocean organisms depend on for survival (Pappas 7 ) Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the pH of the ocean’s surface waters has dropped from 8.21 to 8.10 ( Lindsey 2,3) Likewise, CO2 assimilates less warmth per particle than the ozone-depleting substances methane or nitrous oxide, yet it’s progressively abundant and it remains in the atmosphere much longer. All in all, global warming relates to chemistry because carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases, has a possibility to react with seawater yielding carbonic acid and decreasing the ocean’s pH resulting in a decrease in marine survival and is a large factor for temperature changes.

As mentioned before, carbon dioxide also influences climate change. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space, but contaminants, which may linger in the air for hundreds of years, trap the heat, causing the planet to get hotter. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate power is one of the most significant polluters, releasing around 2 billion tons of CO2 per year. Because the coal or oil burning process mixes carbon with oxygen in the air to produce CO2, the impacts of these pollutants raise the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Furthermore, recent studies have found that there is a greater than 95% chance that human activities have warmed our planet over the last 50 years. The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million in the last 150 years. Solving climate change will require big shifts in energy production, from non-renewable energy sources to less carbon-intensive sources. Though climate change cannot be stopped, it could be slowed. There is a great deal of perspectives people could enhance, for example, making a newer, better transportation system, stopping the activity of deforestation, an environmentally friendly agricultural framework, and international cooperation to reflect on the world’s best efforts to stop global warming. “Net-zero”, no more carbon is dumped into the atmosphere than is taken out, should be practiced in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. To reach “net zero”, individuals should not only reduce their carbon emissions but also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or counterbalance its consequences. One effective way is by planting new forests or restoring old ones because trees help regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Moreover, alternatives such as renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal could be adapted rather than using fossil fuels, also promoting public transportation and carpooling. The best policy ideas in the world aren’t worth a lot if the entire world doesn’t take an interest and follow activists, specialists, and regular individuals battling for change. As a result, there have been many advances in technology that could reduce global warming and possibly reverse its outcomes.

Vehicles and coal industrial facilities have partly driven environmental change. Early air conditioners tore a huge opening in the ozone layer. Pesticides have devastated ecosystems and hurt untamed life and plastic stifling the oceans. However, a few innovations restore, secure, and revive the Earth. For example, a drone that determines the best planting strategy for a region, then planting drones hover six feet above the ground and fire seeds so fast that they get snugly implanted into the soil. This development is extremely significant in light of the fact that trees are fundamental for putting away ozone-depleting substance emanations, separating air and water, feeding the soil, giving nourishment and safe houses, and cultivating biological systems. Furthermore, one engineer named Mo Ehsani wants to provide relief to coral with an underwater pipe that can pump cold water onto reefs, cooling them down and preventing a process known as coral bleaching. His thought is in no way, shape, or form, an answer for the quickening danger of environmental change, yet it could slow the decrease of the world’s coral populaces. Lastly, recently developed solar panels in China harvest energy from raindrops, solar panel roads are being tested out, and a team of researchers at Michigan State University believe that all windows and cell phone screens could begin cultivating the sun’s energy. To sum it all up, there are new measures which could potentially impact the environment in a positive way.

Global warming is increasingly becoming alarming as the years go on. Some remark climate change as a beneficial event that could possibly change Earth for the greater good. Several scenarios which are claimed as “advantages” include the next ‘ice age’ possibly being prevented and increased agricultural production in some areas due to longer growing seasons. However, for each minutely conceivable advantage to climate change, there is a significantly more profound and convincing drawback. Global warming brings downsides to the oceans, weather, agriculture, nature, and economy ( Rosenberg 3). To begin, the acidification of warming oceans prompts the loss of coral reefs. Coral reefs shield shorelines from substantial waves, storms, and floods and though they cover only around 1 percent of the seafloor, reefs provide habitat to 25 percent of the ocean’s species. Annihilated reefs lead to expanded erosion and coastal property harm and the termination of species. Additionally, changes in ocean circulation and the subsequent warmer temperatures disturb the world’s typical climate patterns, achieving progressively more extreme weather and an expanded recurrence of severe and cataclysmic storms, such as storms and hurricanes. Likewise, disruptions in weather patterns and intensifying droughts will have a huge toll on agriculture. Decreased agricultural production leads to food and crop shortages which result in starvation, malnutrition, and increased deaths. On top of agriculture, wildlife would be largely affected by global warming ( Rosenberg 4). Lastly, as the climate overall warms, measures of insect-borne disease will increase while individuals would utilize more energy resources for cooling needs, which will prompt an ascent in air contamination and deaths from progressively sweltering climate conditions that cannot be mitigated. To conclude, the drawbacks are all interconnected with each other that could ultimately ensure horrible outcomes.

Temperature change arose as a significant issue in the 1960s after NASA started shifting its attention on studying the Earth from orbit. The same decade had seen a revolution in researchers’ comprehension of Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to the mid-1960s, geoscientists accepted that the Earth’s atmosphere could only change relatively slowly, on timescales of thousands of years or more (NASA 9). However, proof from ice and sediment cores demonstrated that belief was incorrect. Earth’s climate had changed quickly before acknowledgment that climate change on human timescales made climate processes substantially more intriguing research themes. It additionally prodded political intrigue. Their studies have helped the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change come to the conclusion in 2007 that “Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic(originating in human activity) greenhouse gas concentrations.” Still, there are still many questions yet to be answered, such as ‘How much warmer will it get? How will sea-level rise progress?’ As expressed, NASA was able to educate the world about the causes and effects of global warming even though there are still questions yet to be answered.

Overall, there are multiple ways society could largely help reduce climate change. The problem is not looking for solutions but rather the will and effort to implement those solutions. Over the years, many proposals have been imposed but not put into practice by communities including alternatives to move away from burning fossil fuels such as solar panels, and windmills. Furthermore, finding other ways to produce clean energy is much more efficient and less costly. Also, accepting sustainable transportation methods which reduce CO₂ emissions. Then, encouraging better use of natural resources, stopping massive deforestation as well as making agriculture greener and more efficient should also be a priority. Lastly, recycling is an absolute necessity for dealing with waste. In conclusion, a will is a problem, not a solution.

The above graph shows “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” other than burning fossil fuels. The graph tells the whole story. Electricity (~25%) and food & land use (~24%) make up about half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and industry, transportation, buildings, and other sources make up the rest. Burning coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity is the single largest source of global emissions, but food & land use is nearly tied with it. Food and land use, shockingly, is important to climate change due to several reasons. Deforestation and clearing other lands for food production is the largest source of these emissions. Methane production by cattle and rice fields is the second most important contributor of greenhouse gases from food & land use, followed by nitrous oxide emissions from overusing fertilizers on agricultural soils.

Six major sectors — electricity, food & land use, industry, transportation, buildings, and other emissions — are causing the problem. So that’s where the opportunities to reduce emissions will largely come from too— by eliminating the sources of greenhouse gases where they originate, not just focusing on one factor: CO₂ from burning fossil fuels. Therefore, solutions for all factors affecting climate change should be looked for not just for specific areas.

Overall, there are many factors to consider that affect global warming. Some aspects are electricity, food, and land use, industry, burning fossil fuels, etc. Many individuals tend to only look at a specific factor and ignore every other possible determinant. However, to truly have an impact against global warming, individuals must look at the whole board rather than just one. Climate change is not just CO₂emissions from burning fossil fuels.

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