Anthropological global warming

Introduction

Global warming is used to refer to the increase of the earth’s oceans and atmospheric temperatures which is said to have started in the 19^th century and is projected to be in constant increase since then. The mean temperature of the earth’s surface has since increased by approximately 0.8 degrees centigrade with the major change approximated at two thirds occurring after the year 1980. There have been constant warnings and alarms have been raised by scientists concerning the increase of this temperature which has been attributed greatly to the increase of the greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are said to be on the rise due to various human activities like deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. The science academies in all the countries that are industrialized have confirmed these claims. The term ‘global warming’ inflicts a lot of sensation and emotion in the world especially because it is attributed to the increase of temperatures which is abnormal and dangerous to the lives of the living things on earth. Te earth is described to be entering a period characterized by warming. There have been arguments concerning the cause of global warming. Many people have believed the fact that global warming is caused as a result of anthropological factors of human and that it is the human being who is to blame for the effects. However, there are others who have stated that global warming is a natural thing and that it is a warming period of the earth that is independent from human activities. This has elicited debates among various quarters including companies and industries in various forums.

Projections

The global warming is projected to increase in the future, with changes and warming set to vary in various regions around the world. The effects of that increase in the temperature of the glob are set to affect the temperature of the sea to rise and lead to a precipitation pattern and amount change. The sub tropical deserts are also set to expand and to cover vast areas. At the Antarctic, the warming is expected to be higher and more intense and this is related to the glaciers’ retreat, the retreat of sea ice and the permafrost. Expected effects of global warming include weather that is extreme which include heavy rainfall, droughts, ocean acidification, and the extinction of certain species as a result of the shift in the temperatures and the increase of heat waves. These effects are also extensive and prone to affect the humanity as there is set to be lack of food

Human causing global warming

There have been raging debates as to the contributions of humans in the global warming scenario. This has been in several forums where carbon energy based companies and green companies have held arguments on the cause of the increasing global warming effect. According to various scientists, the earth experienced the cooling effect’s end in the 19 century. This was then followed by a shift in the trend and warming started taking effect. This sudden shift in the temperature trend cannot just be explained using the variability that is natural alone.

Civilization and global warming

The 18^th century and the 19^th century are said to have been cooler than the 20^thcentury. There have been arguments that these warming effects could have been caused by natural factors. However, there are some scientists who insist that this sudden and drastic change could not have been caused by natural factors alone but there must have been other human factors that contributed to this situation. The argument has been that if anything, those natural factors which led to the cooling of the earth are still present which is supposed to lead to the same cooling effect but the global temperatures are ironically rising. This has pointed out to civilizations a contributing factor to the global warming.

Temperature variations in different regions

There is a distinguishing feature on the temperatures across the globe with there being variations in different areas. The Medieval Warm Period was a period that there was a rise in the global temperature. This was later followed by the Little Ace Age in which there was a cooling effect on the earth in North America and in Europe. The Southern Hemisphere has less cooling effect at that time. This exhibits the nature of the regional reconstructions in the temperatures. It is also asserted that the regional variability is visible in a response to the global climate forces as a result of the human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels and a number of volcanic eruptions. There has been a lot of efforts pt towards the mitigation of the global warming effects.

Hockey stick

The temperature reconstructions are in tandem with the records, exhibiting a lot of consistency in the records showing a reversal in the cooling that is long term and that coincides with the greenhouse gas emission acceleration due to various activities of the humans during the end of the 19^th century’s industrial revolution. The recent studies are in similarities to the consensus that is emerging on the cooling effect that was gradual between the years 1000 and 200. This was later followed by a process of warming which came abruptly after the year 1900. These findings from the ‘hockey stick’ paper fifteen years ago are corroborated every year with other new evidences. This has therefore left no doubt that the hockey stick paper was indeed correct in its assertions. In the ‘hockey sick’ paper, Michael Mann indicates that there is an unprecedented warming in the recent times which can be established further in the past times. The causality of the warming is not directly indicated in the study but a research points extensively to the fact that the warming effect in the recent years can only be attributed to various anthropological activities. These activities include the fossil fuels burning and the constant increase in the emission of greenhouse gases.

Other human activities

By driving the cars, voluminous fossil fuels are burnt during combustion. The emissions from these fuels have a carbon effect that accumulates and have great effects over the years, possibly thousands and millions of years. The burning of carbon results to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which in turn increases the effects of global warming. Buying of homes in the suburbs also has a contribution to the global warming. This is because trees which are instrumental in the storage of carbon dioxide are usually cleared to pave way for the building of such houses. The trees are burnt bringing a hault to the storage of carbon dioxide and causing them to release the carbon dioxide which they have stored for thousands of years.

Mitigating anthropological global warming

There are various mitigation measures that both my team and the public can take in order to reduce anthropological global warming. The biggest contributor to global warming is the release of carbon dioxide during the burning of the fossil fuels, like coal and oil, for energy. Reducing the emissions, adaptation and geo engineering are possible solutions to the challenge of global warming. There is need to enact laws that prevent the excessive emissions of the greenhouse gases causing the global warming effect.

Industries and the entire public should be engaged in the use of renewable energy. The public should pick on energy suppliers who have gone green and who generate their power from solar, wind and other clean energy sources, at easting contributing to half of its energy. The public should also support the renewable energy in a given way. Weatherizing the apartments and homes can also be a mitigation step. By heating and cooling, 40 percent of the energy is consumed. There is needed to be energy efficient. This can be done through sealing houses to ensure that there is saving of energy through insulation. The public should buy appliances that are energy efficient so as to save energy. People should also use public transport and avoid driving as much as possible. This will ensure that there is a reduction of the burning of the fossil fuels which eventually produce a lot of greenhouse gases.

Conclusion

These mitigation steps are supposed to be embraced by both the public and the industries. If the industries that deal with carbon based energy shift their sources of energy, there will be a great reduction in the greenhouse effect. The green energy companies should also intensify information passing and campaign for green energy. This should indeed be done with the support of the government.