Present Global Warming Picture in relation to the Current Changing Climatic Trends - Coursework Example

Running head: GLOBAL WARMING Global warming Name Business Tutor Date Global warming Abstract: This report gives an overview of the present global warming picture in relation to the current changing climatic trends. Specifically, it addresses the interrelationship of the greenhouse effect and global warming. It also discusses facts and myths relevant to the arguments supporting the claims. Is Global Warming a Fact or just a Myth? Global warming refers to the progressive gradual rise of the mean temperatures of the earth’s surface air and oceans since the 20th century and its continued projection. It is thought to be caused by the green house effect which is also responsible for the changes in the global climate patterns. Global temperature of the earth surface increased between the beginning and the end of the 20th century. Most of the temperature increases were as a result of increasing green house gases concentration due to human activities such as industrial activities and transportation. An increasing global warming leads to the rising levels of the sea and changes in the amount and rain patterns. Other predictable effects include changes in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather activities, species extinctions and changes in the level of agricultural productions. Warming however differs from one region to another around the globe, though there is no certainty in the nature of these variations. An increase in the global mean surface temperature occurs from the enhancement of the greenhouse effect, mainly as a result of air pollution. The 2007 United Nations Panel on Climate Change predicted that by 2100 global mean temperatures would go up depending on a wide range of scenarios for green houses gas emissions (Wishart, 2009). Many scientists on the other hand have argued that such a rise in the mean temperature would lead to mountain glaciers and polar ice to melt rapidly hence raising the levels of the coastal waters. They therefore predict that this would cause new patterns and severe droughts and rainfall, seriously affecting food production in most regions. Other scientists however maintain that such predictions are exaggerated. The 1992 Earth summit and 1997 Kyoto protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change tried to bring out the issue on global warming, but it was unfortunate that in both cases the efforts were hindered by the conflicting national economic agendas and disputes between developed and developing nations over the cost as well as the consequences of reducing the emissions of the greenhouse gases (Harmon, 2008). It is a fact and not a theory that global warming is a measurable process that is already in place. Changes in temperature levels, rainfall patterns alterations and increased storms frequency are occurring and are being measured all over the world. The Earth has transformed through many phases of warming and cooling over billions of years of its history due to the effects of greenhouse. Many natural factors have contributed to these scenarios, with most of them occurring slowly over many periods of time. Temperature levels are increasing so fast on a global scale that is unexplainable due to these natural processes. It is therefore a fact and not just a small localized environmental- related problem. In fact, it may be the largest challenge that human beings may be facing in the twenty-first century. It is now evident in many parts of the world that there is an alarming disappearance of glaciers. An available example is available on the scientific data indicating that Greenland‘s huge ice sheet is shrinking at an alarming rate. The world lost about 890 cubic miles of ice between 1961 and 1997 (Harmon, 2008). Many scientists agree that the increasing average air temperatures are the most vital factor behind the departure of glaciers on the global scale over such a long period of time. The NASA satellite that measures the mass of ice around the whole continent found out that there was variation from one month to another and over a long period of time the ice has been disappearing. Global warming facts can also be observed from various parts of the world in terms of the seasons such as winter and summer occurrences. While countries have gone through some cold winters, the longer experience is normally the warm winters. Measurements even show that in the past century, earth’s climate has been warming overall, in the all seasons as well as in most regions. It is also a fact that global warming is just not part of a natural cycle but it is people who are causing it. Human beings through their daily activities such as burning of fossil fuels, for example coal, oil, natural gases and cutting down trees in forests. These according to scientists are pumping more carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere than it has been in about hundred of thousand years ago. These developments according to them seems to be the biggest cause of global warming and until 1985 scientists have known that carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases are able to trap heat and warm the earth surface. Warming has increased over the past decades with scientific analysis increasing along with it. Scientists have however considered and pulled out other natural explanations such as cosmic rays, sunlight and volcanic eruptions. Natural amounts of carbon dioxide however vary from 180 to 300 parts per million. Today’s level is around 380 parts per million. This sums to about 25 percent more than the natural levels about 650,000 years ago (Zedillo, 2008). The rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have led to higher mean temperatures throughout a long record. It is also true that there were warm periods over the arctic during the early 20 century but they did not affect many areas or go on from year to year as much as the current warmth. It is therefore a fact that the planet has been warming over a long period of time and the arctic has been melting. From the observations and unlike during the earlier periods of Arctic warming, there seems to be no expectation that the present upward trend in the Arctic temperatures will change; the rising greenhouse gases will definitely prevent it from happening (Robinson, 2007). Human beings as a whole have also gone through periods of droughts, long stretches of warmth and cold and the entire society has collapsed from various strange climatic shifts. The present climate has brought major hardships as well as economic problems leading to untold human suffering especially to our children and grandchildren. Already we are experiencing the significant costs from the present day global warming which is as a result of greenhouse gas emissions (Robinson, 2007). The impacts of this continuing warming at this rate are likely to be pressing and many highly populated areas such as the low-lying regions at the coast are highly sensitive to climatic shifts. Lack of water and food could as well result into major conflicts with broad consequences throughout the globe. And even if people will find a way to adapt to this, plants and wildlife on which we rely on may find it difficult to adapt to this rapid climatic shifts. There have been quite a number of myths coming out from different ill sources concerning the global warming issues. Among these is the more puzzling prediction which is based on model calculations and historical evidences that about 5.4 degree Fahrenheit rising in Greenland temperatures will likely lead to irreversible rise in sea level of more than 20 feets as well as meltdown (Harmon, 2008). The study however only looked at the interior section of the ice sheet and not at the edges where the melting process occurs. In addition to this are contradicting facts to the global warming one that global warming is not occurring since some ice sheets and glaciers are not shrinking but actually growing with time. Scientists have also come out with some prediction that the whole Antarctica will be gaining ice in the coming future due to the heavy snow fall. On the contrary, climate skeptics have argued that the winter that occurred in 2003-2004 was the coldest ever felt in northeastern United States of America (Mudhol, 2008). The winter was however ranked only the 33rd in terms of coldness in the region which is not an indication of a sequence in the global climate change. A trend in the global climate change refers to a longtime average period over the whole earth. The mythical view on the global warming issues is that, it’s just part of nature’s cycle and that even the Arctic has been warming in the past. Global warming is not a natural cycle and human beings have played a major role through their various activities such as burning fuels and cutting down trees. Scientists have proved that human activities are exposing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This has gone over a hundred thousand years ago and this is known as the biggest cause of global warming. Scientists have therefore ruled out other explanations other than this as just myths There are also claims that even if global warming is a problem then it will hurt the American industry weakening the economy and costing many jobs. The claims seems unfounded and in fact some companies especially in America are already working to reduce the heat-trapping emissions since they have discovered that cutting pollution can save money. The mythical belief is that people are able to adapt to climatical changes and that human civilizations have survived droughts and temperature shifts over a long period of time. People today depend on interconnected ecosystems and other technological infrastructure. There is no truth from this assumption since the world is currently facing many hardships and economic problems. There are rising levels of human suffering along with the significant costs from the changes caused by global warming. It is therefore impossible to assume the effects of global warming. There is however myths pertaining to the global warming issues and are commonly believed to be formulated by ill-mannered and other political sources Conclusion Human-induced global warming is real. The truth of this situation however is that some parts of the changing climatic patterns have not been fully understood and most scientists are still carrying on their researches. There are myths about the global warming issue that have been repeated over and over a long period of time. These have been translated so many times by so many people who have accepted them blindly without giving a thought or questioning them. Recent surveys conducted in the United States of America based on the opinions of about 3,146 scientists reveal that a majority of them agree that the average global temperatures have gradually gone up in the past 200-plus years and that human activities are also a significant contributing factor towards the changing mean temperatures (Robinson, 2007). References Harmon, D.E. (2008). Al Gore and Global Warming. Celebrity Activists. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008 Mudhol, J. (2008). Global Warming. Executive Predictions: Happy About. Robinson, M. (2007). America Debates Global Warming: Crisis or Myth? America Debates. The Rosen Publishing Group. Wishart, I. (2009). Air Con: The Seriously Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming. Howling At the Moon Pub. Zedillo, E. (2008). Global Warming: Looking Beyond Kyoto. Brookings Institution Press. . Read More