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The weather and climate changes seem to change after every few years. however, nothing has ever been felt like the recent turmoil on earth. Gusts of winds, strong ocean currents, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes and the rise in sea levels all point in one direction, the world is changing. Is the change a natural phenomenon or an occurrence triggered by man’s actions. Some people argue that the changes are man-made while others believe that they are natural.
Global warming is the global increase in temperature witnessed in the recent years. The main argument about climate change is whether global warming is caused by man or other factors. There are many factors that affect climate change and global warming. The most important factors are the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon-dioxide gas absorbs heat from the sun at a higher rate than other gases and forms an envelope covering the thermosphere. Scientists attribute the changes in climate to man’s actions because activities done by man lead to the emission of greenhouse gases to the environment. When compared to the start of the industrial upheaval, the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have doubled (Linkov, 2011).
Combustion of fossil fuels is the leading source of greenhouse gases. In the year 2012, about 38% of CO2 produced was as a result of the generation of electricity while 32% of the gas was produced by the automobile industry (Philander, 2008). The remaining percentage was produced by buildings and other industries. Deforestation is another source of carbon dioxide when trees are cut without replacement. Cutting trees down to get pastures and farmlands increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air when the trees are burnt. The escalation in the quantity of greenhouse gases in the air increases the global temperatures leading to melting of ice in the Polar Regions.
Recent scientific findings (Benoit, 2011) indicate that each time the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases doubles, the global temperatures increase by 10 C. Left on its own, the environment has its own natural ways of regulating temperature and climate without causing adverse effects. It is evident that the action of man has immensely affected the global temperature change through combustion of fossil fuels.
It is clear that man’s actions on earth have led to changes in weather and climatic patterns. It is important to come up with environmental mitigation policies like reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. Using renewable sources of energy and replenishing forests are sure ways of conserving the environment and mitigating climate change.
References
Benoit, P. (2011). Climate change. New York: Children’s Press.
Linkov, I. (2011). Climate global change and local adaptation. Dordrecht: Springer.
Philander, S. (2008). Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change. Los Angeles: SAGE.
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Source by Kegesa Danvas
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