History of Climate Change
Climate refers to the average weather conditions at a specific place on the earth’s surface. Usually, the climate is discussed in reference to the amount of rainfall that is expected in a particular region on earth, the temperature and wind conditions after a relatively long period of observation. “Climate change” is, therefore, the variation of the climatic condition that persists for an extended period. After many years of research and data, the scientific community has finally come to terms with the fact that activities carried out by people are responsible for the alteration of the climate of the entire earth. During the 1800s, several experiments were carried out, and they suggested that activities carried out by human beings led to the emittance of large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases to the atmosphere. However, such claims were met with a lot of concern and curiosity (Bulkeley and Newell,2015). In the mid-50s, subsequent carbon dioxide readings provided the first that corroborated the global warming theory. In due course, plenty of data and climate models have proven that indeed global warming exists and has terrible consequences.
Literature review
There is physical evidence on earth and in the space that has aided scientists to understand the factors that have led to the longstanding climatic change on earth. Such factors include radiation of solar levels, the orbiting of planet earth around the sun, volcanic activities, tectonic plates, and ocean currents. The warming periods are referred to as interglacial, while cooling periods are called glacial, and the latter is usually characterized by large amounts of ice that extend from the poles. The most recent period in human history is the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period (Young et al.,2015).
Climate change has a vibrant history that dates back further than we can imagine, although the subject has grown with technological advancement. Guy Stewart, a key figure in climate science, issued a warning claiming that carbon dioxide trapped heat after observing computer-borne climate simulations during the 70’s-“Any slight change in the orbiting of the earth could bring about a difference. However, masses have been surprised by the ancient studies climate showing that the ice ages have been significantly influenced by the astronomical cycles. Seemingly the earth’s surface was balanced in a delicate manner that any slight disturbance could lead to a big shift” (Munshi,2016).
Recently, an organization consisting of scientists specializing in climate change matters called Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change studied the climate of the earth. In four years, the organization has issued four reports that illustrate the link between human activities and climate change. According to the latest report that was released by IPCC in 2018, human activities heavily contributed to global warming that has subsequently led to climate change (Masson-Delmotte et al.,2018). The report further indicates that the temperature of the earth is likely to increase, increase of the sea level and heatwaves.
Why the two sides disagree on Climate Change
Whether the impact of climate change across the world is visible or not has been a subject of discussion that has attracted divergent opinions from scholars, individuals, and communities. “You cannot see climate change or even feel it take place.”-Mike Hulme, geographer (Hulme,2015). “The Arctic and Subarctic nations are already experiencing the catastrophic impact of warm temperatures going by the melting of ice in the sea, glaciers, permafrost, increased fires, droughts, and floods” -(Karmakar,2016).
The answers issued on this problem not only seem to diverge but also seem to come out as self-evident truths. Therefore, going by this strange combination of agreements and disagreements on the visibility of climate change, it is clear that this question stretches beyond any known empirical. Whereas there is no way of predicting one’s opinion on the subject of climate change visibility, there are certain stances are common in some communities. For instance, physical scientists are likely to lean toward invisibilism (Afroz,2019). Hulme (2015) insists that the issue of climate change is intrinsically global. When the atmosphere is anthropogenically tampered with, the aftermath is not defined by particular weather patterns. Although there is little room left for visibilism in the context of climate change, the rift between physical, visible reality and climate change is crowded with technological gadgets and inhumanely massive spatial scales.
The Problem Regarding Climate Change
Global warming is a complicated problem that has continually affected planet earth. The Industrial Revolution has seen the planet earth being subjected to increased warming due to changes in the composition of the atmosphere. In the 1820s, Joseph Fourier (a French Mathematician and Physicist) suggested that the amount of energy that reaches the earth’s surface should be balanced by the amount of energy being returned to space because when the earth surface is heated, it emits radiation (Quaschning,2019). According to him, some of the energy released into space is retained in the atmosphere making the earth warmer. Fourier’s explanation proves that such an effect is the reason why the universe is sustainable. However, the point of concern is the increased deposition of such gases, mainly consisting of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Increased amounts of such gases in the atmosphere increase the chances of the atmosphere, retaining more heat, making the earth even warmer.
Most environmental scientists are concerned about global warming because of the possible danger it possesses to the living things on earth. Like I have mentioned before, the issue of climate change, whose foundation is on global warming, has dire ramifications like extended droughts and floods. Some quarters contend that global warming should not attract any concerns because it is a natural occurrence (Hu.,2015). However, this view does not hold because there is a range of methods used to measure emissions.
Proposition statement
Climate change is leading to more frequent and sharp changes in the environment that needs to change before drastic events take place. Therefore, governments should not sit back and watch as the ramifications of climate change consume the earth.
Planet earth has undergone a lot of transformation for the last 4.5 million years. As a result, a lot of carbon monoxide gases have been naturally emitted into the atmosphere. Some scientists had even blamed the mass extinction of some species to carbon monoxide, long before even human beings came into existence to start burning fossil fuels as we can witness in this age. What we see today is the worst kind of heating and cooling the earth has ever experienced in the history of the planet earth. Unlike in the past, human beings are the ones causing damage to planet earth. In other words, the statement that climate is a natural phenomenon that should be relied on.
Air Pollution
The is a significant connection between planet earth’s two main problems, air pollution, and climate change. However, before establishing the relationship, it is worth noting that these two vices do not mean the same thing. Even though the two results from a common source, which happens to be modern methods of transport, manufacturing of goods, just to mention a few, some small nuances distinguish the two elements. To start with, climate change, as stated in the introduction part, is, therefore, the variation of the climatic condition that persists for an extended period. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous, and methane that are produced as a result of human activities accelerate the rate of global warming. Climate change brings about different repercussions that negatively impact the earth because of the various climatic changes, the ever-rising sea levels, and severe meteorological conditions (Perera,2017). Climate change does not only brings about negative environmental consequences, but also severe economic and social impacts.
On the other hand, air pollution is the presence of dust particles in the air and other chemicals that are likely to affect living organisms, including human beings negatively. The primary sources of pollution include ozone gases, Sulphur oxides, benzopyrene, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter. Such gases emanate from the burning of fossil fuels, burning of fuels, industrial processes, usage of aerosol, and radiation. Air pollution and climate change have the same current energy model. They both worsen when fossil fuels are burned, leading to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions, which later causes global warming. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the daily exposure to particulate matter per cubic meter should not exceed 25 micrograms (Bortey-Sam,2015). However, many cities across the world have already surpassed the figure. Air pollution and climate change are getting worse and are likely to be felt with increased severity as time goes by.
Melting Glaciers
The world has witnessed the rapid melting of glaciers, especially from the 1900s. Activities carried out by human beings have been linked to this. The inception of the Industrial Revolution has seen increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, increasing the chances of the atmosphere retaining a lot of heat, which makes the earth warmer. As a result, the glaciers melt and calve into the sea. Even if authorities significantly contain emissions in the next few decades, it would be meaningless because the surviving glaciers are likely to melt by the year 2100(Paul et al.,2015). Furthermore,95% of sea ice in the artic is also gone (Paul et al.,2015. According to scientists, if the emissions are not put in check, the Arctic will lose the ice by the end of 2040 because of the continued increase in the temperature of the air and ocean.
When ice melts down, there are darker patches of the ocean that start emerging. As a result, the patches eliminate the effect that was instrumental in the cooling of the poles, thus, generating warmer temperatures altering the ocean circulation. Research indicates that polar vortex is appearing regularly outside the Arctic because of the changes that have occurred on the jet stream because of the warm air and ocean (Zhang et al.,2016). The disrupted ocean temperatures are likely to affect the fishery industries and increased storms.
Wildfires
In recent times, the United States has witnessed wildfires that have destroyed millions of acres every year. According to research, climate change has made the fires even worse. For instance, scientists recently confirmed that the recent fires that ravaged over 30 percent of Australia’s forest cover had a strong connection with climate change (Berglez & Lidskog,2019). Today, wildfires in western countries have tripled compared to a few decades ago. While activities carried out by human beings such as poor disposal of lit cigarettes and open campfires are the leading causes of such fires, the hot weather conditions make the forests and bushes drier and susceptible to burning (Stevens‐Rumann et al.,2018). When temperatures rise, moisture evaporates from the ground living the soil dry and exposing the vegetation.
Furthermore, the varying meteorological patterns are likely to drive away rain from areas that are prone to wildfires, a phenomenon scientists discovered in California and has been associated with human-made climate change. The same phenomenon was recently observed in Australia. Professor Lain Colin Prentice, Chairperson of Biosphere and Climate Impacts and Director of Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Imperial College London; “Wildfires cannot be prevented, and the risk of such fires spreading are increasing because of climate change. This makes it urgent to consider ways that will reduce the risk to people. These fires should be taken into account by when planning for your land.” (Thomas et al.,2015)
The rise in Sea Level
The rising of sea levels is one of the most severe consequences that have been caused by climate change and is threatening to submerge island nations and coastal areas before 2099. Since the 1800s, the levels of the sea have risen by at least 0.2m, and it is projected to accelerate in the years to come. Although in 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggested that the sea level may not rise beyond 1m despite high emissions, some studies have suggested that the rise in the sea level is likely to reach 2m or more in this century (Masson-Delmotte et al.,2018). The increase in the sea level has been linked to two factors that are directly related to global warming: the melting of glaciers, which increase the volume of water in the sea, and the expansion of seawater when it warms up.
Conclusion
To wrap up, this paper has illustrated the connection between air pollution and climate change. Climate change is the variation of climatic conditions that persist for an extended period. At the same time, air pollution refers to the presence of dust particles and gas in the air that is likely to hinder the usual setting of humans, flora, and fauna. This paper has also observed that both air pollution and climate change occur when fossils fuels are burned, and that is how the two are related. Besides, the paper has also given a brief history of the melting of glaciers and given the current state of glacial melting, and projections. The primary causes of glacial melting increased the warming of the earth’s surface as a result of increased emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which traps a lot of heat. Also, the paper illustrated the correlation between increased forest fires and climate change. The increased warming of the earth’s surface has led to evaporation of moisture, leaving the vegetable susceptible in case of a fire. Lastly, there has been a rise in the sea level over the years, which points to climate change. Factors such as continued melting of glaciers and increased warming of the sea have been linked to the latter. Although there is hope for solving the issue of global warming, all the available solutions are dependent on the activities of human beings and how they should consume energy. Authorities should be able to come up with laws and policies that will regulate how people use energy, promote the use of the latest technology in the manufacturing sector, and encourage less waste of energy. For instance, developing vehicle fuel economy, generating biofuels from organic waste, use of solar power, and wind power instead of the traditional fossil fuels and setting a price on carbon to control emissions. Whereas controlling greenhouse gas emissions is crucial, scientists have also stressed the need to start extracting the already existing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some scientists have raised ideas such as spraying particular types of aerosols in the air that have the ability to excessive heat from the sun, but such proposals have been dismissed because they are likely to cause more harm than good.