Human Impacts on Climate Essay

Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth is not only informative but an eye opener especially for those living in the United States. Today global warming is not an obscure phenomenon but a reality that is being faced by everyone from Africa to Australia. Mankind’s actions are now more than ever before are changing the climate of Earth. These actions lead to effects which combine with the natural occurrences which have been taking place in history. In addition evidence from scientific research shows that natural impacts alone cannot be blamed for the increase in the global surface temperatures recorded in the past century. Man’s effect on Earth’s climate has several consequences like: †¢ Escalating concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere †¢ Air pollution †¢ Concentration of airborne particles †¢ Changes in land geology The major problem is the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cannot be compared historically as the levels today are much higher then ever before, the exception being when earth was hit by a meteorite etc. the changes and the increase in carbon dioxide have been witnessed since the modernization and industrialization which began in the 1700’s however the worst impact has been since fossil fuels were used excessively from the beginning of 1900 and this also led to change in the use of land. (American Geophysical Union) Al Gore, through statistics shows that there is a direct relationship between the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the air and the increase in climatic temperatures. Historically the first impact of the human presence on Earth’s geographical and biological systems occurred about 8,000 years ago, when individuals began to systematically cultivate land for agricultural purposes. However the initial impact was not as severe or drastic as the one which occurred in the 1700s. The industrial revolution has been supported and encouraged by the values which have led to glorifying consumption and economic development. (American Geophysical Union) It is a fact that this planet is heating up because of the human society and the greenhouse gases produced. According to the both The National Academy of Sciences and the United Nation have come to the conclusion that there is a relationship between human actions and the temperature increases. (Clark 1013) According a joint statement by G8 in addition to China, India and Brazil, that stated that scientific evidence was quite remarkable and there was no way for the nations but to take actions to stop this destruction. (Clark 1013) The reality is that if people keep on emitting greenhouse gases at this rate, atmospheric temperatures will keep on increasing, and the effect will be felt for generations in future. According to   even strict actions like Kyoto Protocol may be able to control the increasing carbon dioxide after a centaury at the minimum. According to Clark (1013) Research on ice cores by Fedorov et al. (2005) detailing the relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature going back more then 400, 000 years has displayed that there is a strong correlation between carbon dioxide and temperatures. Studies show that historically there was never a time when there was so much carbon dioxide as now in addition the increase in carbon dioxide concentration has increased most rapidly in the past hundred years or so. (Clark 1014) In a news report on National Geographic in February, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) very assertively linked the man’s actions being responsible for the global warming and other climatic changes like increase in sea levels, storms and changing weather patterns. The report quotes Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, comment that: â€Å"Fossil fuel use, agriculture, and land-use change are fundamentally affecting the systems on our planet† (Roach) What Al Gore has done is just point out the facts in a simple style through his documentary so that general s can understand what is happening and do something about this very significant problem. Works Cited Human Impacts on Climate. American Geophysical Union. Adopted by Council December, 2003. AGU Release 03-35. Retrieved May 1 2007