Climate change
Works Cited
If climate change is real, what role should Americans play in slowing it down?
There is a hot debate by different people over whether or not climate change is real. One of the bodies that support the topic is The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was formed by UN Environmental Program and World Meteorological Organization, with the aim of accessing and publishing peer-reviewed studies on climate changes to enable an international response. Parry et al. support the climatic change argument, highlighting the 2007 assessment report, in which the IPCC (2) stated that the climate warming is undeniable, and it is significantly caused by human activities. On the other hand, some people consider the climate change concept a hoax and one of the greatest scams in history. This group of critics includes scientists, organizations, and individuals who ascertain that scientific research has not provided enough evidence to either conclude that there is any climate change, or whether humans are responsible for it. Additionally, some of the claims brought forward by some of the critics include the fact that they don’t believe that the earth is not warming, and most of the scientists work for the money, not facts.
Climate change refers to the continued transformation in weather conditions, recognized by variations in temperature, rainfall, wind patterns and snow, over a period. According to Archer (14), both human and natural factors contribute to these disparities. The tool regularly used by scientists and researchers to understand this climatic transformation is the observation of the extreme weather events, recorded temperatures, retreating glaciers and rise in sea levels. Recently, it has emerged that the change is occurring at a high rate, highlighting it as the biggest challenge that needs urgent control.
The Earth’s climate has changed right through history. Based on the research by Carr, Kate, and Robert (24) had the highest temperamental abnormalities ever recorded, and most scientists believe that this will be the trend over the years. The primary cause of climate change is global warming. There are greenhouse gasses available in the atmosphere, which help regulate heat radiation from the earth’s surface, keeping temperatures between twenty and thirty degrees. For over two hundred years, the greenhouse effect has made the climate adaptable to humans. Recently, carbon dioxide and other harmful gasses have increased by forty percent, resulting in a rise in temperatures among other climatic variations. John (5) states that this spike will translate to increase in floods and drought among other environmental disasters.
Americans can play a huge role in slowing climate change down. As a solution, John (7) proposes adaptation and mitigation as the two most important actions that can be taken to control climate change. Everyone should take it upon themselves to limit the amount of greenhouse gasses that they emit into the air. The introduction of lessons on pollution and the effects it has on the environment is essential. This move will come in handy in educational facilities, hospitals, and other institutions. As a nation, laws and tax policies that promote energy preservation, the development and utilization of environmentally friendly cars, machines and buildings can be put down. Charging heavy levies and fines against any individual, company or business that does not follow these regulations can contribute substantially. Alternative environmental-friendly energy sources like solar, hydropower, biofuel and wind power can substitute for the fuel currently in use as well.
Archer, David. Global warming: understanding the forecast, John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Carr, M. E., R. F. Anderson, and K. Brash. “Climate change: Addressing the major skeptic arguments.” 2010.
John, Houghton. “Global Warming, Climate Change and Sustainability.” Connecting Environment, Science and Christianity, Vol. 14, 2011. Print.
Parry, M. L., et al. “Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, 2007.” Climate Change 2007: Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, 2007. WGII, 2007. Print.
