IS GLOBALCLIMATE CHANGE MAN-MADE?by | 09-10-2014 23:06 |
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The term climate has a wide variety of meanings. The way in which a geologist may define the term climate may differ from an agriculturist?s definition. To many of us, when we talk about climate we simply refer to temperature, rainfall or humidity. Therefore I would say global climate change is the change imposed on the planets energy balance that will result in change of global atmospheric conditions. The topic above is therefore a debatable and relative topic as many people will agree that indeed global climate change is man-made.In our everyday lives we get involved in a lot of activities that help us to sustain our lives and expand our industrial product and living standards. The activities involve cutting down of trees for firewood, burning of fossil fuels (and the wood), poaching /hunting down of animals and use of transport altogether. All of these have a negative impact on the climate because they disturb the planets energy balance resulting in climate change which heavily contributes to global warming, acid rain, tropospheric aerosols.Aerosols are a cause to global climate change. The word aerosols refer to the dispersion of solid and liquid particles which rises up to the atmosphere. Aerosols are caused by industrial pollution. Fortunately, Aerosols reflect some radiation back into the space so as to cool the affected area but since some are dark in color, they will have the opposite effect which contributes to global warming. The aerosols may also form some cloud and cause small drops to form in the clouds, increasing the reflectivity of the clouds which cools the planet. The effect of changes in the plants has its own negative results since the clouds also affect the amount of radiation which escapes from the Earth system.Plants are important in our lives therefore humans are doing all that they can to protect plants from dying especially in winter seasons. One way in which plants are saved from cold winter is by keeping them warm in a glass house called greenhouse. However the negative effects of the greenhouse exceed the good part of keeping them warm. Radiation of short wavelength from the sun penetrate the glass house then it get absorbed by the plant, plants will also emit radiations of long wavelength which will fail to penetrate the glass to escape hence ore heat is absorbed. The process written in italics above it is similar to what carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as methane impact on the climate. These gases form a layer on the surfaces which only allows short wavelength radiations from the sun to penetrate the earth and not allowing radiations of long wave length to escape from the earth. The trapped heat cause global warming which also causes high temperatures with low rains and melting of ice at the poles resulting in the level of the sea rising and flooding some island.In this modern life especially, cars are an essential mode of transport. Cars are used every single day and cars need fuel as their driving energy. The components which make up petrol fuel and diesel are organic compounds and a mixture of different elements such as lead and nitrogen. When these cars emit gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, these gases will rise up to the atmosphere combines with water molecules in the space and oxygen. When evaporation occurs, the sulfur dioxide will dissolve in the water forming acid rain. Acid rain is also caused by gases which are emitted during burning fossil fuels.Even though some people are trying by all means to protect plants, not all people will succeed because other people heavily depend on them for firewood. Some big industries cut down large quantities of wood for timber process. The negative effects of deforestation is that a large amount carbon dioxide Is produced much faster than that should be used up, resulting in greater amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. All-in-all, global climate change is a man-made process. Nature might as well take its place but humans are the major culprits of the devastating process. |
