Global Warming

Global Warming

Every great civilization has met its downfall at some point in time. We are part of a new age in the ongoing development of the human species. The days of empires and the struggles for power are, for the most part over and we have finally settled into independent, governed states populating most of the world. This only could have come from the industrialization of the world which has created a global community of people capable of traveling farther than ever imagined and communicating more than ever.

It is conceivable that the human has created a single, global empire that has conquered the Earth and has set its sights on other planets. Unfortunately, like every empire, an end may be in sight. The industrialization of mankind has offset the balance of the Earth's natural life cycle and accelerated its routine course. Two certainties should be understood before we ask what or why "present CO2 concentrations are higher than any time in at least the last four hundred and twenty thousand years" (IPCC). CO2 in the atmosphere, a product of burning fossil fuels for energy, is at an all time high and may have negative affects on the Earth's atmosphere. Also the Earth is noticeably changing. "A global average increase of 1.3 F (plus or minus 0.3 F) occurred over the 20th century" (Security and Climate). The temperature is increasing; storms seem to be getting more severe and the see level is rising. Only after we understand that change is occurring and what we have done to the atmosphere can we realize what has caused this change and our relationship with the changes. A massive shift in life as we know it lies before us but doubt casts a shadow over warnings and evidence we have seen thus far. Sadly, it may be too late when we connect the dots.

Global warming, an "increase in the global average surface temperature..."(Bitannica.com), is a term becoming more and more familiar every day. This year, the intergovernmental panel on climate change concluded that temperature could change by as much as four degrees Celsius, by 2100. Fluctuations in temperature have occurred in the past. There have been ice ages and warming conditions resulting in the interglacial period we all experience today. It is a natural cycle that has shaped the planet we see today, the mountains, valleys and seas that compose this beautiful planet. With uneducated eyes, one could believe the current warming trend falls within the natural rise and fall of global temperature. Unfortunately, research shows the atmospheric makeup has changed due to the modernization of the human lifestyle and it may affect the Earth's climate. "The release of greenhouse gases and aerosols resulting from human activities are changing the amount of radiation coming into and leaving the atmosphere, likely contributing to changes on climate." (EPA.gov). A warming trend could have drastic effects on our lifestyles as "many scientist predict that such an increase cause polar ice caps and mountain glaciers to melt rapidly, significantly using the levels of coastal waters and would produce new patterns of drought and rainfall..."(Britanica.com). Drought and rainfall patterns allow for food production and potable water, also patterns dictate land erosion, flooding and arid conditions that could prevent an area's ability to sustain life.

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous, oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and fluorinated gases. "Greenhouse gasses have a positive radiative forcing because they absorb and emit heat." (EPA.gov). When released into the atmosphere they create a kind of one way mirror that allows the sun radiation in but does not always allow it back out. The increase in radiation trapped within the atmosphere in turn increases average temperature. Naturally, greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere by volcanic activity, the life cycle of vegetation, and normal changes in temperature such as carbon dioxide released from seas as temperature increases. "However, since the industrial revolution, humans have added a significant amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and other activities." (EPA). Our resourcefulness has created a carbon dioxide increase of about 1.8 parts per million per year. The human activities creating the large amounts of carbon dioxide include burning fuel for energy such as electricity, propulsion of vehicles, waste management, and even heating water in homes everyday. Change in these numbers would involve not only change at a governmental level but also change on a personal level and change in the choices we all make everyday.

Changes in climate are currently visible around the world. "Climate changes can act as a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world." (Climate and Security). The population depends heavily on the ability to predict weather conditions not only to plan for the beach or umbrellas but also "managing water resources throughout the world..." (CCSP). Unpredictability of weather events increases as the climate changes farther from the norm we have seen in recorded history. As the average temperature increases, the rate at which polar ice caps melt increases. "Some observations indicate that ice loss of the Greenland ice sheet and West Antarctic ice sheet has accelerated in the last decade."(CCSP). With an increase of fresh water being introduced into the oceans, salinity decreases creating lighter, less dense water. It is conceivable that a drastic change in water characteristics and composition could change ocean current flow which has an important effect on the climate of the surrounding continents (Gore). Also a change in ocean currents could have a devastating effect on global climate. "The present interglacial climate state is characterized by vigorous meridional overturning, which through global feedback promotes a vigorous northeastward flow of warm surface waters of the gulf stream across the North Atlantic, which, in turn, sustains more equitable climates in Europe" (CCSP). Europe's position in the northern hemisphere relies heavily on the convection or harm air by ocean currents to provide a warmer than average climate as does areas of the United States such as California. Another likely effect of melting polar ice is rise of sea levels around the world. As stated by Nancy Wiener of ABC NEWS, levels could rise by as much as twenty feet by the end of the century. A rise of just a few feet could cause massive coastal flooding. On a recent trip to the Miami area of Florida I realized the possibility of future flooding was a popular topic of discussion in the coastal city. In a conversation with Jesus