Are mans activitys affecting global warming

Authors Avatar

Christopher Nickolas Burden 10H

Chemistry Course Work

Are Mans activities contributing to global warming?

Global Warming

The greenhouse effect that causes global warming was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, and was then investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896.  It was first thought that global warming only caused greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels.  It wasn’t until fifty years later that the real causes of global warming would be revealed.  Not only the burning of fossil fuels, but other human activity (such as industrial halocarbons) contributed to the increase in concentration of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.  This is clear evidence that man does contribute to global warming.

 Global warming has had a lot of press coverage since the 1980’s and society is now aware of it implications, as higher global temperatures were registered due to human activities and the reporting of them:  deforestation, methane gas emissions, the release of nitrous oxide chemicals into the atmosphere by evolving industries; globalisation and major world economies are to blame.  Other elements are released into the atmosphere too that contribute to global warming: rice cultivation, cattle (cows give off 400 litres of methane gas a year) and livestock populations, gas pipelines and landfills (where the breakdown of other substances takes place and emissions are released).  

Deforestation is also a big problem, as without tress and other vegetation the air cannot be purified of this lethal gas known as carbon dioxide.  The destruction of the Amazon Rain Forest is an example that shows the deadly results of tampering with one of natures ecosystems.  Methane gas emissions are trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere and reflect light along with all other pollutants, adding to the destruction of the Ozone Layer.  The energy burned to run automobiles, heat homes, factories and businesses is responsible for about eighty percent of society’s carbon dioxide output.  Global warming has been a concern for the past two decades with the increase of industrial pollution from major industrialised countries around the world.  

Other Global Warming Factors  

With the increase in the global heat index, predicted to occur within the next half a century are also dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and added water in global waters.  The knock on affect has increased pestilence, disease, death of large quantities of fish due to pollution in waterways and the destruction of ecosystems.  

Animals, birds and fish have to adapt, move to other areas to survive or simply become extinct because of man’s interference.  It seems far off now, but ecological and economic impact on future generations will be catastrophic.  

Already the increase in asthma in the human race is a clear sign that the air is no longer pure enough to breath, and the human race is changing genetically to survive because of the pollution on the land and in the air.   However, it is not just the human race that is contributing to global warming.  Since the world began global warming has been working for creation and not against it.  The Earth was completely different millions of years ago and the human race did not develop until global warming reached a stage for it to exist.  The decomposition of organic matter releases ten times more Carbon Dioxide than human activity all those years ago.  The Earth is only equipped to deal with the release of Carbon Dioxide by natural means, like photosynthesis, and any other amounts are redistributed into the Earths atmosphere and are collected.  It just so happens that it all balanced out for the human race and other life forms to develop.  The build up of toxins in the Earth’s atmosphere has resulted in the destruction of the Earth’s Ozone Layer.  Over the last hundred years, the increase in human activities has produced more Carbon Dioxide.  It is easy to distinguish natural global warming to human caused global warming, as scientists have conducted  a number of  ‘attribution studies’ over a twenty year period and have found that solar radiation, volcanic activity, land-use change, and increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases have proved that they undeniably contribute to global warming.  

Join now!

Global Warming and the Economy

Clearly, the economy will suffer if companies are penalised.  Economic costs of climate change policies are defined as opportunity costs – this means what must be sacrificed or changed in order to stop emissions. Areas of economic costs include discouraged investment, slowed innovation, disrupted production, increased capital and production expenditures, monitoring and policing costs, legal and other transaction costs.

However, we have to be aware there are "positive costs", or benefits, including productivity improvements from a cleaner environment and innovation-stimulating effects of regulation. Other positive aspects of adapting to stop further pollution, like scarcer water ...

This is a preview of the whole essay