Human Activities Global Warming And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Climate change is a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of region on the Earth (Nasa.gov, 1975). Humans use energy in their daily life such as driving cars from one place to another place. However, most of their activities effect the environment. According to Nap.edu (1996), it states that global stability is threated by the human activities. This is because human activities emit amounts of carbon dioxide.Furthermore, Newscientiest.com (2007) also states that based on IPCC report (2001), 90% of the causes of climate change are from the human activities. Besides that, Nasa.gov (1975) also states global warming is the changes in the Earth’s average surface temperature due to ascending levels of greenhouse gases. Human activities such as deforestation, open burning and emission of greenhouse gases through transportation have become the largest contributors to global warming. So, there is a relationship between the human activities, global warming and climate change. This is because human activities emit excess carbon dioxides that lead to carbon pollution and thus cause global warming and climate change. Nrdc.org (2012) states that the carbon pollution is the main cause of the Earth are getting warmer, increase the frequency of drought, and flood. Since the average temperature increases rapidly, human and other living things will face the consequences such as the melting of glacier, acid rain and the rising of sea level too. Hence, human activities such as deforestation, emission of greenhouse gases from transportation and open burning are the main causes of the global warming and thus climate change.

In terms of deforestation, Climateandweather.net (2010) states that deforestation is causing the necessary function of trees to be lessened and affect the climate. It also states that forests store carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, control the climate, and purify our water and air. So, that means forests are vital for our life. However, there are reasons that cause deforestation to happen such as illegal logging operation and agriculture.Wwf.panda.org (2011) mentions that the logging activity keeps happen in violation of national laws.Most of the illegal loggings happen because of the ascending demand for papers and timbers. Therefore, the operation keeps continuing without permission from the government. Besides that, illegal loggings also include activities such as harvesting wood from restricted areas and exporting exotic species of trees. In terms of agriculture, Wwf.panda.org (2011) states that illegal logging can also occur when the forests are cleared for a plantation such as oil palm or rubber plant. Even the plants also absorb the carbon dioxide as same as the forest, the plant need more times to grow up and able to absorb more carbon dioxide like forest do.Climateandweather.net (2010) mentions that most of agricultural crop and other smaller plants also draw in carbon and release amounts of oxygen, but the forests able to store up to 100 times more carbon dioxide than other plants. So, it emphasized that the forests are very important to stabilize the global warming. Besides that, water is also needed to reduce the excess carbon dioxide in the air. Since the forest is a place where the water is purified, the water can also help to reduce the carbon dioxide. The rainforest and sea play a big role in this aspect. According to Worldwatch.org (2012), it states the oceans are by far the largest carbon dioxide sink in the Earth. However, since deforestation keeps happening, even the sea becomes limited to sink all the carbon dioxides. Loss amounts of trees increase the amounts of carbon dioxides at the atmosphere lead to global warming and thus climate change.

Moreover, another factor of climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases from the vehicles on the road. Transportation produce energy from the burning of fossil fuels and change into motion. Only this way can makes them enable to move from one place to another place. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are the most emitted gas from on-road vehicles. Epa.gov (2010) mentions transportation that use fossil fuels is the main source of carbon dioxide emission. There are many transportation sources for instance air travel, marine transportation and highway vehicles. Most of the vehicles use gasoline and diesel in order to transport good or people. G.Roger (2012) states excessive vehicles usage causes the transportation emission increases and leads to global warming. This is because uncontrollable greenhouse gases from the transportation will lead other heat-trapping gases and carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. So, there will be more and more excesses carbon dioxide will be produce and emit to the atmosphere. This matter will lead global warming and thus climate change since the global average temperature keeps increasing. Furthermore, based on Broadus (2012) states those greenhouse gases emissions are leading to sea level rises and thus floods in various places. Streams, rivers and reservoirs are not able to support and store excesses water since the sea level increase rapidly. Even the dams unable to stop the flowing water to entered the protected places. These problems lead floods to occur in various places especially in the cities and villages nearby the beach or rivers. Besides that, monsoon rains in certain places like Mumbai will be another problem to this matter. Broadus (2012) also mentions about heavier monsoon rains will make the floods worse. Thus, excesses transportation emission will lead to the dangerous change on climate change such as increasing the sea level and affect the monsoon circulation.

Another catalyst of global warming and climate change is open burning in various places. It is an activity that produces really large amounts of carbon dioxide which change the Earth’s temperature and cause the melting of glaciers due to the global warming. This is because open burning release heat from the combustion that enhances the warming in the atmosphere. The open burning not only releases carbon dioxide, but also black carbon which is the second global warming agents after carbon dioxide. According to Kanittha and Savitri (2012) mentions in their research that warming effect from black carbon will be increase as it mixed with other particles in the air such as carbon dioxide. They also mention black carbon enable to enhance the melting of snow or glacier three times that of carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide also emitted together with black carbon, the affect must be fatal and more dangerous on global warming and climate change. Human activity such as open burning of agricultural residues after harvesting is the main source that leads black carbon and carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere. Kanittha and Savitri (2012) also state the combustion of the crop waste is the significant source that release black carbon and other greenhouse gases. So, the production of carbon dioxide and black carbon trap tremendous amount of heat and raise the Earth’s temperature causing severe impact on the Arctic. As the global getting warmer, the melting of glaciers continues to occur in high speed which is also leads to increase the sea level. This unstoppable problem worries the whole nations in the world as they lost habitats and their life is in danger as the land become limited and covered by the water. Other living things such as animals and trees also are facing the same problems as they lost their habitats and most of exotic species become extinct. Therefore, open burning also has negative impacts to both of the environment and people.

The climate is a major part of the Earth’s environmental system and cannot be replaced by human. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) states there are many ways to mitigate the global warming and climate change. However, the main key of the solution is the cooperation and unity from the people so they enable to make a different in order to reduce the carbon pollution and global average temperature. One of the solutions is to follow the regulation provided by the government such as prevent the illegal logging operations or deforestation. This method enables the trees using up the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The water is also able to use the carbon dioxide with sinking the carbon dioxide. Since it becomes limited, people need to reduce carbon dioxide more. Besides that, carpooling and limit the transportation usages on the road are also helps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because the small amount of vehicles usage will lessen the emission of greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide. People also can develop and use other alternative or renewable energy to replace fossil fuel such as solar energy. Tom (2012) mentions transportation that powered by solar electricity emit about less or zero percent of carbon dioxide is the most efficient way to reduce large amounts carbon dioxide. However, continuous researches and new environment-friendly technology need to conduct by human in order more alternatives can be used. Moreover, people also need to decrease their open burning activities. They can try recycling any reusable material or things in order to prevent the open burning. So, there are more and more carbon dioxide will be cut off. Hence, people need to try any ways to reduce deforestation, carbon dioxide emission from transportation and open burning in order to decrease global average temperature or global warming and climate change. Otherwise, the global warming will continue to affect the climate change, and thus people, animals, and environment will have the difficult time to face the consequences.