Human activity causing climate change

Climate is changing in a horrid way. The change is influenced both by natural reason and human activities. El Nino, the Earth surface temperature increased, acid rains and many phenomenons are damaging the environment. Experts are worried about the rapid changing climate, because the change may fetch people many big disasters. Worldwide people are trying to find the solution and save humanity. This essay will discuss how human activities contribute to climate change, and give some advice how to prevent the Earth.

Human activities in causing climate change

It is clear that human activities accelerate the climate change. The first part of essay will canvass 2 human activities that effect climate change.

Burning fossil fuels

The earth surface temperature increasing owe to greenhouse gases, because they carry the short-wave radiation from the Sun to the Earth (NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2008). Obviously, more greenhouse gases mean severe climate change. Before showing the reasons of greenhouse gases growth, people need to understand what greenhouse gases are. The reason why people call these gases greenhouse gases is because they work like a glass greenhouse that heats up with the radiation trapped by the glass (NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2008). Greenhouse gases are not just one kind of gas, actually it includes ‘water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide’ (NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2008:2). Obviously, because of the high-level greenhouse gases concentration, the temperature became higher than before. However, burning fossil fuels are the arch-criminal of rising greenhouse gases in atmospheric has accelerated. Excessive human emissions also caused 1.4 °F gone up in the past century (Pew Centre on Global Climate Change, 2008b). Burning fossil fuels not only cause greenhouse gases to contribute to climate change, but also sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides contribute to climate change because of their ability to create acid rain. Acid rains which have baneful influences on buildings, trees and animals are also bad for climate (John, S et al. 2006).

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Overuse of the natural resources

Apart from burning fossil fuels, the reason why climate change in such a fast way is overuse of the natural resources. The natural resources on the Earth are limited, no matter non-renewable resources or renewable resources. It seems that the growing population of mankind does not realize the facts; people always exploit more resources than people’s requirement to make sure the trend of growth. Conspicuously, overuse the nature resources becomes one part of causation led to climate change. People knows that many daily supplies made from wood, such as papers, some clothes and furniture, ordered more and more trees felled. As previously mentioned, greenhouse gases are bad for climate, and one of the methods to decrease is more plants. Tress can absorb carbon dioxide, and mitigate the consistency of greenhouse gases. However, the bad news is that the solution is dissatisfying for overusing the natural resources. As a result, deforestation exacerbates the climate. On the other hand, deforestation also conduces to desertification which contributes on climate change. Land degradation can also lead to environmental degradation, poverty, migration and the cycle of conflict, but also often affected countries and regions, political stability risks (UNCCD: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, 2009). People who live here need to deforest to earn money to make live.

Outline further deterioration may be prevented

After discussing the human activities, the second part of essay will bring forward 2 solutions that may protect the environment.

Government regime

As mentioned above, burning fossil fuels is one of the human activities that contribute to climate change. Factories create electricity by burning fossil fuels. To solve the problems, government regime seems to be an indispensable method. Nowadays, there is an effective policy that is accepted in Australia and some European countries, which named ‘cap and trade’ (Minter-Ellison, 2007). The regime relate to ‘electricity generation, transport, industrial process, forestry, agriculture and waste’ (Minter-Ellison, 2007). The policy means government will cap the greenhouse gases emissions for every factory or else. For instance, a factory has to pay for the emissions if it emit more greenhouse gases than the cap, also a factory can sale its emissions if it emit less greenhouse gases than the cap. With government regime, people and factories are encouraged to reduce the measure of burning fossil fuels. This is a good example for government to constitute some policies, order emitters prevent environment on their own inititiative.

Exploit new energy and find how to use the new energy

The second solution is to exploit new energy, and find how to use the new energy. Because people is used to manufacture some fuels by wooden, deforestation is hard to avoid. Account for the problem, to exploit new energy is imminent. Actually some new energy like wind and solar power have been found for many years, but for the limit of science, people can not use the new energy well. For example, people have no idea about solar power when it is cloudy. Fortunately, PSEG Global, a company found the method to use wind and store wind. According to their announcement, when wind power beyond the need of consumer, they will store the wind in underground caverns or in tanks. During the peak hours, the stored wind will release and become energy (Davidson, P. 2008). Besides, scientist also exploited some other new energy and found how to use. E-Coal is one kind of new energy which substitutes for coal. E-Coal was called no greenhouse gases emission fuel, because it was made by biomass, though E-Coal liberate carbon dioxide when burning, E-Coal can absorb equal carbon dioxide during their life (Davidson, P. 2008).

In conclusion, human activities like burning fossil fuels and overusing the natural resources changed climate a lot. Only nowadays people are aware of the importance of environmental, and start to solve the problems. Government and scientists have been working to find the solution. Everyone lives in the Earth, so everybody has to do their best to protect environment.

References

1. Davidson, P. (2008) Energy Innovators: 4 creative solutions to energy problems (abridged). USA Today. Available at: http://news.tnanytime.org/energy/node/1074
2. John Slaght, Paddy Harben and Anne Pallant (2009) Acid rain in Norway. In: Reading & Writing Source Book, UK, Garnet Publishing
3. Minter-Ellison (2007) News alert – New Zealand Government outlines its climate change solutions Available at: http://www.minterellison.com/public/connect/Internet/Home/Legal+Insights/Alerts/NA-NZ+Government+outlines+its+climate+change+solutions
4. NSW Department of Primary Industries (2008) What is climate change? Available at: http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/topics/climate-change/causes
5. Pew Centre on Global Climate Change (2008b) The causes of global climate change. Science Brief, Number 1 Available at: http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/global-warming-science-brief-august08.pdf
6. UNCCD: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. UNCCD Thematic Fact Sheet Series No. 1 Climate change and desertification. Available at: http://www.unccd.int/documents/Desertificationandclimatechange.pdf last accessed 28 October 2009