...Review & Personal Reflection on Global Warming When talking to my family over thanksgiving break about school and my current class load for the semester, one of the more interesting topics that was brought up was the debate over global warming. It was interesting to hear the viewpoints of my mother’s side and fathers’ side of the family. For the most part my mothers’ side of the family are hardcore republicans and use faith as a basis for most of their political positions, while my fathers’ side (not my father however) tend to lead more towards the democratic viewpoint on politics. While I am a catholic and would consider myself to lean towards more of a conservative viewpoint, I try to separate faith from politics and focus more on what I believe is the core of the issue being debated and how it can be solved, not necessarily to benefit the majority, but rather what would be a fair compromise between to the two arguing sides. With this being said my two sides of the family did not see eye to eye on global warming (side note: these conversations were at two different family parties as I would never try to talk politics especially given the circumstance of two very different viewpoints in my family). After talking a lot about global warming my uncle told me about a book he had read about it entitled Climate of Extremes. I decide to read this book and write a report on it, to obtain more knowledge on the subject of global warming. Like stated above the title of the...
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...Climate Change: Global warming, Climate Politics and Greenhouse Effect Anna Lena Granderson College Composition 111, F29 Professor Lewis November 21, 2013 Abstract The following sources all support climate change as a worldwide matter that includes global warming, renewable energy sources, carbon dioxide emissions and climate politics. These articles show the link between global warming, natural disasters and also offer viable solutions. Some sources give attention to the greenhouse effect, which is the main factor that is causing worldwide extreme weather changes. Other sources focus on urgent connections needed between politicans to discuss future energy research programms. I’m writing a paper on how our society can help prevent further change of the climate. These sources assist to get an overall understanding on how important it is for our mankind to change its lifestyle and save the planet by reducing global warming. Climate Change: Global Warming, Climate Politics and Greenhouse Effekt Clery, D. (2006, February 3). Climate change demands action, says U.K. Report. Science, 311, 592. Daniel Clery, a reporter for Science, explains in his article how politicians in the UK have to focus on environmental issues before time runs out “Prime Minister Tony Blair, warns of catastrophic consequences if steps are not taken now.” The author continues that the UK has to decrease its carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the greenhouse effect. He states that...
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...The climate change war. “Is global warming indeed caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases or by natural variations”? (Pigliucci, M. (2010), 134) The controversy is that global warming is not just a scientific matter, it also correlates with sociology, individual’s lifestyle, but above all, politics. (Maslin, Mark (2004) Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: OUP.) According to Pigliuci [Pigliucci, M. (2010), 141] Since science is constantly changing with their predictions, how do we know that it will not change again? He goes on to say that this is what we call dishonest play on widespread public misunderstanding in the process of science, in which revision in previous results is not only normal, but also mistrust of scientific expertise overall. With that being said, how can we determine what is the proper scientific position on Global Warming/Climate Change? How can non-scientist evaluate the evidence and choose which experts to believe, also how to detect and evaluate the effect of political/economic pressures on scientific conclusions. Do Not Throw Away Your Kids, Protect the Planet and Recycle Them The skepticism of global warming has been a constant ongoing war for quite some time based on its uncertainty. Human activities is what causes the change in the Earth’s climate is just merely a scientific opinion. Basically the scientist leverage on global warming is this: “Without substantial disagreement, scientists find human activities are heating the...
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...Does Global Warming Exist? Team B BCOM275/ Business Communication and Critical Thinking February 13, 2013 Annie Moats Does Global Warming Exist? Planet Earth has been around for over four billion years. During this time it has gone through multiple weather patterns, to say the least. Ice ages and super storms have plagued the earth since the beginning of time. The issue that faces the world today is global warming. There is no doubt that the weather patterns are changing, but the question is if it is caused by humans or is it just in the natural process of the earth. Whether or not global warming exists is a controversial topic. It is easy to choose a side based on one’s opinion, but it goes much deeper than common knowledge. There are pros and cons to each side of the argument and it can be surprising what information is out there that has not even been publicized yet. Making an informed decision requires research into both sides. Also, the arguments surrounding global warming can change depending on which countries are discussing it. For several decades global warming has been debated within the scientific community and with society as a whole. Pro’s for Global Warming To understand global warming and its effect on the planet, the scientific principles need to be explained. The atmosphere is a thin spherical envelope of gases surrounding the earth’s surface. Its inner layer, the troposphere, contains the majority of the air that humans breathe. This...
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...Media Coverage of Global Warming in America Ashley Palac ENG/220 December 7, 2015 Paul Korzeniowski Media Coverage of Global Warming in America Global warming is a widely accepted theory in the scientific community today, both here in America as well as internationally. However, thanks in part to selective media coverage, opinions on the matter still vary widely in the general population. The average American has a number of ways and means of receiving information available to them, including the 24-hour cable news channels that have become popular in recent years. In order to achieve and maintain regular viewership and ratings, the content of these cable news channels, specifically Fox News and CNN, has become increasingly one-sided. As a result, the general public has taken varying stances on the issue, thanks in part to the media’s use of one-sided broadcasts and biased sources and interview guests. The Biased Media Fox News has always claimed to be a balanced source for news. At the same time, “Fox News was originally conceived as an antidote to what many conservatives see as a liberal bias in the mainstream media.” (Feldman, Maibach, Roser-Renouf, & Leiserowitz, 2012, page 5, para. 4) The whole basis for the channel’s creation was to present the American public with a source of conservative news. Because of this, Fox News broadcasters were more likely to be dismissive of the idea of global warming being real as that is a common conservative or...
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...passion to help save our planet. This documentary attempts to impact citizens through factual evidence about the reality of global warming and that it is caused by the actions of the people. Whether or not we agree with Mr. Gores theories obviously some kind of action must be taken. It is important that we as a people understand our position, so that we can shift the crisis effecting our world. Based upon the main ideas and a “ call to action” plan, Al Gore demonstrates a documentary that was personally informative and life altering. Gore distinguishes between fact and fiction. The accurate warnings and scientific analysis should not be disregarded. Gore focuses on the main issues that affects us as a whole by concentrating on the facts and setting politics aside.. Gore’s explanation of many factors that cause global warming were shocking. The various causes ranged from climate to fuels. Seasonal changes are effecting our gulf and jet streams. According to Al Gore, “the ten hottest years occurred within the last fourteen years,“ as a result we are faced with a climate shift. This shift creates hurricanes, typhoons, droughts and tornadoes to occur in unusual locations. Carbon dioxide and fossil fuel are at high levels. The more carbon dioxide released the warmer temperatures become. The disappearing canals, trees, and animals are key indicators of global warming. The melting of the Artic and Greenland’s are chilling signs of what could become of the world. Al Gore explains the fact...
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...Andrew Mosolovich Week 9 Assignment Professor Pavlov 06/07/2013 Is our environment being compromised from excessive use of different chemicals? This is the question that has been the ground for major debate for many years, is our advancements causing global warming? When debating global warming the first thing to consider is what the cause of global warming is, and the answer to this basic question is greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are natural gases such as CO2, Nitrous Oxide or Methane and are created in one of two ways. The first way is, through natural cycles, for instance, CO2 is released through animal respiration or plant photosynthesis. The alternative greenhouse gas production comes from man’s use of different fuels and products; this can lead to anthropogenic climate changes. Anthropogenic Climate Changes are changes in the atmosphere brought on by human activity, and there is evidence of these kinds of changes all over. By studying the size of the polar ice caps we can see that they are shrinking and this may be due to a warmer atmosphere temperature brought on by none other than an anthropogenic climate change. An IPCC report from 2007 showing levels of some of the greenhouse gases also shows that the levels of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere has skyrocketed since the post-industrial era, this can only be attributed to man-made machines that have come to rise. So how does human activity attribute to the climate rise? Greenhouse gases are natural...
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...Environment The biggest threat to our environment is global warming and there are many theories as to what causes it. Scientists have concerns that over the past 250 years, man-kind has been artificially raising the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at an ever-increasing rate, mostly by burning fossil fuels. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities have increased concentrations as well. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clear+land+&FORM=HDRSC2 https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clear+land+&FORM=HDRSC2 While many people blame fossil fuels as a cause to global warming, there is also illegal clearing of lands for developing agriculture companies that cause tropical deforestation and global warming. According to Wikipedia, tropical deforestation is clearance or clearing and removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Developing agriculture companies demand overseas trees and other supplies such as; wood products, beef, palm oil, and soy. The global demand for beef requires large areas of fields to raise cattle. These demands lead to tropical deforestations because companies clear about 35% percent of...
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...2010 A Skeptic’s View of Global Warming Is global warming really happening? Is it something that we should truly fear, and if so, why? Scientists and other climate experts have been trying to answer these important questions and many others concerning global climate change for decades. Before one can truly delve into the details of global warming, it is important to define the concept. The entire study of climate change is difficult to explain, and is not yet fully understood by scientists. However, global warming can be simply described as the process of the earth’s atmosphere increasing in temperature due to the presence of greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide and are produced through the burning of fossil fuels and various other means. These gasses are actually part of Earth’s natural processes, for they trap heat that allows Earth’s temperature to sustain life. The effects of this process can be seen as a blessing and a curse. Just the right amount of them helps the earth maintain a somewhat constant temperature; too much may cause temperatures to rise to frightening heights. Since 1880, when instruments used to precisely measure atmospheric temperatures were invented, the Earth’s surface temperature has risen about 0.36° F for each decade up to the twenty first century (Voiland). This information presents a clear warning about the matter: that global warming is present and cannot be ignored. Most extremists feel that global warming will lead to dire consequences...
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...Introduction International politics has been shifted enormously into a new episode in the mid 20th century in the history of International Relation. Before 1950s world politics was confined within frequent wars including two world wars. But after 1950s world politics, including cold war was filled up by many variants to ensure each states security as arms race, nuclearization as well as security against global climate change. Like all other things, global climate change also got a strong basis of global agenda in international relations specificly in 1972. Since then international relations and global climate change have become very intimate to one another to be discussed. By 1972 and having a remarkable benchmark in 1992, global environment as well as global climate change is being practiced almost with every aspect of international relations which include state, non-state actors, domestic international relationship, various political approach, several global accord, security and world trade as well. In this paper, we will try to find out the intensity of the intimacy between international relations and global climate change through several different approaches. In the beginning of the paper we will survey on the theories of international relations through which both international relations and global climate change can be explained then the discussion will be shifted to the role of state and non state actors on climate change, which will be pursued to the effect of climate...
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...skepticism on global warming and climate change has come from inaccurate data being released by both sides of the argument, that private and corporate funding has persuaded scientist to make conclusions on the side of where their funding is coming from, and that politics has played a huge role in the view that the public has on the issue at hand. Charles W. Schmidt points out mistakes that both sides have made in their arguments and he believes because of all the above reasons there is so much skepticism in whether or not the climate is changing and global warming is occurring. A Closer Look at Climate Change Skepticism I believe this article was significant in the field of Environmental Science in that global warming and how it is changing the climate is one of the most widely disputed topics in environmental science. This article written by Charles W. Schmidt who is a freelance writer who specializes in science, medicine, and technology. This article explains many of the reasons for so many people to have skepticism about the issue of global warming and its effects on the environment which are also discussed on page 39 of our text book “Environmental Science A Global Concern (12th edition)” . Charles Schmidt points out that those skeptics on the fact that global warming is causing negative effects on the environment are typically conservatives. Many of these scientists are funded by the oil companies and industry organizations. Other skeptics agree that global warming is effecting...
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...what happens to the atmosphere when greenhouse gases are being pumped into it faster than it can be absorbed. Many people believe that global warming is a problem that can only be solved by big companies and the government. What happens when the government is handing out millions of dollars in tax breaks to big oil companies that are polluting our earth and no one is doing anything to stop them? People do not understand the amount of damage just a single person can do to the air around us. Global Warming is a growing problem around the world and it cannot be ignored any longer. The earth is suffering from the abuse of humans and when it is gone it cannot be replaced. The question is not if global warming is going to get worse, it is when and what people are going to do to stop it. Global Warming is by no means a new or recently discovered issue throughout the world. However, it has taken many years for the issue to get the attention it deserves and so desperately needs. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, scientists discovered changes in weather in relation to global warming. However, people denied it saying it is a recurring pattern. “Nobody worried about the change. The meteorologists explained that weather patterns always did vary modestly, in cycles lasting a few decades or centuries. If the mid-twentieth century happened to be a time of warming, so much the better.” (Weart, 2003) The weather was getting warmer and more enjoyable so people reveled in it and did not see it as something...
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...Project Part 2 This research and overview provides awareness of global warming and how our planet’s atmosphere is overloaded with heat trapping carbon dioxide (CO2), which threatens wide-ranging disorder in climate with devastating consequences. Global warming is an environmental issue that affects human health, ecosystem, etc. and this study is summed up into basic responses and opposing viewpoints. I. What are the causes of global warming? • CO2 emissions and increased concentration of greenhouse gases • Human activity is causing the Earth to get hotter • Global warming is a natural occurrence of nature a. Deforestation and natural resources are part of the earth’s cycle b. Negative conception due to media c. Lack of scientific evidence II. Global warming causes serious concern. • Record-breaking extreme weather a. Severe droughts b. Damaging wildfires c. Rising sea levels, warmer temperatures d. Heat waves; diseases • Clean Air Act (CAA), Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act (CWA) that addresses pollution from sewage systems and storm water run-off • NRDC examines long-range consequences if issue is not addressed III. Solving global warming will improve our lives. • Set practical and feasible limits on global warming pollution; in accordance with EPA standards • Think “green” a. Smart cars b. Public transportation c. Communities and buildings d. Stricter efficiency requirements for appliances IV. Curbing climate change •...
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...Earth is home to an abundance of astonishing, complex forms of life. We humans are constantly learning more and more about this planet. Earth has been humanity’s mysterious home since the origin of our species, but in the last century or so there has been an alarming trend taking place. We have experienced the Earth’s temperature rising. Global warming is the name of the phenomenon that has taken place over approximately the past 133 years, and according to NASA, it is an un-debated fact that the average temperature on Earth has increased one and a half degrees over this time period (NASA). There is a wide range of thoughts and opinions on the relatively recent issue of global warming. To some people, global warming is out of our hands. Therefore, it is a non-issue. Others feel that the opportunity cost of trying to prevent it is too high, especially because global warming isn’t blatantly causing any suffering on a daily basis. The perspective I have towards global warming is one that is bearing a more inconvenient, burdensome argument. This is that human activity is causing the temperatures of the Earth to rise at an unnatural pace with the widespread emission of greenhouse gases. The purpose of this argument is to raise awareness through scientific and statistical studies that humans are to blame for this trend in climate change, and that there could be significant consequences to not taking preventative measures. To absolutely prove that humans are to blame, we would need a...
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...Global Warming Editors of Time Magazine (2013). Time: Global Warming: The Causes, the Perils, and the Politics – and What it Means for You. New York: Time Publishers. Global warming poses a great danger to our planet. A harmonious blend of living organisms, humans, and the ecosystem is on the verge of being unbalanced. Within recent years, the sea levels have risen, animals have become extinct and the delicate balance of nature is threatened. Whether this is a danger to Earth is still uncertain but, whatever the effects of global warming may be, there is no doubt that the consequences are going to be massive, in the form of diseases, food shortages and economic decline. Gamble, J.L., et al. (2008) Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems. U.S.C.C.S.P. This article highlights an assessment directed by EPA which provides a harsh study on the diversity of instruments by which global warming might negatively impact human health in the United States (US). It further states that heat-related disease will likely increase over years, as will deaths linked to air pollution. Collectively, severe events will impact health and welfare and human systems (Gamble, et at, 2008). For instance, floods could contaminate our drinking water and wildfires could increase air pollution. An experienced scientist, Gamble investigated the effect of climate change on human health and developed a model of studies. He found...
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