Monday, December 9, 2019

Climate Change a Myth or a Fact

Question: Describe about the Climate Change a Myth or a Fact. Answer: Climate change can be described as an environmental phenomenon in which the average surface temperature of the earth increases threatening imbalance in the weather conditions. It is also referred as global warming. The Scientists around the world are relentlessly working to find out the reasons behind this change and predicting its future consequences with the help of theoretical models and observations. An overwhelming majority of scientists and environmentalists are of the opinion that climate changes are the result of excessive use fossil fuels by the humans which releases carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gasses which go into the air and alters the climate (Corner, 2012). But there also exists a category of scientists who doubt the assertions of the people who believe that humans are to be blamed for the change in climate and doubt the predominance of their scientific models and evidences. The majority of the climate scientist believes that the primary reason behind the recent changes in climate is the rise in the green house effect. It can be described as the heating effect that is a consequence of the atmosphere trapping the heat which is emanating from the earth towards the outer space. There are a number of specific gasses present in the atmosphere that prevent the heat radiations from the earth to escape. These gasses include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons. Carbon dioxide, though present in small quantity when compared to other gasses, is a significant component of the environment and is emitted through natural processes like human and animal respiration and volcanic eruptions (Rinavati et al., 2013). A lot of human activities also lead to the emission of the gas like burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Continental drifts are also considered as a reason behind the climatic changes. The continents which we are aware of today were formed millions of years back when there was gradual drifting in the landmass. This process of drifting exists even today which changes the direction of winds and ocean currents which ultimately affect the climate. Volcanic eruptions can also be blamed for the change in climatic conditions when it emits huge quantities of dust, water vapor, and sculpture dioxide. Even though the volcanic activities last for very few days, they can have an impact on the earth and its climatic condition for years (Seinfeild Pandis, 2012). The ocean current is a huge reason behind the change in earths climatic patterns. The oceanic water bodies amount to 71 percent of the earth and absorb the suns radiation way more than the land surface or the atmosphere. It is widely accepted fact that the ocean currents change their direction. The heat which is radiated from the oceans transforms into water vapor, which is one of the most prominent green house gasses on earth. Scientists predict that the constant change in climate conditions will make the earth warmer on an average. The effect may vary among the different regions, but the warming effect is definite. Such warmer conditions will result in increasing rates in the evaporation making some regions wetter and the others dryer (Parmesan et al., 2013). The greenhouse effect is likely to heat the oceans and result in the melting of glaciers which eventually leads to the rise in the sea level. The effects of climate change also threaten the human and animal survival on earth. However, some scientists are of the opinion that the scenario might not be as they are promoted to be. They claim that there is a huge difference between long term and long term variability in the earth's climatic change. Weather is all about the day to day changes in the clouds, temperature and the level of precipitation (Ruddiman, 2013).In an attempt to examine the climate change, the scientists usually tend to measure the change in climate patterns of a place in the due course of many years; wherein weather forecasts should involve a five to ten days span of time period. It is said that the change in climate causes a rise in the sea level. If that were really the case, it would have been apparent by now. It has been a long time since the scientists have been predicting such a change but there is no scientific or real evidence backing the argument. The rise in the sea level could be due to the melting of massive ice blocks. This is a natural process, and the climate can't be blamed for it. The mass extinction of species is also linked to global warming or the change in climatic patterns (Bellard et al., 2012). But the reality can be better explained in term of nature, where it is extremely obvious and natural for some species to go extinct. The claim that carbon dioxide is a major pollutant and leads to change in the climate is also considered as a myth by a category of scientists. 80% of the atmosphere is made up by Nitrogen. It is also impossible to live in an atmosphere which has 100% of nitrogen. As harmful as nitrogen can get in that situation, carbon dioxide is not that harmful as a pollutant. Carbon dioxide is a valuable gas which fosters the life on earth. Scientist are of the opinion that carbon the fertilization of carbon dioxide will lead to the rise in the value of crop production in the next thirty years to come (Wheeler brown, 2013). The change in climatic patterns is widely promoted by scientists as a result of natural as well as human-induced processes. This claim is often debated by a minority of scientists who believe that the change in climate are a natural discourse and have been taking place since time immemorial. The greatest reason behind the alterations in the weather is blamed upon the green house emissions, volcanic eruptions, and deforestation. Such statements are often debated over their validity forwarding arguments which deny the harmful nature of carbon dioxide as a gas, and they are actually helpful in fostering the growth of human, animal and plant life on earth. It can only be left on the course of time to tell whether the change in climate is a fact or a myth. Critical Reflection Turnitin is an electronic matching system that compares text in the assignment against database of sources. The above paper required submission of the report through Turnitin. The primary aim and benefit of Turnitin is to check the similarity or plagiarism through the internet. After I prepared the critical essay, I uploaded the paper on Turnitin including the runner, footer and the referencing page. My experience with Turnitin was great as I benefitted with the prompts provided to re-evaluate my piece of work. The first report showed a Plagiarism of 23% that was reduced by me as it raised awareness. The Turnitin report also enabled the sources of plagiarism from both publications and internet that helped me in making necessary modifications and reducing the plagiarism rate. I am pleased with the Turnitin experience as it has helped in switching to a digital platform for writing better papers. Turnitin has a feature called PeerMark that helped me in providing a comprehensive peer edi ting feedback. The system also helped me in running mechanics and grammar check. However, a significant challenge involved with the electronic system is that it requires an internet connection and cannot run in offline mode. References: Bellard, C., Bertelsmeier, C., Leadley, P., Thuiller, W., Courchamp, F. (2012). Impacts of climate change on the future of biodiversity.Ecology letters,15(4), 365-377. Bindoff, N. L., Stott, P. A., AchutaRao, M., Allen, M. R., Gillett, N., Gutzler, D., ... Mokhov, I. I. (2013). Detection and attribution of climate change: from global to regional. Christensen, J. H., Kanikicharla, K. K., Marshall, G., Turner, J. (2013). Climate phenomena and their relevance for future regional climate change. Corner, A., Whitmarsh, L., Xenias, D. (2012). Uncertainty, scepticism and attitudes towards climate change: biased assimilation and attitude polarisation.Climatic change,114(3-4), 463-478. Fankhauser, S. (2013).Valuing climate change: the economics of the greenhouse. Routledge. Hansen, J., Sato, M., Ruedy, R. (2012). Perception of climate change.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,109(37), E2415-E2423. Parmesan, C., Burrows, M. T., Duarte, C. M., Poloczanska, E. S., Richardson, A. J., Schoeman, D. S., Singer, M. C. (2013). Beyond climate change attribution in conservation and ecological research.Ecology letters,16(s1), 58-71. Poloczanska, E. S., Brown, C. J., Sydeman, W. J., Kiessling, W., Schoeman, D. S., Moore, P. J., ... Duarte, C. M. (2013). Global imprint of climate change on marine life.Nature Climate Change,3(10), 919-925. Rinawati, F., Stein, K., Lindner, A. (2013). Climate change impacts on biodiversitythe setting of a lingering global crisis.Diversity,5(1), 114-123. Ruddiman, W. F. (Ed.). (2013).Tectonic uplift and climate change. Springer Science Business Media. Seinfeld, J. H., Pandis, S. N. (2012).Atmospheric chemistry and physics: from air pollution to climate change. John Wiley Sons. Starck, W. (2008). Global Warming-Myth, Threat or Opportunity?. Weber, E. U. (2006). Experience-based and description-based perceptions of long-term risk: Why global warming does not scare us (yet).Climatic Change,77(1-2), 103-120. Wheeler, T., von Braun, J. (2013). Climate change impacts on global food security.Science,341(6145), 508-513.

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