EN 121- Create an annotated bibliograph
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE 11
Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE 1
Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE 1
The Environmental Effects of Climate Change are Directly Linked to Human Behavior Jame Doe Monroe College
Abstract
The problem of climate change is an issue that gravely affects the environment today. The debate is whether climate change is caused by human activities. The following paper seeks to give strong evidence in support of this conclusion. Research indicates that the disastrous changes that have serious implications for human existence is directly related to the actions of human beings and their day to day activities. The extent of the damages to the environment, the implications, the driving force of these changes and what can be done to stop or lessen the effects will be examined.
Introduction
As human beings go about their daily lives, they are so cavalier about the fact that their activities have undoubtedly been the key contributing factor for climate change and that the dire consequences of this phenomenon has been affecting the quality of human life at present and in the foreseeable future.
According to Habibi, Perry, & Mahmoudi, (2014, p. 167): “Human health, like that of many other living organisms on the earth, could be affected by the consequences of the global warming. Increasing the rate of different kinds of cancers including skin tumors (as a direct consequence) and neurodegenerative disorders (as an indirect consequence)”. This fact is just one of the startling revelations that researchers have found to be associated with climate change and global warming. The spread of communicable diseases have also been linked to climate change. Melting ice caps due to rapidly warming temperatures have threatened the lives of animals and humans alike. The very existence of living creatures on the earth is left to the mercies of climate change.
As more industries continue to be developed to satisfy the demands of humans and populations increase, so will the effects of climate change. This fact does not deter human beings from consuming at alarming rates and engaging in the activities that have been the nucleus of climate change. As Milfont, Milojev, Greaves & Sibley (2015, p.17) warn: “We must face the reality of climate change (“climate change is real”) and anthropogenic climate change (“climate change is caused by humans)”. Therefore evidently, climate change and the devastating effects on the environment are a direct result of human behavior.
The Rapidly Changing Climate is a Global Phenomenon
Climate change is a global phenomenon, an exceedingly worrying and potentially catastrophic situation which can lead to destruction of the earth in the foreseeable future. The realities of climate change can be seen all round. It is evident that the global climate is rapidly changing and the evidence has been manifested in rising temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, environmental effects, and has even been linked to the emergence and spread of infectious and communicable diseases (Mirski, Bartoszcze, & Bielawska-Drozd, 2011). There is much speculation and debate as to the actual changes and the causes significantly. Baum, Haqq-Misra, & Karmosky ( 2012, p. 404) posits that, “existing research find that there is very strong evidence that the climate is changing, these changes are driven primarily by human activity”. The damages that climate change has done to the environment, the drastic changes that it has created and longstanding consequences that are faced as a result of climate change are permanent. The effects of these changes are irreversible. We cannot undo the damages, as the extremities of climate change has fundamentally changed the very equilibrium of the earth. Therefore the effects of these changes are being experienced in every corner of the earth and the very human beings that have contributed to this phenomenon now faces the dire consequences of their actions.
Human Activities are Responsible for Climate Change
Human beings are responsible for climate change, climate change has resulted from the need for life style changes of human beings. Over the years, human beings have sought to elevate and upgrade the way they live. The selfish need for constant fulfillment has seen the continuous evolution of things that would bring gratification to the lives of human beings. Through the years, the things that brought gratification would eventually lead to detrimental consequences. With inventions saw the replacement of horse drawn carriages and steamboats with energy sucking automobiles, airplanes, etc. The more these technologies were introduced, the more energy they used, in the form of gasoline, propane, etc. The effects of these activities were not evident at the time and not knowing that these actions could be the cause of future disastrous circumstances, the relentless use of these resources continued, as such human activities have resulted in damning consequences for climate change. As the population continues to grow, so does the use of energy. In fact Swim et al., (2011) states, “most direct energy consumption is related to transportation, heating and cooling of buildings, and appliances”. Therefore, evidently human beings continue to contribute to climate change by their alarming consumption of natural resources. The world’s population today has reached an alarming rate of over 7 billion people and continues the rise. These astronomically increasing rates of the human population will see the use of more natural resources, incidentally Swim et al,.( 2011) agrees “Humans produce this global impact through our use of natural resources, multiplied by the vast increase in population seen in the past 50 to 100 years”. These population increases all over the world generally means that more of everything will be used up by people before they are able to be replenished. To every household that increases the more energy is used for different everyday purposes, significantly increasing the carbon footprint.
Human Need for Development and Efficiency
The increase in innovations lead to the industrial revolution. Human beings saw the need for more efficiency. Therefore, industrialization was born, industries saw the need for increased production because with increased production, people are consuming more and industrialized machinery was created. This machinery was good for production, however this meant the burning of fossil fuels to power these machines. With these fossil fuels, human beings created the nexus between Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and climate change. The activities of human beings may have been welcomed and seen as development however the damages that were being created would only be experienced many years later, “the actions of human beings may be altering the global climate change systems via emissions of greenhouses gases is quite extraordinary” (Baum, Haqq-Misra, & Karmosky, 2012, p. 393). Human activity is essentially responsible for the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) for everyday human consumption for transportation and energy. These fuels are used to power cars, other vehicles, airplanes and boats for transportation, energy in the form of electricity to power houses, appliances, businesses, and industries. These activities have caused greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to have severe effects on climate change. “Human activities are altering the carbon cycle—both by adding more CO2 to the atmosphere and by influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. While CO2 emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). The tangible evidence of the release of gases is clearly seen in cities in China, where a smog of polluted air fills the atmosphere on a continuous basis, this is caused by the heavy emissions from industries there. The smog mist smells of lead, gasoline and other fuel related stenches. Deforestations by humans mean that there is less absorption of CO2 gases. The trees served as a sponge absorbing the CO2 gases so that there is less released back into the atmosphere, however because of massive deforestation these gases are released back into the atmosphere at a greater volume.
The Severity of Environmental Impacts on Climate Change
Climate change has had indelible impacts on the environment. Inexplicable natural phenomenon such as El Nino, La Nina, storms, and severe heat waves have occurred and all are attributable to climate change. Changes have also been seen in ecosystems, animal and plant habitats, and are also linked to climate change and the rise in temperatures. “Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 0.5 to 8.6°F over the next hundred years” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). Research by Baum, Haqq-Misra, & Karmosky, (2012, p. 393) “indicates that observed temperature increases are human driven”. The unpredictability in current weather patterns are a result of climate change. Places are experiencing total shifts in the weather they are accustomed to because of global warming. Scientists and meteorologists are experiencing difficulty in predicting weather patterns recently, largely due to the fact that the factors formally used to predict such patterns are no longer reliable because of the warming of the earth’s atmosphere. The evidences of these changes in weather patterns point to climate change resulting from human activities. Cheng et al., (2016, p111) posited that “drought in California is attributed to human induced climate change”. “The 2011–14 drought has been the most severe of all prior 3-yr events, California is experiencing a fourth consecutive dry year” (Cheng et al., 2016, p115). Warmer temperatures also causes melting of ice caps, this causes sea levels to rise, which can mean severe implications for low lying countries by causing coastal flooding. Melting ice also has the potential to put polar bears at risk for becoming endangered because their habitat is threaten by warming temperatures. “In the arctic coastline, entire villages are being uprooted because they are in danger of being swamped. The native people of the arctic view global warming as a threat to their cultural identity and their very survival” (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2005). According to Mirski, Bartoszcze, & Bielawska-Drozd, (2011, p.525) “Long-term warming trends encourage geographic expansion of dangerous threats such as malaria, while extreme weather events affect the outbreaks”. Significantly, global warming and climate change has the potential in the foreseeable future to cause the very people who, by their actions have brought about these change to be vulnerable.
Consequences of Climate Change on the Earth and Humans
The research of Swim et al., (2009) states, “Climate change is a pressing issue facing our planet and its inhabitants” The dire consequences now faced by the inhabitants of the earth have severe implications on survival. As climate change has affected almost every aspect of human life and even threatens the very existence as “global warming and instability of the climate play an increasingly important role in stimulating the global emergence, resurgence and transmission of infectious diseases” (Mirski, Bartoszcze, & Bielawska-Drozd, 2011, p.525). The clear evidence of this transmission is visible as a plethora of inexplicable deadly diseases have been plaguing societies. “The occurrence of multiple bluetongue virus strains, transmitted by mosquitoes in southern Europe since the late 1990s, indicates the impact of climate change on vector-borne diseases” (Mirski, Bartoszcze, & Bielawska-Drozd, 2011, p.525). The new mosquito born disease that is quickly causing panic worldwide is the Zika virus.
The fact that human beings are the cause of climate change is undeniable. Research by Brook, (2009, p. 253) supports this fact: “an average person living in Toronto produces 8600 kg of CO2 per year in daily life”. This statistic shows how much energy is used by human beings to go about daily functions, these emissions are the sole reason for the changes in climatic conditions. It is a reality that human behavioral patterns have caused irreparable damage due to their contributions to climate change. However clear and evident this data may be, human beings still continue to contribute “in 2005, a poll of 12000 citizens in 11 countries, including Canada found that only 47% were prepared to make personal lifestyle changes to reduce carbon emissions”(Brook, 2009, p. 254). The evidence is clear that human beings shoulder the responsibility for climate change, however even when presented with the facts, there is still no clear intention by the majority to accept the fact that the actions of human beings have consequences on the environment and the quality of life and make changes.
Conclusion
The effects of climate change are not reversible, however it can be stopped. Human beings need to be more cognizant of the fact that due to their actions the planet and environment is suffering tremendously. The actions of human beings can mean destruction for the earth in years to come. Therefore, persons should be made aware of the consequences their actions have on the environment and seek to amend their behaviors through lifestyle changes. Little changes can prove to be helpful in the fight against climate change. These changes can be the difference between human destruction and their continued existence.
References
Baum, S. D., Haqq-Misra, J. D., & Karmosky, C. (2012). Climate change: Evidence of human causes and arguments for emission reduction. . Science & Engineering Ethics, 18(2), 393-410. doi:10.1007/s11948-011-9270-6
Brook, R. K. (2009). Ignoring the elephant in the room: The carbon footprint of climate change Research. InfoNorth, 62(1), 253-255. Retrieved from Ebscohost database
Cheng, L., Hoerling,, M., AghaKouchak, A., Livneh, B., Wei-Quan, X., & Eischeid, J. (2016). How has human-induced climate change affected California drought risk. Climate Journal, 29, 11-120. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D.15-02060.1
Habibi, L., Perry, G., & Mahmoudi, M. (2014). Global warming and neurodegenerative disorders: speculations on their linkage. BioImpacts, 4(4), 167-170. doi:10.15171/bi.2014.013
Milfont, T. L., Milojev, P., Greaves, L. M., & Sibley, C. G. (2015). Socio-structural and psychological foundations of climate change beliefs. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 44(1), 19-33. Retrieved from Ebscohost database
Mirski, T., Bartoszcze, M., & Bielawska-Drozd, A. (2011). Impact of climate change on infectious diseases. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 21(3), 252-232. Retrieved from Ebscohost database
Natural Resources Defense Council. (2005, November 22). Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org
Swim, J. K., Clayton, S., & Howard, G. (2011). Human behavioral contributions to climate change. Psychological and Contextual Drivers, 66(4). Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-66-4-251.pdf
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, March 24). Retrieved from http://www.3.epa.gov