Question

It’s Too Hot Here

The ecosystem is comprised of all living organisms that are found in a specific place, their habitats, and their interactions. This ecosystem in which we live provides natural resources for humans and all other species that are essential to our health, quality of life, and survival. (Why Is It Important to Care About the Environment, 2017). Every living organism has its contributions to a healthy environment and serves a purpose to benefit the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the energy we need, recreation, our health and our sustainability. Every living organism also needs the resources that we do to survive; clean air, water, healthy soil, and food. Human consumption, growing population, energy use, and pollution directly alter aspects of the environment in ways that have a global effects and pose a potential concern to humanity and to other species and growing organisms. One of the biggest challenges that we face today that affect the resources needed for sustainability is global warming. Global warmings negative effects are more severe weather, dirtier air, higher wildlife extinction rates, more acidic oceans, higher sea levels, and higher death rates which in turn affect our water supplies, forests, food supplies, health, and ability to sustain the future.

The core cause of global warming ironically is a resource that we need to function and survive. Most scientists agree that the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the greenhouse effect- a warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat when radiating from the Earth toward space. (A Blanket Around the Earth, 2017). Certain gases that block the heat from escaping are water vapor, Co2, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. Water vapor increases as the atmosphere warms caused by the effects of Co2, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. The other three are caused mainly by human activities in addition to natural causes. Carbon Dioxide is released naturally through respiration, and volcanic eruptions. Carbon Dioxide is the largest cause of global warming. The human contribution and most significant comes from deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels that increases the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. . (A Blanket Around the Earth, 2017). Our energy use is depleting the resources needed to produce all the contributions to our survival and the survival of our eco system with its emissions. Human activities contributing to methane are decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock.  Nitrous oxide is a gas produced by soil cultivation practices and the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, and biomass burning. (A Blanket Around the Earth, 2017). Chlorofluorocarbons are purely industrial but are now regulated.

One of the effects of global warming is extreme weather and climate events. Heat waves lasting days to weeks are increasing. These heat weaves produce droughts due to the increased rates of surface evaporation and loss of water from plants leading to more rapid drying of soils which leads to drier climate conditions and depleted water resources and loss to agriculture. Heavy downpours are causing an increase in flooding events. Warmer air contains more moisture that is available to storms resulting in heavier rainfalls. These heavier downpours or prolonged precipitation coupled with snowmelt, thunderstorms, surges from hurricanes, and ice or debris jams are causing flooding. Structural failures such as dams, levees, altered drainage, and pavement are making flooding worse. Hurricanes are increasing in strength in the measurement of intensity, frequency, and duration due to higher sea temperatures, the way the atmosphere responds to these temperature changes and the cause of the change. Winter storms have increased in intensity and so has the frequency of tornados, hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds. (Ashley, 2008).

The damage of global warming is already observed and is evident in the increase of global temperatures. There is a decrease in snow cover and sea ice content as well as the retreat of mountain glaciers. Ocean water temperatures are rising in addition to sea levels increasing. There is an increase in average precipitation and in the frequency of extreme precipitation. Physical and ecological changes are the thawing of the permafrost, lengthening of the growing season, upward shift of plant and animal ranges, decline of plant and animal species, earlier flowering of trees, earlier emergence if insects, and earlier egg-laying in birds. (Global Warming FQS, 2017).

Higher temperatures lead to a chain reaction of other changes as it affects the oceans, weather patterns, snow and ice and plants and animals. This can affect many things such as agriculture, energy, water supply health, plants and animals, our forests and our recreation. The crops that we grow for food need specific conditions to thrive. This includes the right temperatures and enough water. Higher temperatures could make it too hot to grow certain crops and droughts could reduce the amount of water for irrigation. The stronger storms and floods damage crops. This can result in reduced yields, need for increased irrigation, planting and harvest changes , decreased soil nutrients needed for producing crops, more pests due lack of cold winters, and shifts in the abundance of types of fish snd seafood. (Climate Hot Map, 2017). Food production is decreasing as population increases. Climate changes will affect how much energy we need and when we need it. It can make it harder to produce certain types of electricity. Hydropower can be affected by there not being enough water resulting in power shortages and blackouts. This could increase the need for energy from fossil fuels which add to the greenhouse effect. Hotter days increase the need for air conditioning. More energy used for this could cause energy shortages. The more energy used the more CO2 that increases the greenhouse effect. (Climate Change,-Energy,2017). Climate change affects where, when, and how much water is available. Rising temperatures, changed precipitation patterns, and increasing droughts affects the amount of water in rivers, lakes, streams, and the amount that seeps into the ground to replenish ground water. Snow melt is relied upon to fill the lakes, rivers, and streams that allow for drinking water and crop irrigation. Higher temperatures reduce the amount of snowfall. (Climate Change-Water Supply, 2017). Heat waves, severe storms, air pollution and disease are increased by climate change. Heath illnesses such as heat cramps, heat stroke and even death can increase with heat waves. Asthma and lung conditions increase and worsen with increased air pollution due to warmer temperatures. Infectious diseases such as those caused by ticks and mosquitoes will survive longer throughout the year putting more people at risk. (Climate Change-Health,2017). Because most plants and animals survive within specific climate conditions such as temperature and rainfall patterns their ability to thrive will decrease. This will result in disappearing habitats and extinction for many species. Higher sea levels and more acidic oceans threaten coral reefs and the habitat of many species of fish and ocean creatures and disruption of the food web that connects all the living things in the ocean as well as human supply. (Climate Change-Plants, Animals, and Ecosystem). , 2017). Forests provide homes for many kinds of species and plants and animals and protect our water and air quality by helping to manage CO2. Higher temperature threaten them. As temperature rise and droughts increase wildfires will increase further damaging our forests and grasslands. This also threatened our homes and lives. (Climate Change-Forests, 2017). Heatwaves can cause problems that affect our jobs, recreational activities and hobbies due to reduced opportunity to skim, ice fish, and rising sea levels could wash away beaches due to erosion nd stronger storms. (Climate change- Recreation, 2017).

In addition to the impact on our society, our environment and our ability to achieve sustainability global warming comes with a big price tag. Reduction of the emissions that cause it will have to be international and will be costly. If present trends continue the total cost of global warming will be 3.6 percent of the gross domestic product. Damaged from hurricanes, real estate damage, energy costs, and water costs will be 1.8 percent of the gross domestic product. (Ackerman, Stanton, 2008).

Global climate change is real and affecting people all around the world disrupting people’s lives and damaging some sectors of our economy. According to Global Change.Gov “Over recent decades, climate science has advanced significantly. Increase scrutiny has led to increased certainty that we are now seeing impacts associated with human-induced climate change.

“Earlier predictions have been confirmed and some changes have outpaced them. “(Overview, 2017). These changes are expected to continue and we need to act now to limit the damage of the impact. The human portion of the equation is to limit our use of coal, oil, and gas and stop clearing our forests which help to regulate carbon dioxide. Without these changes it is expected that temperatures will rise another 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the next few decades. Even under a low emission scenario it is predicted that by the end of this century a 3-5 percent increase and a 5-10 percent over a high emission. (Overview, 2017) These changes will continue to affect human health, water supply, agriculture, energy, oceans and seas and more with increasing adverse effects on our quality of life and economy.

Left alone our environment and ecosystem would naturally sustain and regulate itself. Human interference and our attempt to sustain life and existence is interfering in this natural process. What we are creating in order to utilize the resources that are provided by nature in order for us to survive are in turn depleting these resources and inhibiting our ability to sustain life. What we take needs to be replenished and to be taken and utilized responsibly without detrimental damage. In order to do this we need to make a conscious effort to create ways to utilize these resources and compliment their ability to provide for us in the future. This entails every person and every nation to participate together for the common good of all. Cohesive policies, incentives, penalties, education, grants, and research are a way to accomplish this. Damage is already evident so we are approaching this reactively but it is not too late to proactively stop the activities causing the damage and replace them with environmentally sound alternatives and slow down the depletion of that which is supplying us the ability to thrive.

The issue of global warming is a cyclical effect of cause and solution. Damage to any portion of our ecological system leads to damage to others and all are affected. Sometimes the cause contributes to the solution and the attempt to fix the problem contributes to the cause. Without interference into the causes the effects will challenge our ability to uphold our water supplies, forests, food supplies, health, and ability to sustain the future.

References

Ashley, 2008. Extreme Weather. Retrieved from nca2014.globalchange.gov.highlights/report-     findings/extreme-weather .