Roth 1

Danny Roth
Ms. Thompson
AP Lang Block 1 Skinny B
February 25, 2015
Climate Change: Human Causation
Climate change is real. There are some who try to deny that this is directly
caused by humans. This is simply not true. There is overwhelming support to show that
humans are the largest cause of global warming. The human population has contributed
to climate change more than anything else on earth, and is currently on the path to
using up the earths natural resources.
Saying that, climate change is not solely caused by humans. As the UXL
Encyclopedia of Weather and Natural Disasters says, Throughout Earths 4.6 Billion
year existence the global climate has undergone continuous change. The earth has
never had a period where the climate has stagnated, or stayed relatively the same, it
has always been in flux. However, there earth has never been has as rapid or as severe
climate change as is happening now. Similarly, Environmental Science: In Context says
In large part, the greenhouse effect is natural and necessary. Without it, oceans would
freeze over and most life would die. The greenhouse effect is actually natural, caused
by the carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere. This does not mean that humans do
not contribute. Humans add much more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, through the
burning of fossil fuels. This, in turn, leads to global warming.

Roth 2
Unfortunately, climate change is gradual, and much of the effects will not be felt
for years after humans make the change that will affect the climate. Even if all
(Greenhouse Gas) emissions ceased immediately, there would be at least another 0.7
degree Celsius of warming in addition to the 0.8 degree Celsius of warming that already
has occurred. (Callicott 459)This truly shows how our impact is long term and how we
can almost never see the full impact of our actions immediately. This is one reason
legislature is hard to pass, as people have to try to lobby without results happening yet.
If we continue on the path we are on, we will run out of natural resources (Harrington
16-17). It seems so simple, but many people seem to think that the earth has an
unlimited supply of natural resources, which simply is not the case. The current path is
completely focused on non-renewable resources, such as oil and coal. Switching to
renewable resources, such as solar and wind, will lengthen the amount of time we
sustain ourselves on Earth.

Roth 3
As such, it is the powerful countries who must change in order to hinder any
more damage from happening, and hopefully begin to heal the damage that has been
done. It is our moral responsibility to change as our actions hurt those in poorer
countries who have not added to global warming as much (Callicott 460). First world
developed countries add the most to global warming. Other countries are still affected
however, and as such it is the responsibility of those large countries to take action to
help not just themselves, but those that they have wronged in doing so. Wealthy
countries can adapt to climate change more easily than poor countries. Wealthy
countries will always have greater technology, which is part of the reason that they are
able to adapt to climate change so well. They do not have to worry about how hot it is,
or whether it will rain for their crops to grow. The people in these countries do not feel
directly affected by climate change, and therefore do not see a need to change their
habits and how they go about their daily life. The United States leads the world in
climate change research, funding more than half of all the work. (Mitcham, 870)
There is research going on to study the long term effects of climate change, and the
wealthy countries are the ones leading the charge. However, it is simply not enough and
while there is money being spent on research it is a fraction of what is needed to help
make any long lasting changes.

Roth 4
Humans are causing global warming. There is proof, as shown throughout, that
humans have an incredibly large impact on the ecosystem. It should not be ignored, and
those who do are either trying to hide the facts so that they may benefit, or not very
smart. Arguments can be made that climate change is natural, which is true, but this
scale is unheard of. Humans are causing climate change, and they should begin to try
to change it for the better. If people truly worked together and tried to do something
about climate change, the problem would begin to be done away with. If the world came
together and worked hard the problem of global warming could be changed.

Danny Roth
Ms. Thompson
AP Lang Block 1 Skinny B
2/1/15

Roth 5
Climate Bibliography
Callicot, J Baird., and Robert Frodeman. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and
Philosophy. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. 2009. 458-63. Gale. Web. 02
Feb. 2015.
Environmental Science: In Context. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth. Lerner and K. Lee. Lerner. Vol.
1. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. Gale. Web. 02 Feb 2015.
Evans, Kimberly Masters. Information Plus: The Environment, A Revolution in Attitudes.
Detroit: Gale. 2010. Gale. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
Harrington, Jonathan Henry. The Climate Diet: How You Can Cut Carbon, Cut Costs,
and Save the Planet. London: Earthscan, 2008. Print.
Mitcham, Carl. Global Climate Change. Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and
Ethics. Vol. 2. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 80-73. Gale Web. 02 Feb.
2015.
UXL Encyclopedia of Weather and Natural Disasters. Detroit: UXL, 2008. 57-106. Gale.
Web. 12 Feb. 2015.