MaddiScovell

Whitted,2nd
Chemistry
3/19/2014

Isclimatechangenaturalor
anthropogenic(manmade)?Canwestop
it?Cantheearthhandleit?Writea700
wordpersuasiveessaytosupportyour
opinionoverthis.Youmustciteatleast5
differentsourcesandmakesureto
includescientificevidence.
ClimateChange

Climatechangeisoneofthemostcontroversialtopicsstudiedtoday.Itspresence
anditscausesandeffectsarewidelydisputedamongthescientificandeverydayworld.
Climatechangeisthelastingchangeintheearthsclimate,especiallyariseinthe
averageatmospherictemperature.Therearemanydifferentfactorsthatarecausing
climatechange,butthepredominantoneisthehumanpopulationsactionsandlifestyle
throughtheircontributiontogreenhousegasbuildup.Atthispointclimatechangecanbe
stopped,butnotwithoutdrasticchanges.
StartingwiththeIndustrialRevolution,humanshavebeenputtingmoreandmore
greenhousegasesintotheatmosphere.Greenhousegases,suchaswatervapor,carbon
dioxide,andmethane,makeitharderforheattoescapetheearthsatmosphereandgo
intospace.Themoregreenhousegasesintheatmosphere,thelessheatcangetout,
causingtheaveragetemperatureonEarthtorise.Inourcurrentlivingsituation,humans
releaseover30billiontonsofCO2intotheatmosphereeveryyear(CausesofClimate
Change).Carbondioxideisgivenoffthroughnaturalthings,suchasvolcaniceruptions,
butthemainsourcecomesfromhumanactivities,suchasdeforestationandburning
fossilfuels.WiththeamountofCO2thatisgivenoffandsentintotheatmospherebeing
solarge,itisevidentthathumansareplayingaroleintheseverityofclimatechangein
thispointintime.

Accordingtoagroupof1,300independentscientificexpertsgatheredunder
theauspicesoftheUnitedNations,thereismorethan90percentprobabilitythat
humanactivitiesoverthepast250yearshavewarmedourplanet(ABlanketAround
Earth).Theamountofdistinguishedscientiststhatsupportthistheoryisastounding.This
evidencegoestoshowhowhumansarethemaincauseofclimatechange.
However,thefactthatthisdevelopmentishumaninducedissomewhat
reassuring,becauseitmeansthathumanscanfixtheproblem.Bychanginghuman
activities,climatechangecanbestopped.Ittakesworkbutiswithinthepopulations
control.AccordingtotheUSEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,workingtowards
stoppingclimatechangecanbeaseasydoingactivitiesthatgiveoffgreenhousegases
less,suchasdrivingacar,usingelectricitytolightandheatyourhome,andthrowing
awaygarbage(WhatYouCanDo).Ifeverybodydoeshisorherparttocontribute,
climatechangecanbestoppedconsiderablyeasier.Somedrasticmeasuresdoneedtobe
taken.Currently,humansarecapableofdrasticallycuttinggreenhousegasemissions
andavoidingthecatastrophicconsequencesofglobalwarming(Roach).Thiscanbe

achievedbyusingmorerenewableenergysources,usingefficientlightbulbs,and
plantingtrees(Roach).
Thefactthatclimatechangecanbestoppeddoesntmeanthathumanshavetime
towait.Ifnothingisdonetostopglobalwarming,theamountofheattrappinggasesin
theatmospherecouldrisebyanadditional90percentby2030(Roach).Theaverage
temperaturehereonearthwillcontinuetogrow,causingmoreandmoredamagethanhas
alreadyoccurred.Insomeplacestheconsequencesofglobalwarmingaremoreevident
thanothers.Thenegativeeffectsofclimatechangecanalreadybeseeninmelting
glaciers,disintegratingpolarice,thawingpermafrost,dyingcoralreefs,risingsealevels,
changingecosystemsandfatalheatwaves(Impacts).Thesevaluablecostsshowthatthe
earthcannothandleclimatechangeandactionmustbetakeninordertostopits
progression.
Ifnoseriousactionistaken,theconsequenceswillbesevere.Thereisalarming
evidencethatcertainpoints,leadingtoirreversiblechangesinmajorecosystems,may
havebeenreachedorpassed(ClimateChange).Humansneedtoactnowiftheywant
tosavetheearthfromthesedangerousconsequences.Climatechangeiscausedby
humansbutalsocanbestoppedbyhumans.

WorksCitied
ABlanketAroundtheEarth.GlobalClimateChange.NASA.3/16/2014
<http://climate.nasa.gov/causes>
CausesofClimateChange.ClimateChange.UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtection
Agency.3/16/2014<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/causes.html>
ClimateChange.2009.UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgram.3/16/2014
<http://www.unep.org/climatechange/Introduction.aspx>
Impacts.Greenpeace.GreenpeaceInternational.3/16/2014
<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climatechange/impacts/>
Roach,John.GlobalWarmingCanBeStopped,WorldClimateExpertsSay.National
GeographicNews.May4,2007.NationalGeographic.3/16/2014
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070504globalwarming.html>
WhatYouCanDo.ClimateChange.UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtection.
3/16/2014<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/>