GLOBAL CHANGES IN CLIMATE ARE MAN-MADE OR NATURAL?

Weather changes occur all the time. These trends of climate are almost same for years if it is left to itself. However it is not being left alone. Humans are taking actions which will change the earth's atmosphere and its climate significantly. These climate changes are caused by various reasons. We understand that natural changes in climate are unavoidable such as volcanic eruptions, explosions in the sun,which causes large meteors hitting the earth etc., but we can minimize them by our advanced technology which studies the change in climate . Humans are modifying the climate by emitting the so called Green House gases into the atmosphere. We emit greenhouse gases for our own benefit. These emissions obtained from many sources which includes gases released from factories and agriculture which supply us with food and other material goods,power-plants which provide us with electricity, cars and planes that takes us to the destination within hours. So, I believe man-made changes in climate are more when compared with natural changes in climate. The major factors which are contributing to global man-made changes in climate are climate changes which are caused by greenhouse effect, global warming and ozone layer depletion.

The major reason contributing to climate change is burning of fossil fuels such as coal,oil and gas. Burning of these gases releases carbon dioxide(co2). Co2 traps the solar heat,just the same way glass traps the solar heat in a sun room or in greenhouse. For these reasons co2 sometimes is called green house gas. As more and more carbon dioxide is released,solar heat will be reduced which results in average temperature to increase in the atmosphere. As people burn more fossil fuel for energy they add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. If this is repeated for sometime in near future ,the average temperature of the atmosphere will certainly rise. This results in not only every day,

every place will be warmer,but the average places will be warmer leading to changes in the amount and pattern of rain and snow, in the length of growing seasons, in the frequency and severity of storms, and in sea level. Farms, forests, and plants and animals in the natural environment, will all be affected. Since the early 1800s, when people began burning large amounts of coal and oil, the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere has increased by nearly 30%, and average global temperature appears to have risen between 1 and 2F. CO2 is not the only gas released by human activities that can cause warming emissions of methane and nitrous oxide contribute almost to the warming. When coal and oil are burned the sulfur is emitted as fine particles in the atmosphere. This sulfur pollution the average temperature may rise more rapidly. The scientists expect the amount of warming ranging from 2.5F (1.4C) to 4F (2.3C). The other modest contributors to climate change is deforestation. when wood is burned, the carbon contained in the trees is released as carbon dioxide and when wood decays,in swamps methane gas is produced. Rice paddies, cattle, coal mines, gas pipelines, and landfills produce methane, another greenhouse gas, which today causes about 30% as much warming as carbon dioxide. Deforestation further contributes to increase in co2 by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. fertilizers and other chemicals release nitrous oxide, which today causes about 10% as much warming as carbon dioxide. .The other non-significant contributions to climate change are Aerosol spray cans,nuclear power,the space program and the toxic waste. Global warming means an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere especially a sustained increase that causes climatic change . The average air temperature around the globe is steadily increasing, with catastrophic effects such as rising sea levels and severe weather patterns. An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth. Global warming has occurred in the past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases. Using surface station temperature measurements and satellite-based measurements, researchers have identified an increasing

trend in the global average surface air temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that this increase can be attributed to a combination of natural climate variations and human factors. One of the leading causes under investigation is the greenhouse effect of gasses in the atmosphere. Scientists generally agree that the Earth's surface has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past 140 years. Ozone is a gas that consists of three oxygen atoms (O3). light, It is pale blue in color tint which is visible in high concentrations only . The origin of ozone is from a Greek term ozein meaning "smell", but the odor associated with ozone i. e.,what you'd smell after a lightning strike is not from the o3, but rather from freeing of electron that takes place during ozone formation and destruction. The ozone layer (also called bad ozone layer) is considered a to be a pollutant and is deleterious(harmful) to the human respiratory system. Whereas, in the stratosphere, o3 is advantageous because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation(U.V rays ) coming from space which is harmful to human beings. It is generated via lightning (natural) and created by human activities (auto exhaust), and oxygen molecule lasts for half an hour without being disturbed. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) will destroy ozone layer by breaking into each oxygen molecule. when this happens the ability of ozone layer to reflect the ultra-violet rays coming form the sun will depreciate . Which results in holes in the ozone layer,causing U.V rays to reach the earth disturbing the man-kind. The stratosphere sometimes called good layer ,extends upward from about 6 miles to 30 miles,protecting life on Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Ozone layer has been gradually depleted by human activity such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's). The ozone layer which acts as a shield now allows more UV radiation to reach the earth, leading to harmful disease such as skin cancer, cataracts, other health and environmental problems. Scientists disagree that global warming will have large impact in next 50 to 100 years The main reason they believe for the disagreement is they are not quite sure whether global changes

in climate caused by human actions are large to cause serious damage. Most of the scientists believe that they will have a large impact . Others argue that even if changes occur, the problems will be minimal when compared to problems caused by today's natural calamities . Some of the scientists argue that the whole debate about global warming being man-made or natural ? is irrational. They also argue that it wouldn't bring downfall of life in the planet and human emissions such as co2 which is appearing to curb the climate change would have a little effect on global climate. He also explains that co2 is not a pollutant but a plants food. He says that money can be spent on air pollution and water pollution instead spending on global warming and green house effect. Natural causes are god-made is inevitable to stop them except minimizing it,but what about the global changes . Most of the problems faced by mankind is man-made. It is for his own benefit that he is destroying the future generations world . If people argue that global warming is irrational, why is the sea-level increasing ever rapidly,why people are suffering from different skin diseases, what about acid rain. We have to act smart in overcoming these problems. we can reduce the usage of fossil fuels which in turn reduces the global warming, by using energy efficiently and wisely. we can help reduce global warming by the following ways. Firstly, reduce the usage or else use the products which are reusable rather than disposable products and whenever possible recycle the paper, aluminum cans,plastic,newspaper and glass that way we can reduce the co2 usage by 2400 pounds annually. Secondly, use less air-conditioning and heater by keeping them at moderate temperatures keeping thermostat temperatures , lower in winter and higher in summer that way we can reduce the usage of co2 by 2000 pounds every year. Thirdly by replacing bulbs regularly with compact fluorescent bulbs(CFL) would eliminate 90 billions pounds of green house gases which is equal to 7.5 million cars off the road. Fourthly, The more you drive less, the more energy you save. Check alternatives to driving such as walking,bicycling ,car pooling and using mass transit system. Every gallon you save not only saves your money but also reduces 20 pounds of co2 out. Other ways of saving are buying energy efficient products, using less hot water,saving electricity

by switching off them when not needed,planting a tree which saves around one ton of co2 in its lifetime,ask an utility company for a report card that way we can come to know where exactly we use more, share the information with friends, neighbors and co-workers and introduce policies and procedures within your community. Less usage of fossil fuels means less greenhouse gases that pave away to global warming.

I believe that we should act smart in encountering issues such as global warming and greenhouse effect because we humans are responsible for it. Everything depends on how strong we are and being a global issue , we need to come up with policies that would impact these issues. Every one should get united finding ways to erase them from our world. Few simple steps followed by everyone would have large impact on climate changes, global warming and ozone layer depletion.

WORKS CITED:1.http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2007/260407irrational.htm 2.http://www.gcrio.org/gwcc/index.htm 3.http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm