Climate Change Case

Climate Change

ENV/310

January 18, 2015

        The effect of gases in the atmosphere that absorb the suns energy and traps it near the Earth’s surface to keep it warm enough to sustain life is called the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect differs from global warming. Global warming is the increase in global temperature because of the effects of greenhouse gases. The two are not to be confused as the greenhouse effect explains the functions of our atmosphere and how it keeps the Earth warm enough for life to exist. The greenhouse effect is a natural process. The sun’s energy enters the Earth’s atmosphere some of this energy is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases while the rest is reflected back into outer space. The greenhouse effect is a process that helps the Earth maintains the temperature. The atmosphere and surface of the Earth warms up by the energy being absorbed by this process taking place. The greenhouse effect has six steps that take place during its process.

• Step one; solar radiation enters the Earth’s atmosphere, some reflected into outer space.
• Step two; energy is absorbed by water or land creating heat.
• Step three; Heat radiates from the land back into space.
• Step four; some heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, warming the Earth
• Step five; burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture increase greenhouse gases.
• Step six; trapped extra heat from increased greenhouse gases raises Earth’s temperature.

        In summary the Earth’s temperature is a balancing act between the energy coming and going from its atmosphere. When the sun’s energy is absorbed the Earth warms and when the energy is reflected the Earth’s surface is not able to warm.

        When the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and CFC’s are at an increased amount in the atmosphere the surface temperature on Earth rises. The amount of radiation that is directed back to the Earth’s surface increases along with the energy. The climate system of the planet is very complex. When the energy increases other things increase as well like evaporation, cloud formation and the melting of polar ice could occur. Steps five and six are proof of how human activities are causing global climate change. Deforestation and burning fossil fuels like coal natural gas and oil are the main contributors of the increase of the greenhouse gases.

        Climate change will affect the environment and people in many ways, some bigger than others. Spreading weeds is on the less serious side compared to heat waves that could claim lives. Every part of the globe will see changes that might be beneficial to a degree but the negative impacts will eventually outweigh the bad. Climate change affects agriculture, water supplies, human health, ecosystems, and coastal waters in both good and bad ways (EPA, 2014).

        Crops that need specific weather to survive might not be able to live in warmer conditions depending on location. This will affect the food supply for animals and humans. Climate change can cause severe storms in one area and droughts in another affecting the growth of crops globally. There are many places around the world that have very little water and rain fall, climate changes could affect these areas even worse. With the temperature raising the amount of droughts will increase. Many places rely on the snowmelt for the water to replenish lakes, rivers and reservoirs. If the temperature continues to rise the snow will no longer be on mountain tops to melt for the land below. Human health has already seen impacts due to the climate changes. Storms claiming lives along with heat waves, disease and air pollution have already made an impact across the globe and will continue to increase. The very young and very old are more affected by the heat than those of an average age. It also causes strokes and even death to those who were already sick. Another very important aspect of the greenhouse effect is the damage it does to our environment, ecosystems, plants, animals and forests. All species live in certain ecosystems that they are accustomed to. You wouldn’t travel to the Midwest and find a desert turtle as you wouldn’t find a rainforest located in the deserts of Arizona. The greenhouse gases that blanket the atmosphere protect the Earth from the heat from the sun. The climate changes that are already happening are causing animals to disperse to other locations that they are used to thrive in. As the Earth gets warmer species need to find cooler places to live. According to the EPA 2014, if the Earth keeps getting warmer all the plants and animals will eventually become extinct. If we were to lose one whole species the whole entire food chain would become insufficient. Each species plays an important role in each environment they reside. One of the most devastating effects the climate changes have is on the forests. Unlike animals that can disperse trees are unable to move locations. The shifting weather patterns and droughts have a very large impact on the forests because they are very sensitive to these changes. The oceans are also affected by the climate changes. Coral reefs are the home to millions of aquatic species. As the water becomes warmer it causes coral bleaching which is a type of damage to this habitat. The greenhouse gases make the waters warmer and cause the acidity to increase because of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide in the water is fatal to all species found in the ocean (EPA, 2014).