Causes for Climate Change: What Makes Earth So Hot?

We have all listened as ex-vice presidents warn of the coming demise of our planet (David, L., 2006). We have watched Hollywood blockbusters that leave us with images of the statue of liberty covered in snow and ice (Emmerich, U., 2004). By now, we have a fairly good understanding of the effects of global warming and climate change, but what caused it all? Is it just the natural course of time, or, is it the fault of the human race? Although natural factors exist, climate change has been accelerated by human influence.

Over the course of its history, Earth has experienced climate change many times. These changes can be partially attributed to the basic workings of the planet itself. The planet rotates around the sun, its primary source of climatic energy. Subtle changes in both the sun's energy level and in Earth's orbit gradually cause changes in our seasons (National Academy of Sciences, 2007). These changes can be seen historically as ice ages and warming periods. Other natural factors, such as volcanic activity, ocean currents, even cloud formation, can change the way Earth's climate behaves (UK Climate Impacts Programme, 2002).

While the Earth has been experiencing and surviving climate changes over millions of years, the ways in which we use our land has been changing too. As our population grows by leaps and bounds, once forested areas have become sites for condominiums, factories, farms, and shopping centers; all of which has had an effect on the climate. According to Roger Pielke Sr., a climatologist at Colorado State University, even something as subtle as increased irrigation can have an effect on the climate. "On Colorado's Front Range, for example, the expansion of irrigated crops has made summers cooler and wetter than they were a few decades ago" (Human, 2005). Our asphalt jungles have created more heat and absorbed more solar energy; and, clearing the land for this urban sprawl has led to an increase in CO₂ (National Academy of Sciences, 2007).

This increase in CO₂, or "greenhouse gasses," is perhaps one of humankind's greatest accelerants to global climate change. With the Industrial Revolution came the idea of burning coal, smelting iron, and steam driven machines (Montagne, 2007). Since then, we have been emitting CO₂ into our atmosphere at a rate faster than nature can compensate for. Now, we have produced so much CO₂, that it is absorbing solar energy and changing our climate (Krulwich, 2007). These changes have been evident in extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, a two foot snowfall in Los Angeles, unprecedented rainfall in Bombay, India, severe droughts, and wildfires (Gelbspan, 2005).

While natural climate changes have existed for millions of years, it is human activity that has upset the balance and caused these changes to accelerate. Our sprawling population has caused natural environments to make way for urban ones. We have an insatiable need for energy, much of which comes from burning fossil fuels and emitting toxic levels of CO₂ into our atmosphere. The effects are global warming, intense weather, flooding, and drought.

Is it too late for our planet? Have we done too much damage? Perhaps there is still time to make changes, changes that will help to reverse the effects of our current practices. While we may have caused the acceleration of global climate change, simple actions, like reducing energy and water consumption, recycling, and changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, can help restore the balance. These small changes may very well result in the restoration of our planet.

References

David, L., Bender, L., & Burns, S. (Producers), Guggenheim, D. (Director). 2006. An inconvenient truth [Motion Picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Emmerich, U., Germain, S., Van Horn, K. (Producers), Emmerich, R. (Director). 2004. The day after tomorrow. [Motion Picture]. United States: 20^th Century Fox.

National Academy of Sciences. (2007). Global warming facts and our future. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/index.jsp.

UK Climate Impacts Programme. (2002). Climate change - what is climate change. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_change/what_is_climate_change.asp

Human, K. (2005). Land-use impact discovered in global warming Agricultural changes can profoundly affect climate, though greenhouse gases remain a stronger factor. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=940389111&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=29677&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Montagne, R. (2007). Coalbrookdale and the history of coal power. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9955564.

Krulwich, R. (2007). When carbon falls in love, the world heats up. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11662978.

Gelbspan, R. (2005). Katrina's real name. Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/08/30/katrinas_real_name/.