1. How does global warming occur?
The temperature of the Earth’s surface has risen by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, the beginning of the Industrial Age (NASA, 2021). The reason is that the development of the industrial age increases the use of oil and carbon dioxide. In other words, the cause of global warming is an increase in the use of greenhouse gases that generate greenhouse effects. Because the absorption of the Earth’s solar radiation energy and the emission of the Earth’s radiation energy is constant, the surface temperature remains constant as well because it forms a radiation equilibrium. However, the rapid increase in the use of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, caused the constantly maintained radiation balance to collapse, and the Earth’s surface temperature increased, as the Earth’s radiation energy was not released and absorbed to the surface (American Chemical Society, 2019). As this phenomenon continues, global warming gets worse.
2. What are the effects of global warming on the environment and humans?
A 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit rise in the Earth’s surface doesn’t seem to be a big deal, but it’s actually having tremendous consequences. First, the environmental problem caused by global warming is rising sea levels. The rising temperature of the Earth’s surface causes glaciers to melt, and the Earth’s sea level is continuously rising. Small islands, like the Maldives and Tuvalu, may be inundated due to the problem of rising sea levels (Nunez, 2019). In addition, the weather is changing extremely, and this change may cause environmental effects, including strong heat waves, droughts, and storms. Second, the effects of global warming on humans will cause food problems. Because of extreme weather changes, global food production will be reduced. There will also be water problems. If water is reduced due to a strong drought, humans will face a situation in which they cannot supply drinking and agricultural water.
3. Why do some people deny climate change?
1) Who denies climate change?
In general, those who deny that climate change is caused by global warming think that climate change is a natural phenomenon. It is also said that the problem of solving global warming is complicated and expensive, so it is an inconvenient but unwanted truth. And since they have not found a connection between themselves and global warming, they are denying climate change because they think it has nothing to do with them.
2) Are humans really contributing to the problem of global warming?
During the Cretaceous period, when carbon was not emitted at all, the Earth’s surface temperature was higher than it is now (Eos, 2021). Through this phenomenon, we have begun to question whether carbon emissions and global warming are related issues, and we are discussing whether humans are really contributing to the global warming problem.
4. What is the solution to global warming?
To reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming, such as methane and carbon dioxide, coal use must be reduced, and use of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, must be increased. We must also support the solutions proposed by climate-related environmental groups and help their opinions be adopted.
5. Conclusion
With the development of the Industrial Revolution, the use of coal has increased, resulting in global warming. This global warming has caused tremendous damage to the environment and humans and will continue to have strong climate change problems. Some people deny climate change because global warming is not a problem for them. However, the problem of climate change is no longer a scientific debate but a problem that the world must solve.
6. References
– NASA (2021). Climate change: Vital signs of the planet. [online] Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Available at: https://climate.nasa.gov/ [Accessed 5 August 2022].
– American Chemical Society (2019). What Is the Greenhouse Effect? – American Chemical Society. [online] American Chemical Society. Available at: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/climatesciencenarratives/what-is-the-greenhouse-effect.html [Accessed 6 August 2022].
– Nunez, C. (2019). Sea level rise, facts and information. [online] National Geographic. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sea-level-rise-1 [Accessed 6 August 2022].
– Eos. (2021). An Unbroken Record of Climate During the Age of Dinosaurs. [online] Available at: https://eos.org/science-updates/an-unbroken-record-of-climate-during-the-age-of-dinosaurs [Accessed 5 August 2022].
