Impact Of Climate Change And Greenhouse Gases Environmental Sciences Essay

Our clime is quickly altering all around us. Ice is runing, workss are deceasing, animate beings are in danger, and home grounds are being destroyed. The Arctic is greatly affected. The ice is runing and doing H2O degrees to lift, and animate beings are deceasing because of loss of home ground. Over the past one hundred old ages, the mean surface temperature has risen a little over 1 degree Fahrenheit. ( Baker, 4 ) Climate alteration happens because of worlds and natural grounds. Worlds are non being careful and are non utilizing their resources sagely. Worlds are non looking at other options to assist salvage the environment, and are merely utilizing what is easiest and what we are used to. Climate alteration is a serious job that affects worlds, and animate beings, and if non stopped will do important desolation. Climate alteration is the addition of the temperature of our planet. ( Morris, 4 ) Climate alteration is more than merely a alteration in the conditions ; it is a alteration over a long period of clip. ( â€Å" What is Climate Change? † ) . Climate alteration happens of course but besides because of worlds. During the summer our planet is closer to the Sun and becomes heater. In the winter things get cooler because we are turned off from the Sun. But the ice that we have lost or has melted rebuilds in the winter. This is because of freeze and snowfall ( â€Å" Causes of Climate Change † ) Natural temperatures have risen 1.08 grades Fahrenheit over the past 100 old ages. ( Baker, 4 ) Our environment is besides altering because of human activity and the nursery consequence. The nursery consequence is when nursery gases are trapped in our ambiance. ( Henson, 20 ) Greenhouse gases trap the heat from the Sun in the Earth ‘s ambiance. This heat leads to an addition in the Earth ‘s surface temperature. ( Henson, 21 ) There is this bed in the ambiance that traps heat to maintain our planet warm. When worlds release nursery gases, they get trapped by this bed and the surface temperature rises. There are three chief gases that are considered nursery gases. These gases are C dioxide, methane, and azotic oxide ( Baker, 6 ) . Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels such as coal and oil are burned. Animals such as cattles and sheep release gas as portion of their digestive system and through manure. This produces methane. Then there is azotic oxide. Azotic oxide is produced when fertilisers are used for paces and harvests. ( Walker, David, 112 ) Every clip you drive to the shop, watch Television, travel on the computing machine, drive a auto, and turn on the visible radiations fossil fuels are burned. They are burned to bring forth the energy to power things. When fossil fuels are burned, C dioxide is released into the air. Because there are so many people and so many people actively let go ofing C dioxide, it finally adds up and the temperature rises. ( Henson, 24 ) These gas sums are increasing because the human population is increasing. Climate alteration affects the environment and worlds. The clime alterations with a little temperature alteration. Over the past 25 old ages, the Arctic sea ice country has decreased by about five per centum and summer sea ice country has decreased by 15 per centum. ( â€Å" Melting Ice Caps † ) The thaw of ice greatly affects the nutrient concatenation. The nutrient concatenation is an agreement of the being of an ecological community harmonizing to the order of predation in which each uses the following normally lower member as a nutrient beginning. ( Webster Dictionary ) In the north-polar the animate beings and workss greatly depend on each other. The nutrient concatenation starts with the ice. Ice has algae on it which the krill eat. If the ice thaws, the krill will decease out. ( Baker, 11 ) Fish eat krill, and if the krill sum decreases so will the fish sum. Whales, walruses, seals, and polar bears, will besides be affected. These animate beings will hold less nutrient available because they eat the fish. Even the smallest alteration in temperature can run the ice and do the whole nutrient concatenation to be thrown off. ( Baker, 11 ) The heating of our planet can besides impact the animate being ‘s version. The animate beings in the north-polar have adapted to cold temperatures, few hours of sunshine, short turning seasons, flora and growing periods, and have grown thick coats. Animals in the Arctic have adapted to the conditions so the temperature changes greatly affect them. ( Baker, 11 ) There are three ecosystems in the Arctic. These three ecosystems are the Arctic Ocean, Ice Sheets, and the Tundra. The Arctic Ocean supports fish life. The Ice Sheets provide shelter and land to run for seals, seahorses, polar bears and many more. The Tundra supports life for mosses, lichen, and provides nutrient for musk Oklahoma, hares, and many reindeer. And in the summer birds migrate here. ( Baker, 10 ) The Arctic Ocean is greatly affected by clime alteration. Temperatures are lifting the fastest here. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean and parts are for good frozen. It includes the sea and set down North of the Arctic Circle, the North Pole, and some parts of other states. ( â€Å" Arctic Ocean † ) The rise in temperature is doing the ice to run. Ice and snow reflect the Sun beam and heat, and H2O and land do non. Because of the ice thaw, there is non every bit much snow and ice. The H2O and land are absorbing the heat and Sun beams doing temperatures to lift even more. ( Baker, 8 ) The lifting temperatures are impacting animate beings excessively. Animals are greatly affected by the clime alteration. Their place is here in the Arctic and they depend on the ice for shelter and runing infinite. The Arctic has many polar bears. Polar bears are endangered because of the thaw ice. In the summer the Arctic Ice sheet thaws. But because of clime alteration, the ice sheet is runing three hebdomads earlier so it did in the 1970 ‘s. ( Baker, 13 ) When the ice sheet moves north the home ground of the polar bear psychiatrists. This forces the bears to swim long distances to happen nutrient for their households. Most bears are good swimmers but some become tired, doing them to decease. ( Olson, 11 ) Another ground polar bears are endangered is because they are non happening the nutrient they need in the H2O, so they wonder towards towns for nutrient. Polar bears ca n't happen the nutrient with the sum of fat they need to last the winter. The bears become slender and ca n't last doing decease. ( Olson, 20 ) Another animate being that is in danger is the Caribou. In 1989 there were 187,000 Caribous and in 2007 there were 120,000. ( Baker, 14 ) Caribou Numberss are diminishing for many grounds. Caribou eat lichen and moss found in the Tundra. Snow sums are increasing which makes it difficult for the Caribou to happen the nutrient with the right sum of fat it needs. If the Caribou does non hold plenty fat to do it through the winter, it will decease. In the summer the moss and lichen become green earlier so normal. This helps the Caribou but so these workss will decease out before. If they do non acquire plenty of the moss and lichen and do non hold adequate fat stored, they will finally decease. ( Baker, 15 ) Climate alteration besides affects people. There are 28 communities in the north-polar mainland and islands. ( â€Å" Canada ‘s Northern Communities † ) This is their place and clime alteration has made it difficult for them to run and angle. There cultural behaviours are forced to alter. Because of the thaw ice sea degrees are raising doing houses to be damaged. Climate alteration could hold a immense impact on our planet in the hereafter. With the ice runing the manner it is, sea degrees could lift doing implosion therapy, and land could be destroyed. Animals are threatened because their nutrient and shelter beginnings are shriveling. Some of these animate beings are endangered now and could go nonextant. Climate alteration could besides be good. The ice that is in the manner could run opening ways for boats to acquire through. ( Baker, 25 ) This could assist concerns take shorter paths to acquire where they need to travel. One chief thing that climate alteration will impact is touristry. Tonss of people would love to see these animate beings and topographic points. More people will come to these topographic points because they may be warmer, or easier to acquire to. Each twelvemonth the mean American adds more than 40,000 lbs of C dioxide to the air. ( Earth In The Hot Seat, 53 ) Go play football or association football. Go take a walk outside, or wing a kite alternatively of sitting inside on the computing machine. When you spend the bulk of your clip outside you do non let go of C dioxide. Reducing the sum of energy you use is the easiest manner to cut down your C dioxide sum right off. ( Earth In The Hot Seat, 54 ) If everyone is cautious to what they do, how much electricity they use, or how long the stay indoors, our C dioxide sum will shrivel. In the terminal this will all add up and the temperature alterations will be smaller. Climate alteration is a job that affects worlds, and animate beings, and is doing alterations to our environment. Over the past one hundred old ages, the mean surface temperature has risen a little over 1 degree Fahrenheit. ( Baker, 4 ) There are many organisations assisting with clime alteration. The Sierra Club is assisting to do clean energy solutions, green transit, bound nursery gases, and utilize resources beyond coal. They are besides informing people about clime alteration so they will make their portion. Climate Change is â€Å" Care for God ‘s Creations. † ( Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teachings ) We need to demo attention for the Earth because it is portion of our religion. â€Å" We are called to protect people and the planet, populating our religion in relationship with all of God ‘s creative activities. † ( Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teachings ) Finding alternate beginnings of energy is a great manner to assist protect, and sal vage what we have of our planet.