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Reilly Milligan

Dr. Cassel

English Composition II

April 15th, 2021

Global Warming: What Has Mankind Done?

Global warming can be a polarizing issue. For the company that derives its profits from

the increased effort, increased emissions usually follow. For the individual that attempts to pay

attention to the world around them, there are moments of clarity that come in the bee's dying,

flowers wilting, ice-bergs melting and moving into shipping lanes, and seasons inevitably

changing too soon or too late. The polar bear that used to cross miles of ice and snow ten years

ago, crosses only half as much today, and this impacts the population of its species. The Minoan

child that used to play in the city of Olous or walk across the floors of Cleopatra’s Palace in

Alexandria, Egypt would today have to swim in the depths to exist in the same place. Global

warming is simply, our Earth’s temperature, encompassing every medium; forests, plains,

waterways, mountains, and even the deserts, will keep increasing over time, and this will be in

large part due to pollution. Humankind, and their desire for greater achievement, greater

efficiency, larger foot-prints left in the passage of time, whether people believe it or not, is at the

root of this problem. Human’s need for expansion and industrialization has made global warming

a big issue. However, there are ways that humans can and have taken steps to fix this. Though

some refuse to believe this issue is mankind’s fault some facts prove it is indeed humans’ fault.

So the big question is, what have humans really done to cause global warming to become the big

issue that it is and what can be done about it?

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HISTORY

Since 1880, planet Earth’s temperature has been increasing rapidly. The measure in

temperature has soared the last 5 decades and it shows no signs of stopping if humankind does

not step up and fix the problem they have caused. Observations of seasons changing across the

hemispheres have created concerns for farmers in the south who experience hotter temperatures,

and those individuals in the north, who now experience climate change conducive to farming,

which in turn creates thoughts of changing industries. Over the past century, Earth’s average

surface temperature has increased too fast because of the burning of fossil fuels and seasons

Pictured above is a graph showing the solar irradiance (yellow) and temperature (red) increasing

and decreasing over the course of 140 years. (Climate Change/Global Warming: (nasa.gov))

seem to slip by days, weeks, and months as the years pass. Ever since humankind has reached the

industrial age the Earth’s temperature has increased immensely. The generation of electricity, the

burning of coal, the need and use of fossil fuels tying into the number of cars being driven on the
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world’s roads have all contributed to an increase in global warming. From man walking to

horse-drawn buggies, from carriages to cars, . . . woe to the world that bicycling as a primary

means of transportation has become a thing of the past. On NASA’s climate change website, it

talked about how the industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised

atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 414 parts per million in the last

150 years. The damage done to our oceans on a daily basis decreases one of the largest bases

available for the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in our ocean floors and the release of

oxygen from the organic lifeforms in our oceans waters.

REASON #1

The cause of global warming is

called the greenhouse effect. According to

NASA’s climate website, when sunlight

reaches the Earth some energy is reflected

back in space. Some are absorbed and

re-radiated as heat, but most of the heat is

absorbed by greenhouse gasses and then

radiated in all directions, causing the Earth's Pictured above is a diagram of how the greenhouse

effect works. ( National Climate Assessment (globalchange.gov))

temperature to increase; this is known as the greenhouse effect. According to Climate.gov the gasses

that contribute to this problem are water vapor (H 2 O) , methane (CH 4 ) , carbon dioxide (CO2 ) , nitrous

oxide (N 2 O) , and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The gasses listed are also the same ones listed by

NASA on their website which is devoted to climate change.

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Though some might deny it, all of those gasses mentioned are polluting the Earth because

of humankind's doing. In the book, Global Warming and Forest, Singh wrote about emissions

that are happening, which are a byproduct of foundational human activities in energy, industry,

and agriculture. These activities are anticipated to escalate in near time so that humans meet their

economic development in the needs of a growing global population. Global warming is humans'

fault and it is predicted to get worse as humans meet a need for expansion. Globalchange.gov

expands further on this idea by talking about how much evidence is present to exemplify that

human actions and the need for industrialization, including emissions of greenhouse gases from

the burning of fossil fuel, tearing down forest animals homes for profit; throughout the last six

decades in particular humans are at the root of all destruction that has made global warming an

issue. NASA adds on this topic as well by stating that Humans’ activities like clearing forests

and burning fossil fuels are changing Earth’s natural greenhouse.

No matter who a person is or where they are in this world, they are still actively affecting

the whole planet. In Spark’s documentary, What Will Happen if the World Keeps Getting

Warmer, he states that “ . . . your actions will impact my world, whether you live just down the

street from me or in Beijing or in Malaysia or in Australia.”' Everyone is contributing to

greenhouse gasses though they may not know it, even the simplest things like eating meat, the

fishing practices of the nations that fish species to extinction or leave their nets as trash in the

sea, buying plastic products, forgetting to turn off a light, and not recycling are the little details

that are contributing to humans and the world's extinction.

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REASON #2

Climate change is affecting people greatly. Globalchange.gov mentions in an article that

climate change affects human healthiness, posterity, and safety by providing humans poor air that

leads to cancer, the manifestation of worsened huge and crazy natural disasters that destroy one’s

life and can possibly take one’s life, and chemically infected food and water that causes disease

in humans. Extreme weather events and rising sea levels are affecting people greatly and are not

going to stop; major droughts and floods are going to keep happening. NASA attempts to bring

to the attention of the public that the breaking and heating of ice are happening so much faster

than usual, which is affecting how the world's rivers and lakes form and break and the size of

glaciers. The flowering of trees and plants is happening much more rapidly as well. All of these

effects are going to get worse and worse; this planet is dying and while our scientists are not

magicians, they can certainly forecast the future based on the past and have already predicted

increases as evidenced. NASA says that things that were predicted to happen if global warming

continued are already happening; huge heatwaves, loss of ice in the sea, and an increase in sea

level have all already been predicted. The human race has just chosen to ignore the warning

signs that were very clear.

The Earth’s Ice is melting in the arctic and causing sea levels to rise drastically. Spark’s

YouTube documentary, “What Will Happen If The Earth Keeps Getting Warmer?” points out the

cataclysmic results of global warming and caused by human emissions and changing weather

patterns and says that 0.8 degrees are how much the planets ocean levels have risen due to

human activities making greenhouse emissions rise more than ever. Even just the slightest bit of

escalation in the temperature of the planet is more than adequate to put the whole world out of

proportion. The melting of arctic ice did not just happen in the last 20 years, it has been
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happening since the 1900s. Globalchange.gov mentioned that since the 19000’s the planet’s sea

level has arised about 7-to-8-feet. Virtually half of those feet alone were caused in 1993

Pictured above is a graph showing the sea height variation over the course of 25 years.

(Climate Change/Global warming: (nasa.gov))

As sea levels keep rising, it is predicted that eventually, places currently above the sea will

disappear. Moore, in her article (2019), 15 U.S. Cities that will be Underwater by 2050, also

calls out 10 well-known sites around the world that have been underwater for centuries. While

there will always be those that look for mysterious reasons why cities like Atlantis sank into the

sea, perhaps the answer is simple, global warming. Without awareness and change, humans will

continue to move towards the devastation of their own species.

All of this human-induced change to this planet is affecting the atmosphere.

Globalchange.gov mentioned that the gravity of the season of the Atlantic hurricane of 2017 was

a hybrid between human-made and natural variability on wider scales. The Earth’s temperature

rising is causing areas to dry out, which sets the stage for more wildfires. All of these natural

disasters are being emphasized more and more as global warming continues to worsen. NASA

believes that “The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the
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frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early

1980s.” Hurricanes and rainfall rates are all projected to increase as the climate continues to get

warmer. All natural disasters are going to get worse and destroy this world more and more as

humans continue to let this matter get worse. Spark said in his documentary, “If mankind would

come to the realization that they are participating in their own imminent extinction, they would

be shocked at the level of destruction they are imposing on their own habitat.”

REASON #3

Humans have noticed the effects that they have caused and they are now taking action to

help the matter. Many treaties have been drawn up and signed to help reduce emissions. National

Geographic wrote that tons of countries everywhere on this planet have now acknowledged the

matter of life and death situation of climate change and are now tackling it head-on with the

Paris Agreement in 2015, the way they plan on accomplishing this by all agreeing to reduce

emissions. Globalchange.gov states on their website, in 2015 the Paris Agreement had taken

place that promised to hold the global temperature at a certain number. The world is actively

trying to undo the mistakes they have made, to make this world a better place. Laws put in place

by humankind the world over are intended to help society-at-large focus their awareness on

patterns and acceptable behaviors that will help to deliver our planet. People-kind continues to

make further plans to address this concern; Globalchange.gov mentions in one of the articles

featured on their website that there is even a new treaty being considered among multiple

countries in the making. The anticipated delivery date places this possibility sometime in 2023.

To combat global warming, National Geographic writes that one can make little upgrades

to their life by using more energy-efficient technology, positioning for carbon taxes to become
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set in stone, and protecting forests from being cut down; all of these ways help reduce the

amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the Earth’s air. There are a lot of little things that

humans can do at home to lower emissions. Every time one needs to drive somewhere they

should think about carpooling, taking the bus, walking, riding a bike, or using the most

fuel-efficient method of transportation owned by them. There are also new customs humans can

introduce into their households like only buying products that are necessities and recyclable.

There are so many important things that can be done right now to save the planet, the whole

world just needs to step up to the plate and take a swing at it.

Dr. Klaus S. Lackner, a professor of geophysics, and his partner have developed an idea

to essentially take carbon dioxide (CO2 ) out of the atmosphere and put it back into something

else. They have engineered a way to make artificial trees that absorb carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) then

both sell it to power things that use carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and inject it into rocks that naturally

absorb carbon dioxide (CO2 ) . In Spark’s documentary, they state “these structures capture CO2

like trees but much more efficiently. While it is true that these [the artificial trees] absorb carbon

dioxide from the air just like a tree, there are many important differences between the two. This

technology, the air capture technology, will work 24/7 year-round. That makes it quite a bit more

effective at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than a normal tree.” If humans really

wanted these artificial trees, they are ready and can be put into action tomorrow. The technology

exists, and yet perhaps, just maybe, not the state of mind that would be required for humans to

apply it yet.
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COUNTER ARGUMENT

A lot of skeptics like to all make the same points on why global warming is fake. Most, if

not all, can easily be proven wrong. One common statement is that climate change has happened

all the time over the course of earth’s history so it is a normal and natural thing that takes place.

Yes, there is tons of proof that global warming and cooling have happened before; each time

these have been related to greenhouse gasses and/or emissions. However, the Rainforest Alliance

writes that there has been a time in earth history where greenhouse gasses have been this bad.

This is because of humans and their need for advancement and industrialization, they have

produced so many emissions that the rate of global warming is increasing too much for any

animal to adapt. What humans are doing is not natural in the slightest, this historic increase of

carbon dioxide (CO2 ) should not be taken with ease; this should be a warning to us.

Another point made against global warming is that it snowed this winter, so climate

change clearly is not actually a thing. It might have snowed, but that does not mean our planet is

not getting warmer at a rapid pace. There is a difference between the overall climate and

day-to-day weather. The Rainforest Alliance wrote backs this up by explaining weather alternate

sunrise and sunset, where the climate is all about the overall data collected everywhere, it has

been proven that there is an increase in temperatures and it is indeed affecting the planet. Though

some think a snowball can prove global warming is a hoax, they are clearly just misdirected and

misinformed.

Some also argue the point that the Arctic’s ice is not melting, it is actually increasing.

Though that would be great for the polar bears to hear, sadly the ice in the Arctic is decreasing

and has been decreasing for quite some time. Every September the ice reaches a new minimum.

NASA says that commentary to the 1981 to 2010 median of temperature increase in the data that
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is collected annually in September has soared up the chart by 11.8 degrees. NASA has also

predicted that before half of the century comes the Arctic is likely to lean more to be completely

ice-free. Global warming is happening and will continue to happen whether you believe it or not.

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, no matter who a person is, they all live in and breath the same air. And

while some will argue for clean air, and others will argue that the air is clean enough, the fact

remains that global warming is a real thing! All the evidence is there. If this planet is going to

survive there needs to be more awareness and action taken to protect it. For the last 150 years,

this planet has been slowly dying due to mankind's need for industrialization and expansion.

Whether we believe in the sentience of the animals, the feelings of plants, and/or just want clean

long-lasting drinking water, humans have done this and now need to do something about it; the

ball is in their court.

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Works Cited

“6 Claims Made by Climate Change Skeptics-and How to Respond.” Rainforest Alliance,

Rainforest Alliance, 27 Mar. 2017,

www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/five-common-claims-made-by-climate-change-skeptic

s. Accessed 13 April 2021.

“Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.” NASA, NASA, climate.nasa.gov/. Accessed 13

April 2021.

GlobalChange.gov, www.globalchange.gov/. Accessed 13 April 2021.

Moore, Rose. “15 USA Cities That Will Be Underwater By 2050 (10 Already On The Ocean

Floor).” TheTravel, 17 Nov. 2019,

www.thetravel.com/15-usa-cities-that-will-be-underwater-by-2050-10-already-on-the-ocea

n-floor/. Accessed 13 April 2021.

“NOAA Climate.gov: Science & Information for a Climate-Smart Nation.” NOAA

Climate.gov | Science & Information for a Climate-Smart Nation, 9 Apr. 2021,

www.climate.gov/. Accessed 13 April 2021.

Nunez, Christina. “Global Warming Solutions.” Environment, National Geographic, 10 Feb.

2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/global-warming-solutions.

Accessed 13 April 2021.

Singh, M. P. Global Warming and Forest. [Electronic Resource]. Daya Pub. House, 2011.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1750879&site=ed

s-live.

“What Will Happen If Earth Keeps Getting Warmer?: Avoiding Apocalypse: Spark.” YouTube, 6
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July 2020, youtu.be/K3Q5OEfD9u8. Accessed 13 April 2021.