“HUMANS CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL CLIMATE

CHANGE”

A Case Study Presented to the Faculty of the College

School
Grace Mission College
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental, Mindoro

In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Math

By:
JEFFERSON A. SOCIAS
Block 1I BSED Math
 ABSTRACT
Climate change is the subject of how weather patterns change over
decades or longer. Climate change takes place due to natural and
human influences. Since the Industrial Revolution (i.e., 1750),
humans have contributed to climate change through the emissions of
GHGs and aerosols, and through changes in land use, resulting in a
rise in global temperatures.1 Increases in global temperatures may
have different impacts, such as an increase in storms, floods,
droughts, and sea levels, and the decline of ice sheets, sea ice,
and glaciers.

Human activities contribute to climate change by causing

changes in Earth’s atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases,
aerosols (small particles), and cloudiness. The largest known
contribution comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which releases
carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and
aerosols affect climate by altering incoming solar radiation and
outgoing infrared (thermal) radiation that are part of Earth’s energy
balance. Changing the atmospheric abundance or properties of
these gases and particles can lead to a warming or cooling of the
climate system. Since the start of the industrial era (about 1750),
the overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming
influence. The human impact on climate during this era greatly
exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such as
solar changes and volcanic eruptions.
Citizens of the world should work together and develop a concrete
plan to reverse the impact of global climate change. Everyone should
understand that inaction will eventually cause the destruction of this
planet. Global warming will wreak havoc on plant and animal species.
Climate change will lead to unpredictable weather patterns. It is the
best time to create practical and sustainable strategies to reduce the
emission of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere.
 INTRODUCTION
I: Objective

Extensive discussions are taking place throughout the world in all

forms of media on the subjects of global warming and climate
change. These discussions point to the global dangers posed by the
earth’s warming.

Discussions are also taking place on the related question of resource

limitations, given the manner in which humans are using the planet’s
limited resources. The purpose of this paper is to provide some
education on how humans contribute to global warming and climate
change. This will consist of providing some background to these
issues, identifying some of the current and future risks involved, the
possible financial and other impacts posed by these risks.

II: Background of the Study

2.1 What is Climate Change?

Climate change is the subject of how weather patterns change over
decades or longer. Climate change takes place due to natural and
human influences. Since the Industrial Revolution (i.e., 1750),
humans have contributed to climate change through the emissions of
GHGs and aerosols, and through changes in land use, resulting in a
rise in global temperatures.1 Increases in global temperatures may
have different impacts, such as an increase in storms, floods,
droughts, and sea levels, and the decline of ice sheets, sea ice,
and glaciers.

2.2 Process of Global Warming

The earth receives energy through radiation from the sun. GHGs play
an important role of trapping heat, maintaining the earth’s
temperature at a level that can sustain life. This phenomenon is
called the greenhouse effect and is natural and necessary to support
life on earth. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be
approximately 33°C cooler than it is today. 2 In recent centuries,
humans have contributed to an increase in atmospheric GHGs as a
result of increased fossil fuel burning and deforestation. The rise in
GHGs is the primary cause of global warming over the last century.

2.3 What is Causing Global Warming?

The climate of the earth is affected by a number of factors. These
factors include output of energy from the sun (warming effect),
volcanic eruptions (cooling effect), concentration of GHGs in the
atmosphere (warming effect), and aerosols (cooling effect).

Since the Industrial Revolution (i.e., 1750), the largest contributor to

the increase in global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2), followed by
methane (CH4). CO2 concentrations have increased. The
greenhouse effect occurs when solar energy making contact with the
earth’s surface is retransmitted to the atmosphere in the form of
infrared thermal radiation. This radiation has a lower wave frequency
than solar energy itself. GHG molecules absorb this thermal radiation
at low frequencies, causing these molecules to vibrate. These
greenhouse molecules then emit energy in the form of infrared
photons, many of which return to the earth’s surface. Non-GHGs
such as oxygen and nitrogen do not absorb thermal radiation.12 The
greenhouse effect is measured in terms of Radiative Forcing (RF) in
units of watts per square meter. Since the Industrial Revolution, the
total RF is estimated to have increased by approximately 2.3 W/m2
(1.1 W/m2 – 3.3 W/m2; 90% confidence interval) mainly due to the
net effect of increased GHG and aerosol concentrations in the
atmosphere.

III: Statement of the Problem

3.1 How Humans Contribute to Climate Change

Climate change involves a variety of potential environmental, social,
and economic impacts. In most situations, these impacts will be
adverse; in a few isolated situations, these could be more favorable
(such as increased crop yield). The severity of the adverse impacts
will increase with the rise in the average global temperature. Even if
global warming is kept within 2°C relative to pre-industrial levels,
adverse impacts will be experienced and the world will need to take
appropriate measures to adapt to new climate conditions. If, in spite
of the world efforts, the temperature increase goes beyond the 2°C
threshold, it has been assessed that the consequences would
become increasingly severe, widespread and irreversible.

Humans Contribution
Human activities contribute to climate change by causing
changes in Earth’s atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases,
aerosols (small particles), and cloudiness. The largest known
contribution comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which releases
carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases and
aerosols affect climate by altering incoming solar radiation and
outgoing infrared (thermal) radiation that are part of Earth’s energy
balance. Changing the atmospheric abundance or properties of
these gases and particles can lead to a warming or cooling of the
climate system. Since the start of the industrial era (about 1750),
the overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming
influence. The human impact on climate during this era greatly
exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such as
solar changes and volcanic eruptions.

1.Greenhouse Gases
Human activities result in emissions of four principal greenhouse
gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O)
and the halocarbons (a group of gases containing fluorine, chlorine
and bromine). These gases accumulate in the atmosphere, causing
concentrations to increase with time. Significant increases in all of
these gases have occurred in the industrial era.

2.Electricity and Automobiles

Burning fossil fuels — aka, coal, oil, and natural gas — produces
carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The problem with this is that, for
more than a century, we’ve relied on burning these fuels to power our
cars and travel across continents in a matter of hours. Fossil fuels
also power our homes, keeping the lights on and our rooms
warm. Our Internet habits are also responsible here. Every email
sent, movie streamed, or question Googled adds carbon dioxide to
the ecosystem.

3. Deforestation and Its Extreme Effect on Global Warming

By most accounts, deforestation in tropical rainforests adds more
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than the sum total of cars and
trucks on the world’s roads. The reason that logging is so bad for the
climate is that when trees are felled, they release the carbon they are
storing into the atmosphere, where it mingles with greenhouse gases
from other sources and contributes to global warming accordingly.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a leading green
group, 32 million acres of tropical rainforest were cut down each year
between 2000 and 2009—and the pace of deforestation is only
increasing. When forests are cut down, much of that stored carbon is
released into the atmosphere again as CO2. This is how
deforestation and forest degradation contribute to global warming.
The consensus among climate scientists is that CO2 from tropical
deforestation now makes up less than 10 percent of global warming
pollution.

4. Pollution
Global warming, also known as climate change, is caused by a
blanket of pollution that traps heat around the earth. This pollution
comes from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil
fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline. Global warming
pollution knows no boundaries. Nearly half of all ocean pollution
comes from activities that take place on land, like sewage, industrial
and agricultural runoff, garbage dumping, and chemical spills.
Another third comes from airborne pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide
and mercury from coal-burning power plants. Pesticide and fertilizer
runoff are creating huge dead zones—oxygen-depleted areas where
many marine species struggle to survive. Plastics are another major
source of contamination in our oceans. Of the 100 million metric tons
of plastic produced every year, about 10 million end up in the oceans.
Plastic pollution comes in all shapes and sizes.

IV: Scope and Limitation

This study covers what is climate change and what is global
warming. What is the contribution of humans to the global warming
and climate change? How do humans’ daily activity affect the
environment and the possible solution to stop global warming.

This study is limited only on how human Affects environment and how
our daily activities contribute to global warming

V: Significance of the Study

It's important that we understand how the climate is changing, so that
we can prepare for the future. Studying the climate helps us predict
how much rain the next winter might bring, or how far sea levels will
rise due to warmer sea temperatures. Knowledge regarding this
phenomenon helps young people to understand and tackle the
consequences of global warming, encourages them to change their
behavior and helps them to adapt to what is already a global
emergency. Education will be a key tool in the fight against climate
change in the coming years. By understanding what’s driving this
change and developing solutions, you can educate people to make
changes in their daily lives and businesses to re-evaluate how they
can operate sustainably. You’ll also be helping future generations by
ensuring the current generation doesn’t irreversibly destroy the
climate. With this well able to add a class were in we study the
measure we can do to avoid or lessen our contribution to climate
change. This usually requires students to learn processes for building
efficiency, energy conservation, weather adaptation, and
infrastructure maintenance. These processes are designed to reduce
the impact of climate change on human societies and the earth. The
procedures and techniques also help to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions that contribute to climate change and promote ‘green’
energy and materials that do not emit pollutants into the atmosphere.
Climate change education can help students develop a wide range of
skills, including learning how to collect and analyze data, as well as
learning about global warming and environmental awareness.

VI: Definition of Terms

Automobiles- a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by

an internal combustion engine or electric motor and able to carry a
small number of people.

Deforestation- the action of clearing a wide area of trees.

Greenhouse Gases- gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat.

They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the
heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere.

Global Warming- a gradual increase in the overall temperature of

the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect
caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons,
and other pollutants.

Pollution- the presence in or introduction into the environment of a

substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

VII: Summary

Climate change is one of the biggest concerns of all nations across the
globe. Climate shift refers to changes in patterns of weather which can
be indicated through global warming, natural disasters and rises in sea
level. There is a group of people, climate change skeptics, who argue
that climate change is not the result of human activity, meaning that it
is naturally occurring. However, most scientists claim that people also
involve in Climate Change. Interactions between human and the
ecosystem have been operating for millenniums, and are impossible to
eliminate, as each depends on the other in order to survive and
flourish. However, as modern technology advances, as well as the
 increase in the world’s population, the need for natural resources
begin to rise to an alarming rate which has started to gradually destroy
the ecosystem. Recently, there has been an increase of sea levels in
region whilst other rain-bounty areas have begun to experience their
first droughts. This phenomenon is known as climate change.

VIII: Conclusions

Citizens of the world should work together and develop a concrete plan
to reverse the impact of global climate change. Everyone should
understand that inaction will eventually cause the destruction of this
planet. Global warming will wreak havoc on plant and animal species.
Climate change will lead to unpredictable weather patterns. It is the best
time to create practical and sustainable strategies to reduce the
emission of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The best way to start is to educate people regarding the impact of

human activities. They will need to realize that their addiction to
gasoline-powered cars and electronic gadgets are major contributors to
the elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is also
imperative that heads of state and key leaders around should work
together in solving a common problem.

IX: Recommendation
We should establish a more complex study on how to lessen the human
activity that triggers climate change and look for new way of doing it without
harming our environment.
 References

Casper, Julie. Changing Ecosystems: Effects of Global Warming. New York:

Facts on File, Inc., 2010. Print.

USGCRP (2017). Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate

Assessment, Volume 1 [Wuebbles, D.J., D.W. Fahey, K.A. Hibbard, D.J.
Dokken, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change
Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, 470 pp,

IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis.

Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D.
Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt,
M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.