Is Global Warming a Human Activity or Nature?

Is Global Warming A Human Activity or Nature?

There is no doubt as to the existence of global warming, as the evidence is overwhelming. There is growing scientific evidence that human activities producing greenhouse g??e? (GHG?), mo?t not?bly c?rbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fo??il fuel?, ?re c?u?ing glob?l w?rming both in the United ?t?te? ?nd throughout the world. There i? evidence th?t glob?l w?rming h?? ?lre?dy c?u?ed the ?ver?ge glob?l ?e? level to ri?e between four ?nd eight inche? during the l??t 100 ye?r? ?nd th?t the ?e?? ?re now ri?ing ?t one tenth of ?n inch per ye?r. Many scientists, believe that global warming will c?u?e serious environment?l ?nd hum?n he?lth imp?ct? if the world continue? to burn l?rge qu?ntitie? of fo??il fuel?, incre??ing GHG level? (Zedillo 34-49). While others believe, it is a natural phenomenon- just another phase in the earth's development.

In 1896, the ?wedi?h chemi?t ?v?nte ?rrheniu? fir?t propo?ed the theory th?t c?rbon emi??ion? from the burning of co?l ?nd other fo??il fuel? could cre?te ? "greenhou?e effect" by tr?pping ?ol?r he?t in the ?tmo?phere, le?ding to glob?l w?rming (Weart 5). ?ince the late 19th century, global mean temperatures have risen by ?pproxim?tely 1 degree Fahrenheit (F) (about

0.6 degree Celsius), with greater incre??e in the Northern latitudes. Bec?u?e glob?l w?rming re

duces ice ?nd ?now cover, which previou?ly reflected ?ol?r r?di?tion b?ck into ?p?ce, ?nd incre??e? the ?mount of b?re ?oft, which ?b?orb? more r?di?tion ?nd he?t, the mo?t dr?m?tic incre??e? h?ve occurred in the northern polar ?re??. "Globally, the 1998 average annual tempera

ture was the greatest and that of 2001 the second greatest since 1860. Of the 15 warmest years

recorded during the past 150 years, 10 were in the 1990s. In fact, the last decade of the twentieth

century w?? the warmest in the entire global instrumental temperature record" (Hardy 39).

In 1988, the Intergovernment?l P?nel on Clim?te Ch?nge (IPCC) was established, by the United N?tion? Environment Progr?m ?nd the World Meteorologic?l Org?niz?tion. Its basic purpose is to ???e?? ?cientific, technic?l ?nd ?ocioeconomic inform?tion relev?nt for the under?t?nding of clim?te ch?nge, it? potenti?l imp?ct? ?nd option? for ?d?pt?tion ?nd mitig?tion, with the go?l of producing ? new ???e??ment ?pproxim?tely every five ye?r? (Zedillo 13). IPCC , i??ued it? First ???e??ment Report of clim?te ch?nge in 1990, ?nd it? ?econd ???e??ment Report in 1995. E?ch ???e??ment h?? found ?tronger evidence th?t hum?n ?ctivitie? ?ignific?ntly contribute to glob?l w?rming, ?nd h?? led to incre??ed intern?tion?l effort? to e?t?bli?h tre?tie? to

regul?te GHG?. In 2001, IPCC i??ued it? Third ???e??ment Report, which concluded th?t there i? new ?nd ?tronger evidence th?t mo?t of the w?rming ob?erved over the l??t 50-ye?r? i? ?ttribut?ble to hum?n ?ctivitie?. The Report found th?t the incre??ing concentr?tion of CO2 i? the ?ingle mo?t import?nt f?ctor in thi? w?rming. The Fourth Assessment Report finds that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level" (qtd. in Zedillo 14).

?cienti?t? h?ve found th?t concentr?tion? of CO2 in the ?tmo?phere h?ve risen from 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv) prior to the ?t?rt of the Industrial Revolution (in 1750), to 361 ppmv in 1997 (Reid 131). The present level of CO2 in the atmosphere is between 370 to 380 ppm. The?e level? h?ve not been exceeded in ?t le??t 420,000 ye?r? ?nd m?y be equ?l to the highe?t CO2 concentr?tion? for the l??t 20 million ye?r?. The Report found th?t ?pproxim?tely three qu?rter? of the ?nthropogenic emi??ion? of CO2 into the ?tmo?phere during the p??t 20 ye?r? re?ult from fo??il fuel burning of oil ?nd co?l, hum?n l?nd-u?e ch?nge?, e?peci?lly defore?t?tion- hum?n ?ctivitie? including exce??ive logging, ?l??h-and-burn agriculture, ?nd urbanization.

Though others who believe global warming is a natural phenomenon agree CO2 affects the climate. Yet they argue that CO2 as percentage of all gases in the atmosphere is 0.54%, relatively small compared to other greenhouse gases. If we have to take out the portion that supposedly humans are adding- which is the focus of all the concern, CO2 gets even smaller. In Weart, Jacob and Cook's The Discovery of Global Warming:

But how much of the haze is really caused by humans? In 1969 J. M. Mitchell Jr. (a climatologist) pushed ahead with statistical studies of temperatures and volcanoes. He calculated that about two-thirds of the