Climate change is a global problem, and the dominant cause attributed to human activities. Human influence on global warming is profound, primarily through the recent increase of greenhouse gas emissions. Burning of fossil fuels leads to emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. There are controversies about whether human activity is the primary factor contributing to climate change (Dessler & Parson, 2019).
Humans are mostly responsible for climate change through increased activities such as the burning of forests and fossil fuels.
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The basic argument of opposing viewpoints
According to Wang & Chameides (2007), while some scientists state that human activity is the primary contributor to climate change, others argue that human influence has an insignificant impact on climate change. The first argument says that carbon dioxide gas emission and other greenhouse gases are facilitated by the natural process like volcanic eruptions and not human activities. Animals do exhale CO2, meaning human actions cannot impact on climate change at a global level. The facts reveal that CO2 is released in large quantities into the atmosphere through natural processes and, at the same time, absorb it at an equally similar rate. Before the industrial revolution, the CO2 concentration was maintained at a stable balance for many years. The evidence reveals to scientists that the increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are facilitated by human actions from the burning of forests and fossil fuels.
Secondly, nobody knows the reasons for existing variabilities in climate. Over the years, the climate has been fluctuating. Still, there is no adequate knowledge regarding the climate system meaning that the current occurrences of global warming cannot be attributed to any particular cause. The facts reveal that although natural processes play a part in climate variabilities, scientists have developed sound descriptions for most of the significant climate variations that have occurred over geologic time. Most notable changes in climate have been attributed to the fluctuations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Other explanations have been associated with specific occasions, including disintegration or assemblage of supercontinents or the effect of a meteorite or comet, resulting in considerable changes in the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, these natural processes cannot justify global warming in the present day (Wang & Chameides, 2007).
The third argument reveals that the climate change that is being witnessed presently similar to the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). Natural processes caused MWP, and since it corresponds to the current warming, then it is concluded that the current global warming is also a natural event. The facts point out that based on the most recent research, MWP was not a global problem. MWP was a moderately warm period that lasted between the 10th and 14th Century. Evidence indicates that the warm temperatures during the MWP were not as dangerous as the temperatures and warming that we currently experience. The research done on MWP back then was not extensive and conclusive in describing the trends in global change (Wang & Chameides, 2007). Therefore, although the argument that the present-day temperatures are attributed to natural causes does not nullify the substantial, definite scientific proof that greenhouse gases produced by human activities are the reason for the increased climate changes in the recent times.
The fourth argument state that the scientists back in the 1970s revealed that ice age was imminent, but recently, they have predicted a new ice age, which disregards climate change. In the recent predictions, scientists are now stating that the Earth is warming, which is controversial. The fact reveals that the ice age has been existence for over 100,000years and comparatively short warm periods. Changes from ice age to warming have been facilitated by the fluctuations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun augmented by greenhouse gas emissions. However, with the recent increased concentrations of CO2 into the atmosphere, it is highly unlikely that the Erath will go back to the ice age period. The rate at which the emissions are being released into the atmosphere is much higher than the changes associated with ice age (Wang & Chameides, 2007). With the increasing global warming, scientists are alarmed by the rising human activities that are degrading to the climate.
The strengths and weaknesses of both (agreeing and disagreeing) views
The strength of the agreeing views is that the direct observations provided by scientists have eliminated all the natural justifications that have been explained regarding the present-day climate changes.
The weakness of the disagreeing views is that the MWP is not analogous to the present-day global warming. Scientists have provided extensive and independent proof of human activities being a dominant cause of climate change. Evidence indicates that MWP was regional than a global problem.
Conclusion
I agree with the views that human beings are to blame for the recent global warming. Scientists have provided direct scientific evidence that humans are the dominant cause of global warming through activists such as the burning of fossil fuels and forests, which increases the concentrations of CO2 into the atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution, the rate of CO2 gas emissions and absorption from natural processes were equally balanced, and the temperatures were not extreme. However, with increased industrialization, the concentration of CO2 has increased significantly over the years resulting in significant trends of global warming. Therefore, through the scientific understanding of the variations in climate, the evidence is sufficient to justify the explanations that humans are a dominant cause of increased CO2 concentrations into the atmosphere, which in turn results in global warming.
References
Christophers, B. (2019). Environmental beta or how institutional investors think about climate change and fossil fuel risk. Annals of the American Association of Geographers , 109 (3), 754-774.
Wang, J., & Chameides, B. (2007). Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming?. A review of the facts. Environmental Defense, New York
