Global warming is caused by different factors that fall into natural or anthropogenic effects. Most studies have recently focused on anthropological factors rather than natural factors. According to Spencer (2007), increased emission of greenhouse gases will in some way lead to increased greenhouse gas volumes in the atmosphere and this will further result in shifts in the earth’s climate ( Spencer, 2007 ). Global warming has turned out to be a hotly debated topic in the contemporary world. There are those who consider it one of the greatest challenges of the time while others argue that global warming occurs as a result of the climate shift that was experienced around the early 1990s and has fallen flat since that time. The majority of the scientists who seem to argue that global warming is real often focused their proof on changing levels of atmospheric gases in addition to the ocean level ( Reyes ‐ Nivia et al, 2013). Research has shown that global warming is caused by two major factors including natural and anthropogenic factors. On one hand, anthropogenic climate change entails the emission of greenhouse gases due to various activities that human beings engage in such as construction, the use of fossil fuels, and industrialization. Approximately two-thirds of all CO2 emission comes from various anthropogenic activities, especially from the burning of fossil fuel and petroleum ( Reyes ‐ Nivia et al, 2013). In the contemporary world, human beings heavily depend on industries and the use of fossil fuels for energy activities that have contributed to huge volumes of carbon dioxide that have caused global warming. When one focuses on the increased industrial revolution globally and the fossil fuel quantity, it becomes clear that man is to blame for the increased global warming experienced today. On the other, natural climate change such as the production of greenhouse gases as a result of various standard atmospheric changes has further contributed significantly towards global warming ( Reyes ‐ Nivia et al, 2013). Numerous factors cause global warming within the natural factors including climate pressure like plate tectonics, ocean variation, and orbital fluctuation in addition to changes in solar output. Scientists have been very clear in arguing that the natural orbital variation of the sun plays a significant role in contributing to global warming and affecting plant life (Kullman 2002). Both natural and anthropogenic factors contribute significant levels of carbon dioxide which is one of the major contributors to global warming. Global warming is viewed as an average rise in temperatures in both the ocean and the earth’s atmosphere. Arguably, global warming is a reality and has impacted human society for ages.
Rising sea level - It is evident that the sea level has been rising significantly over the years in various parts of the world. Research has attributed the increase in the sea level to the growing warming of the water that causes it to expand when heated and the melting of both glaciers and ice sheets ( Reyes ‐ Nivia et al, 2013). Within the last decades, studies have reported that the sea level has risen at a higher rate of approximately 3.3mm which is about 0.15 per year. Evidence has it that the global sea level has doubled within the last decades.
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Rising ocean temperatures - it is evident that the ocean waters have recently absorbed a higher level of global heat to the extent that the topmost layer of about 700 meters of the ocean has seen a greater standard of warming of approximately 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. Sea water often absorbs a huge amount of heat that rises its temperatures, and the resend record has been reported to be the highest ever in history (Kullman 2002).
Increasing temperature of the earth – steady growth in the earth’s temperatures was reported to be the highest around the year the 1970s and 2000s. The strong El Nino was said to have contributed significantly to the high surface temperature in the year 2015 which surpassed the hit recorded in 2014 by about 0.1°C. The rise in the surface temperature is a clear individuation of global warming that has continued to affect plants.
Carbon Sequestration
This approach attempts to reduce the harmful effect of greenhouse gases. It helps to remove the numerous sources of global warming (Kullman 2002). Studies have shown that carbon sequestration offers a site-independent approach to the removal and storage of greenhouse gas. Carbon sequestration has been successful in achieving its goal of zero net greenhouse emissions. Based on the studies that were conducted on the effectiveness of carbon sequestration, the days of CO2 reign are rapidly coming to an end. This method provides for the storage of the released CO2 directly from the source. It will further assist in stabilizing and further maximizing the absorption of CO2 stored in natural sinks. Carbon Sequestration fails to address the challenge of ambient greenhouse gases like that emitted from cars and planes (Kullman 2002).
Carbon taxing
This approach entails passing of regulations such as the Climate Protection Act in addition to the Sustainable Energy Act that will put a particular price on every carbon emission. When effectively adopted and implemented, the regulation would see all polluters pay for every damage that they might have caused and at the same time encourage the use and transition to a cleaner fuel. For instance, the carbon taxing Act charges about a $20 fee for every ton of emitted carbon dioxide. Studies have shown that carbon taxing is much more effective since it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 20 percent by the year 2025 ( Reyes ‐ Nivia et al, 2013). The use of Carbon taxing will impact negatively both low and middle-income citizens. The policy changes proposed for the stabilization of global climate focuses on two broad principles which are mitigation and adaptation to climate change. According to Popp (2003), by using these two policy changes, it is clear that the rates of emission of carbon dioxide and methane will be reduced. This mitigation approach will lower the overall magnitude of climate change in the future. Emissions reduction will be effected through reduced energy demand, using efficient production technologies, and using other sources that generate minimum or no net green gas emissions. Adjusting to the potential effects of future climate changes will also be addressed through the adaptation approach.
Conclusion
The paper has established that global warming is a reality based on the existing evidence. Global warming is showing greater signs in various ways including melting of the frozen water bodies, ocean acidity, increasing ocean and earth temperatures to rising water levels. However, there are those scientists who have continued to argue against global warming by citing counterarguments, but most of them have been shown to be illogical when they are faced with mounting empirical evidence which established that global warming is a real phenomenon. As a result of the various negative consequences, there is a need for appropriate mitigation policy that will address these challenges such as carbon tax and Carbon Sequestration. Industrialization and urbanization have for long been major factors that transformed the earth’s surface hence determining the absorption of solar energy.
References
Kullman, L. (2002). Rapid recent range-margin rise of tree and shrub species in the Swedish Scandes. Journal of Ecology , 90 (1), 68-77.
Popp, D. (2003). Pollution control innovations and the Clean Air Act of 1990. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management , 22 (4), 641-660.
Reyes ‐ Nivia, C., Diaz ‐ Pulido, G., Kline, D., Guldberg, O. H., & Dove, S. (2013). Ocean acidification and warming scenarios increase the microbioerosion of coral skeletons. Global Change Biology , 19 (6), 1919-1929.
Spencer, R. W. (2007). How Serious is the Global Warming Threat? Society , 44 (5), 45- 50.
