Question

2. Is climate change real? d. Give example of climate (data) e. Do anthropogenic causes (data) lead to climate change?

Answer 1

Yes, the climate change is very much real. The evidence can be seen in global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, global retreat, decreased snow cover, rise in sea level, and ocean acidification etc.

According to NASA, throughout the history, the climate of earth had changed. There have been around seven glacial advances and retreat in the last 650,000 years. After the beginning of the human civilization, especially for the past 7000 years, the climate has been changing more. The current climatic changes are particularly because of the result of human activity since the mid-20^th century. These changes have been very drastic and unprecedented, especially with the release of the greenhouse gases. The technological advancements have enabled us to see the big picture of climate changing in the recent years.

There are many scientific associations throughout the world, which made clear that climate change is occurring. Rigorous research is going on in these institutions. Some of these institutions are:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Chemical Society

American Geophysical Union

American Medical Association

The Geological Society of America

d) Examples of climatic change with data:

Some of the numerical facts given by NASA regarding the climate change are:

Carbon dioxide has increased to 407.62 parts per million and its levels have reached the highest ever since 650,000 years.

Global temperature has increased 1.8^o F since 1880. Since 2001, 17 out of 18 warmest years have been recorded

There is 13.2 % decrease in the Arctic ice

Land ice has been decreasing around 286.0 Giga tons per year

For the past 100 years, sea level has increased nearly 178mm

e) Yes, anthropogenic causes lead to climate change. Some of the cause are:

Some gases in the atmosphere of earth act like the glass in the green house, which trap the sun’s heat and obstruct it from leaking back into space. Concentration of these gases is increased by various human activities. Some of the gases are: Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases.

CO₂ is the most commonly produced greenhouse gas and it is responsible for almost 64% of global warming caused by humans. Concentration of CO₂ is 40% higher than it was during the period of industrialization. Other gases are released in lesser quantities, but they trap heat more effective and stronger than the CO_2. Methane is responsible for 17% and nitrous oxide is for 6% of global warming caused by humans.

Some of the causes for increase in the emission of these gases are:

Burning coal, gas and oil emits carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide

Humans are cutting down lot of trees in the name of development and infrastructure building, so deforestation increases the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere

Increase in the livestock farming, i.e., rearing cattle and sheep releases lot of methane.

Usage of more and more fertilizers increases the nitrous oxide in the atmosphere

Fluorinated gases release very strong warming effect, almost 23,000 times more than CO₂. Fortunately, Fluorinated gases are phased down by many countries around the world.

In the above mentioned ways anthropogenic causes lead to climate change.