Climate Change: It's BIG, it's REAL, and it's HAPPENING NOW!

Hello there!

We are now on blog assignment #9 and this one is something that should definitely interest you, at least it did me. So, what is this interesting topic? Well, it is about climate change and how even though there is unanimous scientific agreement about it confusion and doubt are persistent. Now that we know what the blog is about we can get into the details, more specifically what I am supposed to do. Well I was supplied with various websites and instructed to use one or more to answer questions that were presented to me.  I went with two websites, and for convenience here they are: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/facts.html & http://www.c2es.org/

Now that we know the websites that I chose, I will move onto the questions.

1)  According to evidence, is the climate changing right now?

There is undoubtedly overwhelming evidence that climate is changing as you read this blog. That is, all over the world temperatures are warmer than normal and as a result ice caps are melting and sea levels rising. The epa.gov website states that “the global average temperature increased by more than 1.4°F over the last century” and the warmest decade on record is 2000-2010. This is evidence that you yourself can see/feel when you walk outside.  

2) What does evidence say about humans’ roles in the changing climate?

Not only is there evidence that supports the claims of climate change, but there is also evidence that humans have a major role in why this change in climate is occurring. “The Earth does go through natural cycles of warming and cooling, caused by factors such as changes in the sun or volcanic activity. This has been closely examined, and the warming we have seen in the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural factors alone” (epa.gov). So, if natural cycles aren’t to blame than humans are the only other factor. Their roles that contribute to the warming include the industrial revolution and what came with it. Since we’ve started building factors, cars, etc. we have had an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, more specifically carbon dioxide.  As you can see by the chart below, all the things contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions are human related.

source:http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/sectors-2010.png

3)How is climate change likely to affect our society and our world?

Climate change is likely to change everything about our society and our world. If things don’t change and we continue to contribute to increase in warming as oppose to reversing it, sea levels will rise and a lot of coastal places will be under water, and there will be droughts which will result in less/higher priced food. Now, there is obviously a lot more that can result, but those are two big consequences right there.

That was just the first part of the assignment, onto the next which points out that the aforementioned doubt/denial despite overwhelming evidence is almost only entirely existent within the United States. Now I know what you are wondering, why is it that everyone around the world can accept that climate change is real except the United States? Well the answer is simple, it’s due to the fact that this skepticism basically centers around the idea that global warming/climate change “is not a crisis”, and that “the benefits of a moderate warming are likely to outweigh the costs” (heartland.org). I think that this idea still exists because doing something to stop climate change/make a difference would mean that taxes would be raised, heavier regulations on corporations, etc. These are things that people hear and run away from because they don’t want to pay more money. And, let’s face it big corporations run this country and as long as they pull the strings things won’t change for the better because there’s no way they want to face stricter regulations and higher taxes. Anything that possibly takes from their pockets is automatically considered back so they will find claims to back their side up.  The website that examines the skeptic’s side is below.

(http://heartland.org/ideas/global-warming-not-crisis)

source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZmlb9K8C9QmFnA38Nuc1PZtpBhHYUfAic-XrR3tU4_gCt9crKsduPnePM3ZSZp3PdphyphenhyphenMjHXn3CLYia6Tglol3YrDDkaSPyNQvBfHZKvg4pskPfSNBH-Y3ftpYCjQ7LvIEP9-sZorC0/s320/Global+Warming+Politics.JPG

Lastly, for the third part I was instructed to describe what I think the world will be like in 50 years if we continue with our current path and do nothing to slow the rise of the CO2 levels in the atmosphere. So, how do I think the world will be? Well, I think it will be drastically different. I believe that cancer rates will continue to rise, poverty will rise, there will be famine due to drought, we will have a drastic loss in species diversity, clean/drinkable water will be hard to come by, etc. I see nothing positive unless we change things, so be the change and spread the word. 

Source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE92G2_6Vi2PIFsdEKSsOYpOlf314TcdM6mBp_jrKZSZnDfTR1uHnLaJ-bS6PCWfW0tOTvYECI0DF4cuYRzgU9hZ93RibywRmYBfjpRhe0yIfU1CL4nL3uBtd595fYJB-F0znWSKltwdI/s400/combating-global-warming-map.jpg