Assignment 2:
Global Warming: Cause and Mitigation
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Professor Olivia Uitto
SCI110 – Introduction to Physical
Science
August 26, 2015
Global warming is thephraseused
to refer to a steadyincrease
in theaveragetemperature of the
Earth, a change that is understood
to be permanentlychangingour Earth’s climate. Numerousstudieshaveidentifiedthatnaturaland anthropogenic processesinfluencechanges in the
global climate.
In Earth’s history, before the
Industrial Revolution around 1760, the Earth’s climatechanged due to naturalcauses
not related to humanactivity. Naturalclimateeventsincludesolar
variability due to sunspot andothersolarcycles,
long-term changes in solar
orbital parameters, andintermittent volcanic eruptions. Mostoften, the global climatechangedbecause of variations
in sunlight. Changes in the Sun have alternately increasedanddecreasedtheamount
of solarenergyreaching our Earth. Also, volcanic activity has increasedgreenhousegases
over millions of years, contributing
to incidents of global warming.
On theotherhand,
anthropogenic climatechangerefers to theproduction of greenhousegasesemitted
by humanactivity.
Anthropogenic influencesincludeemissions from
sulfate aerosols andhumanlandcoverchange, as well as stratospheric ozone depletion,
black andorganiccarbon aerosols andjet
contrails. The
global scientificcommunity, represented
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), has identifiedthathumanactivitiesare responsiblefortheclimatechangeswe
are currently experiencing. Since the Industrial
Revolution, anthropogenic climatechangecarbon dioxideemissionshavecome from coalandpetroleumfossilfuelburningand
deforestation andagriculturallandusechanges. Theconversion of forest to pasture is an important source of greenhousegasemission,
notably carbon dioxide to theatmosphere. Furthermore, theenergysector, including transport,
is themostimportantarea of economicactivity
as far as global warming is concerned. Theincreasedquantities of carbon dioxide andothergreenhousegasesreleased by the
burning of fossilfuels, agriculture, landclearing, andotherhumanactions, are theprimarysources of the
global warming that has happened over thepastfew decades.
Global warming is occurring. We are thereason. We are overburdening our atmosphere
with carbon dioxide, trappingheatanddriving
up our planet’s temperature. Thefossilfuelsweburnforenergy,
plus theloss of forests due
to deforestation forlanduseandagriculture is theproblem. Climatescientists are looking at
data andfacts, andtheyagreetheplanet is warming. Thescientificconsensus
on climatic changesconnected to global warming is thattheaveragetemperature of our Earth has risen between 32.72 and 33.44 °F
over thepast 100 years. Scientists from the IPCC haverecentlypredictedthatglobal averagetemperatures could increase between 34.52 and 42.44 °F
by theyear 2100.
Therefore, changesresulting from global warming
includerising sea levels due to the
melting of thepolaricecaps. The sea level has slowlybeenrising due to the melting
of icebergs from theworld's landiceandindividualmountainglaciers. Anotherclimatechange
is evident by theincrease in occurrenceandseverity of stormsandothersevereweatherevents. Global warming affectsstormformation
by decreasingthetemperaturedifference between thepolesandtheequator.
Thattemperaturedifferencefuelsthe mid-latitude storms that affectthe Earth’s most populated regions. The Earth's temperature is increasing, andthechange is evidentandobvious. Global warming is happening, andhumanactivity is theprimarycause.
Because
there is nosinglemiraclesolution, anyapproach
to greenhousegasmitigation must involve
a mixedstrategyemploying a variety
of measures. Energyefficiencyimprovements in thebuilding,
transportation, andindustrialsectorsemerge
as themost cost-effective measuresforreducinggreenhousegasemissions. Weneed to developsafe, lowercost non-fossil energysourcesandimprovetheefficiency of existingfossilfuel
technology. Improvingtheefficiency
of electricity can lowergreenhousegas,
primarilycarbon dioxide, emissions
by reducingthedemandforfossilfuels. The potential forsavingelectricity in residentialandcommercialbuildings can be beneficial. In addition to
electrical savings, a combination
of fossilfuelefficiencyprogramsaimed at electricity plus fuel switching
from electricity to naturalgas
could producefurtheremissionreductions at a netsavingscost. Newelectricitysupplyoptions that emitnocarbon
dioxide could achievefurtherreductions, but would involvehigh
implementation costs, up to
billions of dollars per year.
In addition, Archer (2011) statesthat “agricultural yields andthenumber of peoplethatthe Earth can support are products of theinfrastructure of our civilization: fertilizers, transportationandthe processing of thefood” (p. 166). Thisinfrastructure
of civilizationinvolves tillage, theplowing
of landforweedandpestcontroland to prepareforseeding. Tilling has longbeenpart
of the cropland farmingenterprise. Paustian, Six, Elliot & Hunt (2000) agreethat “Conversion of nativevegetation
to cultivatedcropland
under conventional tillage system
has resulted in a significantdecline
in soilorganicmatter content” (p. 149). Globally, theselandusechangesare responsibleforabout 14% of thetotalemissions.
No-tillage managementis
promoted as a practicecapable
of offsettinggreenhouse gasemissionsbecause of its ability to sequestercarbon in soils. Research on soilorganicmatter
dynamics under well-managed pastures has shownthatsoilorganiccarbonstocks progressively increase with time of pasturecultivation. It has beenestimated on a global scalethattheagriculturalsector has the potential to reduce radiative forcing of greenhousegases by 1.15–3.3PgC equivalents per year (Cole, Duxbury, Freney,
Heinemeyer, Minami, Mosier, Paustian, Rosenberg, Sampson, Sauerbeck, Zhao,
1997, p. 222). Thismeansthatifconsidered
in isolation, soils under
well-managed pasturescan be regarded
as a carbon dioxide sink. No-tillage farming, promoted as an agriculturalpractice,
creates a successfulsituation
by decreasingsoilerosionandenhancingagricultural
sustainability related with mitigating greenhousegasemissions.
Climatechangeand variability, drought, andother
climate-related excesseshave a directeffect
on thequantityandquality of agriculturalproduction. Therefore, betteradaptationstrategies to increasingclimate
variability andclimatechange, especiallywhereagricultureproduction
is extremelysensitive to climatic variations,
are essential to avoidadverseimpacts on socialandeconomicdevelopment.
Thestructuralpower
of capital has intensifiedtheconstraints
on thedevelopment of policies
to respond to global warming. Systemapproaches
that combineimprovingvehicle technology strategiesanddevelopingsafe non-fossil fuel
can reduce transportation-related emissions
significantly. Forthe
U.S. transportationsector, systemapproaches
that combineadvancedvehicle technology, lowergreenhousegasfuels, andthetraveldemandmanagementyieldthelargest
potential andflexibilityforloweringbothgreenhouseemissionsandpetroleumuse. Weart(2008) stated that
“A goodstart would be to removeallgovernmentsubsidiesforfossilfuels,
which are staggeringly large, mostlyhiddenand
economically unsound” (p. 202). Forthe
United States, anotherreasonablestep would be to graduallyraisethetax on gasoline. KrauskopfandBeiser(2014) notedthat “If only
a third of American carsandlighttruckswerediesels, thesavings would amount to the equivalent of all theoilimported from Saudi Arabia” (p. 107).
In summary, to developsensibleand politically acceptablepoliciesfordealing with
global climatechange, weneed to know a lotmore about thefullsocialandeconomicconsequences of alternative mitigation that measuresthepotentialhumanandecologicalimpacts of global warming, andthecosts of adapting to climate change.
Archer, D. (2011). Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
(2nd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John
Wiley & Sons.
Cole CV, Duxbury J, Freney J et al.
(1997) Global Estimates of Potential Mitigation of
Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Agriculture. Nutrient Cycling in
Agroecosystems, 49, 221–
228.
Krauskopf, K., &Beiser, A.
(2014). The Physical Universe
(15th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill.
Paustian, K., Six, J., Elliot, E.,&
Hunt, H. (2000). Management Options for Reducing CO2
Emissions from Agricultural Soils. Biogeochemistry,48, 147-163.
Weart, S. (2008). The Discovery of Global Warming.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press.
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