With the majority of scientists agreeing that the earth’s quickly changing climate is primarily caused by human activity, it has never been more important to understand the contributions that humans make to global warming. While some of the consequences of global warming are positive, such as increased crop growth in certain areas due to prolonged warm spells, the majority are increasingly negative, leading to a broad range of ecological, economic, and security concerns that can no longer be ignored.
The primary human actions that contribute to global warming are the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and increasing levels of concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In order to meet the world’s growing energy needs, corporations and individual countries have historically turned to burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, which have made available enough affordable energy to fuel growth in the developed world.
Burning of these fossil fuels releases large amounts of toxic chemicals and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, trapping heat that would normally dissipate into space, and resulting in global warming. Carbon dioxide is now present in the atmosphere at levels higher than they have been in over three million years and it is estimated that up to 90% of fluorinated gases, which have a lifespan of centuries, come from human activities.
The second major factor in the increase in global average temperature is deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats worldwide due to the need for agricultural land and new building projects. By cutting down trees, humans are reducing the rates at which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, causing further warming. In addtion, when trees and other vegetation are lost, the chances for temperatures to moderate during the day decrease significantly.
The last major action humans take to contribute to global warming is the introduction of new chemicals and man-made products with a high concentration of greenhouse gases, such as hydrofluorocarbons. Governments and corporations have been quick to develop new products that contain hydrofluorocarbons, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and aerosols. Unfortunately, they are both highly potent and have long lifespans that remain in the atmosphere, trapping heat and contaminating the environment.
In summary, while there are some positive benefits to the human activities that contribute to global warming, ultimately it results in serious threats to the environment and the future of society. It is imperative that we begin taking action to reduce our impact on climate change as soon as possible in order to avoid further disaster. By implementing sustainable practices such as renewable energy sources, planting new forests, and reducing our reliance on products with high concentrations of greenhouse gases, we can ensure that our actions do not continue to contribute to global warming and the destruction of our planet.
What Human Actions Contribute To Global Warming
