Introduction
Global warming is an elevation of the temperatures on the earth’s surface resulting from the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emission from fossils burning and deforestation trapping the heat that escapes from the earth’s surface. There is a continuing controversy regarding the influence of the human activities on the climate change. One may wonder whether the global warming is really being caused by the human actions. In addition, an interesting point is whether there is a way that humans can be instrumental in reducing the effects of the global warming.
Discussion
Is Global Warming Due to the Human Actions?
According to the recent studies, there is a correlation between the increase in fossil fuel combustion and the increase in the level of carbon dioxide emitted into the air. One third of the total carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere originates from the generation of electricity, a third from all transportation, and a third accounts for the other sources of emission. Global warming is caused by the human activities, such as fossil fuels burning, agricultural activities and the changing forms of land use. These human actions affect the natural systems of the planet. The human activities from the production of the raw materials, such as steel, waste production, electricity, vehicles, ships and other means of transportation have detrimental effects on the world. The global temperature has significantly risen, and such rise is not believed to be caused by the greenhouse gases only. The increase in the average global temperatures could be attributed to the cooling effects of sulfate aerosols, caused by combustion of fossil fuels. The fossil fuels burning accounts for 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere yearly. There is a record on the constant increase of such gases, since the onset of the industrial revolution, primarily propelled by the fossil fuels combustion.
Human activities accelerate the Earth’s natural processes. Deforestation of the tropical areas accounts for approximately 15 percent of the heat trapping emissions, more than any other of the human activity. Plants are beneficial in reduction of the carbon dioxide emission, as they take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen (Singer & Avery, 2008). Demolition of the rainforests releases a lot of carbon stored in plants. Prevention of the deforestation is a consequential action in an attempt to curb the process of global warming. Transpiration of plants releases water to the atmosphere, which is essential for the water turnover cycle. Other impacts of deforestation include the demolition of the natural habitat and ecosystems for many living things. It is, therefore, crucial to support the sustainable agricultural practices and the preservation of the natural habitats will eventually lead to the conservation of them.
However, global warming is not caused entirely by the human activities. The reason for this is that 95 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions originate from the natural sources. Global warming is not caused by the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, but by the increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide. A variety of natural resources release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; subsequently, a total of 95 percent of the emissions could certainly still occur even with the complete absence of the human activities. However, the natural resources represent most of the carbon dioxide emitted; they are not likely to contribute to the recent increase in the carbon dioxide levels, as the natural resources are responsible for the balancing of the natural sinks, which extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, it is worth noting that the carbon dioxide level was higher in the Paleozoic era, since human beings had not existed yet. The scientists state that there is an increase in the carbon dioxide level in the earth atmosphere, since they believe that it affects the human life, yet it does not cause any changes to the earth’s ecosystems.
Can the Human Race Take Actions to Stop Global Warming?
It is possible for the human race to take certain actions in order to prevent global warming. It can be realized by the constant reduction of the carbon foot prints, which is a positive thing, as it can help to reduce the global warming effects. Many of the government agencies develop the carbon sequestration technology. This is through the maintenance of the use of fossil fuels, especially coal. Policies need to be set in place, which advocates the use of the renewable energy to offset global warming. Driving less and in a smart manner implies that there will be fewer emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; hence, the reduction of global warming. Besides saving the gasoline, walking or riding a bicycle affects positively the human health. In addition, walking or using the public transport saves a pound of carbon dioxide.
Eating fresh food can help in the reduction of fuel combustion. Eating local food reduces the amount of fuel, which could be used to go shopping in supermarkets far from the locality. Visiting of the farm markets could be the first step. Moreover, when visiting the food store it is vital to read the products’ labels in order to know the possible origin of them. It will give you a potential to choose foods from the local area, rather than the foods shipped from different locations. Community support agricultural programs create mutual benefits for the farmers and the society. In addition, it is vital to minimize the use of appliances, such as the laundry machines, dish washers and dryer machines. This reduces the amount of energy used, saves money, as well as reduces wastage of energy (Miller, 2008). Moreover, the walls insulation and the installation of the weather caulking around the doors and windows of the house reduce the heat costs by more than 25%. It is necessary to turn off the heater while sleeping at night and moderate the temperatures in the house during the whole day.
The thermostat setting at 2 degrees lower during winter season and higher during summer gives a possibility of saving approximately 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. The use of energy saving bulbs is essential in reducing the amount of energy use. For example, statistic shows that if all households in the US would use the CFL bulbs to replace the regular light bulbs, it would reduce 90 million pounds of the greenhouse gases, the same as driving of the cars on the roads. This reduces the electricity use and consequently, leads to the reducing of electricity generation. Furthermore, the maintenance of automobiles reduces global warming effects, as it decreases the consumption of fossil fuels. Frequent changing of air filters is the easiest way of maintaining the eco-friendly driving. The changing of the oil filter can save up to $130 yearly and consequently, reduce carbon dioxide emission by 100 pounds.
The reusing and recycling of the inorganic wastes, such as polythene bags within the municipality can reduce pollution of the environment. The usage of the reusable bags and buying of products with minimum packaging helps in the reduction of waste. Through recycling of the household wastes, it is possible to save 2400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. It is good to decompose the kitchen wastes, which could be used as manures to grow organic vegetables. This is due to the fact that plants extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for use in the process of photosynthesis.
A forestation is paramount in curbing the process of the global warming. The deforestation of the tropical areas accounts for approximately 15 percent of the heat trapping emissions, more than any other human activity. Plants are indispensable in the reduction of the carbon dioxide emission, as they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Destruction of the rainforest releases a lot of carbon stored in plants. Stopping of deforestation is a consequential action in an effort to curb the process of the global warming. Transpiration of plants releases water to the atmosphere, which is essential for the water cycle. Other impacts of deforestation include the destruction of the natural habitat and ecosystems for many living things (Casper, 2010). It is, therefore, necessary to support sustainable agricultural practices and the conservation of the natural habitats.
On the other hand, there is no possibility for the human race to entirely eliminate the global warming, because 95 percent of the carbon dioxide is released from the natural sources. Global warming is not caused by the carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere, but by the increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide. Human activity causes few greenhouse gases emission compared to the gases emitted naturally. Sixty to seventy percent of the gases originate from the oceans, while 30 percent come from the living things on the terrestrial land and exceedingly little close to 3 percent come from pollution.
Conclusion
From the analysis of the above findings, it is clear that the global warming is not majorly caused by the human activities, but rather by the natural causes. However, the human race has a chance to control the global warming through a forestation leading to an increase in the number of trees to store the carbon dioxide, and the use of appliances, which could reduce the amount of energy consumed. Support programs, which champion reforestation projects, contribute to the establishments that endorse foreign forest organization and look for wood products with the FSC-US Forest Management Standards to ascertain that the buying behaviors of the customers are not a contribution to deforestation.
