Human Activities Contributing to Global Warming and Its Effect on Polar Bears

Global warming is caused by human activities that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This article discusses the impact of these activities on polar bears, which are highly dependent on sea ice for survival. It also suggests ways to reduce the impact of these activities on the environment.

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Global warming is the change in the earth’s climate over a period of time. It is
characterized by an increase in temperatures. This has mainly been contributed by the human
activities all over the world. These activities mostly involve the release of greenhouse gases like
carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide as well as methane. For example, in the recent studies, it has been
predicted that the temperatures on the surface may rise from 0.3˚ to 1.7˚ in the lowest place
scenarios and 2.6˚ to 4.8˚ in the highest scenarios ( McCright et al,155). Several human activities
that have led to this periodical change in climate and the effect to polar bears are discussed
below.
The industrial revolution has been using power machines powered by fossil fuels. This
means that everything we use has used fossil fuel at some point. For instance, when we buy a
car, the process of coming up with the car involves machines that use fossil fuels resulting to the
production of carbon dioxide and monoxide released into the atmosphere (Cox,184). The cars
themselves also release carbon into the air from their exhausts (Crowley,270).
In agriculture and from animals, there is the emission of methane. It is ranked second
worst after carbon dioxide. Bacteria break down organic matter in less oxygen dominated areas
to produce methane. Sometimes, this occurs in the bodies of herbivores, yet the population of
this animals is the high hence increased amount of the said gas in the atmosphere. Methane

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clathrate found in the ice`s crystal structure is also another source of methane. When methane
escapes the seabed of the Arctic, it greatly contributes to the increase in global warming.
Transportation is also a human activity. The increase in human population has led to
increasing in demand for many more cars and products consumption. This leads to using more
fuel for transportation and manufacturing. This fuel is then emitted to the atmosphere in form of
greenhouse gases which have an adverse effect on the climate.
Mining also contributes to climate change. Mining is the extraction of minerals from
underground. During this process, methane is trapped underneath. Rearing of cattle also leads to
trapping of the methane below the earth as it is also released from the manure. This gas leads to
the destroying of the ozone layer hence increased temperatures leading to change of climate.
The burning of fossil fuels is an activity that lets carbon out into the atmosphere. The
carbon is also from industrial activities that include manufacturing of cement and flaring of the
natural gas. These fossil fuels are important to the human because they provide energy used for
transportation, cooling of buildings, production of electricity, heating and most industrial
activities. Oil and coal are mainly used for these purposes. The dramatic increase in emission of
gases is mainly occurring due to activities going on in the developing nations like urbanization
and industrialization. China is a very good example. Its industrial activities in order to export
goods have led to increased emissions from that country (Jacob et al,51).
Deforestation is the cutting down of trees without replacement. Cutting of trees is done to
produce wood, build, make timber and papers. Logging of trees is not good for the climate
because when it happens, the carbon that was being stored by those trees is released into the air.
Once it is in the atmosphere, it intermingles with other greenhouse gases that contribute to global

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warming. In order to reduce the release of the carbon into the air, activities that are awarded from
forest destruction should be avoided. Instead, people need to start preserving the tropical forests
so as to maintain the climate change and prevent wiping away of the bio-diversity.
Farming includes agricultural activities. These activities provide man with food to eat for
survival. Farming also has a positive impact on climate through yielding of carbon in the soil.
However, it has negative impacts as well. In this century, chemical fertilizers are being used
more. For example, nitrogenous fertilizers that affect the heat of the land on which the crop is
planted are used. These nitrogen oxides trap more heat than even carbon oxides. More activities
that revolve around farming like the manufacture of the fertilizers, cooling of products,
emissions from tractors, gases from the greenhouses, heating activities and lighting from
electricity all contribute to climate change.
Climate change has had an adverse effect on polar bears. The polar bears happen to be
one of the bio-diversity that has had a great negative impact due to its dependence on sea ice for
survival. They live in the Arctic regions of The United States, Norway, Canada, and Russia.
Mostly during summer seasons, they happen to be affected due to changes in the oceans forcing
them to stay on the mainland or unfavorable polar waters which have led to decline in their
numbers. This means that they are facing the risk of extinction from the increasing temperatures
twice as fast the world`s average (Harvey,2018).
Their dependence on the sea ice makes highly vulnerable to any change in climate. They
use the sea environment to travel, mate, hunt, rest and as maternal dens. Their prey, the bearded
seals, are also sea ice-dependent. They feed on the seals from which they get the two-thirds of
their energy for their use in the early summer and late spring. With the current change in climate,
summer comes earlier and winters late hence they are unable to hunt for long making them go

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without food for a long time. This leads to decline in their bodies and lightweight in the female
adult bears. Few cubs are able to survive. This change will make the polar bears food-stressed.
The increased temperatures cause contamination and increase exposure to diseases.
Sometimes the dens collapse from warm weather. These dens are where the female bears give
birth and protect the new-born cubs. Polar bears have a long life expectancy and low rate of
reproduction making them to nearly not adapt to new climate changes (Dey et al,94). Polar bears
don`t respond the same to the change in sea ice.
Other human factors like hunting, activities involving oil and gas, shipping and tourism
have led to a reduction in the population of the polar bears. The polar bears currently declining in
the population are those of Baffin Bay, Kane Basin, and the Beaufort Sea. Though those stable
regardless of the climate change for 12 years up to 2015 are those of Davis Strait, Foxe Basin,
Gulf of Boothia, Northern Beaufort Sea, Southern Hudson Bay and Western Hudson Bay.
The remaining sea ice should be conserved in order to protect these creatures. This is through
reduction of greenhouse gases and stabilization of the sea ice in the Arctic leading to the long
survival of the polar bears (Rode et al,2018)
In conclusion, it is good for people to be more involved in activities that help protect the
biodiversity at large. Just to name a few, for example, if a tree is cut, another one should be
planted to replace the other one hence controlling the release of carbon from deforestation. New
methods of production and manufacturing and equipment that don’t involve releasing of
hazardous gases to the environment should be invented. More friendly fertilizers in farming
should be utilized. Investment in appliances that are energy efficient should be a major plan in
order to reduce emissions. Water wastage should be reduced because too much water is used to

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treat it, heat or pump the water leading to carbon pollution. The will to preserve climate should
be inculcated in everyone so that further damage to the ozone layer that has been affected leading
to increased climate change is curbed.
Work cited
Cox, Peter M., et al. "Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled
climate model." Nature 408.6809 (2000): 184-7.Berkshire:Hadley Centre,2000.Print.
Crowley, Thomas J. "Causes of climate change over the past 1000 years." Science 289.5477
(2000): 270-277.Oceanography Dept., Texas A & M U,web.n.d.
Dey, Cody J., et al. "Forecasting the outcome of multiple effects of climate change on northern
common eiders." Biological Conservation 220 (2018): 94-103. Ontario: the web.21
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Harvey, Jeffrey A., et al. "Corrigendum: Internet Blogs, Polar Bears, and Climate-Change Denial
by Proxy." Neurosurgery (2018).ResearchGate GmbH.Web.25 Nov.2017.
Jacob, Daniel J., and Darrell A. Winner. "Effect of climate change on air quality." Atmospheric
Environment 43.1 (2009): 51-63. Elsevier Ltd,n.d.Web.Jan.2009.
McCright, Aaron M., and Riley E. Dunlap. "The politicization of climate change and
polarization in the American public's views of global warming, 2001–2010." The
Sociological Quarterly 52.2 (2011): 155-194.Elsevier B.V. Web.March.2011.
Rode, Karyn D., et al. "Den phenology and reproductive success of polar bears in a changing
climate." Journal of Mammalogy (2018).New York:Oxford University Press,2018.Print.