Climate Change and Global Warming Environmental Impact

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This research paper, prepared as a report for the UN, assesses the multifaceted impacts of global warming and climate change on the environment, encompassing both natural and man-made causes. It delves into the effects on various environmental aspects, including sea levels, the cryosphere, tropical cyclones, heat waves, temperature variations, precipitation patterns, and their resultant health impacts. The paper categorizes the causes, detailing natural phenomena like El Nino, continental drift, volcanic activity, orbital shifts, and solar output, alongside man-made factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and industrial activities. Furthermore, it explores potential solutions to mitigate these environmental threats, focusing on CO2 reduction strategies and the adoption of alternative energy sources. The report culminates in recommendations for establishing a sustainable, environmentally friendly system, supported by reliable data and references.
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THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING ON THE
ENVIRONMENT

By Name

Course

Instructor

Institution

Location

Date
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
........................................................................................................................................... 2
CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING
.............................................................................2
Natural Causes
......................................................................................................................................... 2
El Nino
................................................................................................................................................. 2
Continental Drift
..................................................................................................................................3
Volcanic Activity
.................................................................................................................................. 3
Orbital Shifts
........................................................................................................................................ 3
Solar Output
........................................................................................................................................ 3
Manmade Causes
.................................................................................................................................... 4
Greenhouse Effects
..............................................................................................................................4
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING
........................................................................... 5
Sea Levels
................................................................................................................................................ 5
Cryosphere
.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Tropical Cyclones
..................................................................................................................................... 6
Heat Waves
............................................................................................................................................. 6
Temperature
............................................................................................................................................6
Precipitation
............................................................................................................................................ 7
Health Effects
.......................................................................................................................................... 7
SOLUTIONS
..................................................................................................................................................7
CO
2 Mitigation......................................................................................................................................... 7
Alternative Sources of Energy
..................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION
...............................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES
................................................................................................................................................ 9
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INTRODUCTION
This research paper assesses the impacts of global warming and climate change on the

environment, the man-made and natural causes of climate change, and ways of minimizing

environmental threats. Climate change destabilizes the temperature equilibrium of the earth and

has an extensive effect on the environment and human beings (Matawal and Maton, 2013).

During global warming, the temperature and the energy balance of the earth change because of

the increased greenhouse gas concentration, which has a substantial effect on the environment

and humans.

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING

The causes of global warming and climate change can be categorized as either natural or

manmade causes. The natural causes of climate change and global warming include continental

drift, volcanic activity, orbital shifts, arctic oscillation, and solar output. The man-made causes of

climate change and global warming include aerosols, urbanization, deforestation, agricultural

activities, industrial production, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emission (Matawal and

Maton, 2013).

Natural Causes

El Nino

El Nino generally starts over the Pacific Ocean when the trade winds blowing over the ocean to

West from East weaken. The warm water surface that is generally pushed towards the western

side slows down. The surface of the water of the East Pacific experiences heating while the

surface of the water to the West Pacific experiences cooling. El Nino is generally followed by

reverse conditions referred to as La Nina which involves the water surface of the East Pacific

experience cooling instead
(Zhong, 2016). All these conditions affect the atmospheric circulation
pattern and eventually
the climate.
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Continental Drift
All the continents are still drifting presently despite having drifted apart over 250 million years

ago. The drifting of large masses of land changed the flow of winds and current and also the

atmosphere. The impacts of continental drift are considered to be insignificant to be an actual

contributor to climate change and global warming experienced currently
(Jian-Bin, et al., 2012).
Volcanic Activity

During the volcanic eruptions, aerosol particles are expelled into the atmosphere and a large

quantity of heat enters the earth. These eruptions episodically occur but have short-term impacts

on the climatic condition of the earth. However, while carbon dioxide is channeled into the

atmosphere, the quantities are lower and the aerosols elements released into the atmosphere and

responsible for cooling the earth and blocking the sunlight
(Lane, 2014).
Orbital Shifts

During the orbiting of the Earth around the sun, there is a slight variation in it's the orbit. These

variations change the quantity of energy form the run reaching the Earth. These changes the

quantity of energy from the sun reaching the Earth. These changes are believed to be long-term

but still affect the energy input on the Earth (Stern and Kaufmann, 2013).

Solar Output

As the intensity of the sun weakens or strengthens, the quantity of energy radiated to the

atmosphere varies. The variations in the intensity of the sun have affected the energy shifts for

many years, however, solar irradiance has not changed substantially to account for global

warming that is currently being experienced. Estimations have proved that a slight reduction in

solar intensity in recent decades (Pasgaard and Strange, 2013).
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Manmade Causes
The man-made causes involve all the activities performed by humans that impact climate and

global warming. The manmade causes of climate change and global warming include aerosols,

urbanization, deforestation, agricultural activities, industrial production, fossil fuel usage, and

greenhouse gas emission. The cause accepted by the majority of scientists to be the major cause

of climate change and global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases
(Simpson, et al.,
2015)
. The greenhouse gases cause a greenhouse effect which regulates the temperature of the
Earth by trapping the heat
increasing the internal temperature of the Earth. Without greenhouse
gases, the average temperature of the earth would be -19
oC and not +14oC colder.
Greenhouse Effects

Climate and weather of the earth are controlled by the energy from the sun. Solar irradiation

heats the surface of the earth and in turn, radiates the energy back into space. Some atmospheric

gases trap some of the ongoing energy and retain the heat. This increases the internal temperature

of the earth and also results in variation in the weather patterns. The gases that trap the radiated

heat energy are referred to as greenhouse gases (Akinyemi and Abiodun, 154). All greenhouse

gases are radiate positively and have the ability to affect the balance of energy in the atmosphere.

The potential of global warming of a gas is determined by the unit gas volume over a given

duration and the value for gases is determined with reference to that of carbon dioxide. The table

below shows the potential global warming of difference gases:
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Table 1: Global warming potential of Greenhouse gases (Bian, 2019)
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING

The impacts of global warming and climate change include long-lasting and far-reaching

changes to human societies, ecosystems, and environments caused by human or natural factors

indirectly or indirectly. These impacts include tropical cyclones, heatwaves, high temperatures,

precipitation, rising sea levels, prolonged drought, and health effects
(Richter, 2015). These
impacts are discussed below:

Sea Levels

Research shows that the mean sea level of the earth rose between 2016 and 1901 to 0.16. The sea

level of the earth is accelerating at a faster rate between 2016 and 2006 compared to the rate in

the 20
th century. The major factors causing the increase in sea levels include the thermal
expansion resulting in warming of ocean water and also the melting of ice sheets and glaciers.

Rising sea levels are very dangerous for people in low-lying coastal regions like India and China

(Cazenave and Remy, 2011).
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Cryosphere
The cryosphere involves those sections of the earth which are too cold, these regions covered by

ice or snow. This includes snow and ice on land like a continental sheet of ice in Antarctica and

Greenland. Arctic ice from sea started declining during the early 20
th century but there is an
acceleration of the rate. The summers are anticipated to occur at 2.0
oC working level at least
once every decade while the ice-free summers are anticipated to be rare at a working rate of

1.5
oC (Cazenave and Remy, 2011). The melting of ice sheets in Antarctic and Greenland will
continue to increase the level of sea level over a long duration.

Tropical Cyclones

Apart from causing changes in tropical cyclones, global warming may also affect tropic cyclones

to be worse. The tropical cyclone intensity is anticipated to globally increase with the proportion

of Category 5 and 4 cyclones rising. The rainfall rain is expected to increase, however, the future

trends of rainfall frequency on the world scale is not very clear
(Raneesh, 2017).
Heat Waves

The effect of global warming increases the chances of extreme events of weather like heat waves

where the optimum temperature daily surpasses for more than five days the average optimum

temperature by 5
oC. The heat waves with high humidity have become more severe and frequent
in the last 30 to 40 years. Severe hot nights have become more frequent and the regions in which

extremely high summers are witnessed have escalated (Matawal and Maton, 2013). The

mortality for severe heat waves is larger compared to the mortality from earthquakes, floods,

tornadoes, lightning, and hurricanes combined.

Temperature

The rising temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats. There may have been variations

in other climate extremes such as tropical cyclones, drought, and flood, however, these variations
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are more challenging to recognize. Anticipations suggest variation in the intensity and frequency
of some severe events of weather. The future changes in climate will include fewer very cold

days and more very hot days.

Precipitation

Increased temperatures have resulted in the drying of surfaces and increased evaporation. During

the warming of the air, its capacity to hold water also increases, specifically over the water

bodies. Generally, the air can hold approximately 7% more moisture for a rise in temperature by

1
oC. Variations have been noted already in the type, frequency, intensity, and amount of
precipitation
(Howden, 2020).
Health Effects

The direct physiological impacts by cold and heat, temperature increases the pulse, viscosity and

blood pressure hence increasing death associated with cardiovascular disease, sunstroke which

has resulted in the death of many people in India, and continuous exposure can result in skin

cancer, adverse effect on the immune system, eye disease, and skin damage (Tomkiewicz and

Scarlatos, 2013).

SOLUTIONS

CO
2 Mitigation
There are three basic ways of lowering the greenhouse effect. The first step is reducing or

stopping the CO
2 emissions into the atmosphere through the use of renewable energy sources of
alternative green energy sources. The standards of CO
2 emissions in engines should be upgraded
to lower their emissions. The second step is liquefying the produced CO
2 in the combustion and
dumping underground through geological sequestration
(Seung-Jae, et al., 2017). The last step is
reducing the levels of atmospheric CO
2 through reforestation, afforestation, and preventing
deforestation.
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Alternative Sources of Energy
The emission of greenhouse gases can be reduced by using an alternative source of fuel to

replace conventional fossil fuels. The use of renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal,

nuclear, and hydro. Conventional fossil fuels are a large contributor of CO
2 into the atmosphere
and by replacing these sources of energy with renewable sources, the greenhouse effect will be

minimized
(Kala, 2013).
CONCLUSION

Global warming and climate change are increasing environmental issues currently affecting the

entire world. The natural causes of climate change and global warming discussed in this paper

include continental drift, volcanic activity, orbital shifts, arctic oscillation, deforestation,

agricultural activities, industrial production, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emission. The

impacts of global warming and climate change include tropical cyclones, heatwaves, high

temperatures, precipitation, rising sea levels, prolonged drought, and health effects.
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REFERENCES
Akinyemi, F. and Abiodun, B., 154. Potential impacts of global warming levels 1.5 °C and above on

climate extremes in Botswana.
Climatic Change, Volume 154, pp. 387-400.
Bian, Q., 2019. The Nature of Climate Change- equivalent Climate Change Model’s Application in

Decoding the Root Cause of Global Warming.
International Journal of Environment and Climate Change,
pp. 801-822.

Cazenave, A. and Remy, F., 2011. Sea level and climate: measurements and causes of changes.
Wiley
Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change,
Volume 2, pp. 647-662.
Howden, M., 2020. Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation for Tropical Agriculture.

Proceedings,
Volume 36, p. 36.
Jian-Bin, H., Shao-Wu, W. and Yong, L., 2012. Debates on the Causes of Global Warming.
Advances in
Climate Change Research,
Volume 3, pp. 38-44.
Kala, J., 2013. Climate Change Mitigation Opportunities through Forestry Carbon Projects: Issues,

Requirements and Gaps.
The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, Volume 4,
pp. 13-24.

Lane, J.-E., 2014. The Resolution Of The Cornucopian-Ecologist Issue On Global Warming-Climate

Change.
Archives of Business Research, Volume 2, pp. 87-93.
Matawal, D. and Maton, D., 2013. Climate Change and Global Warming: Signs, Impact and Solutions.

International Journal of Environmental Science and Development,
pp. 62-66.
Pasgaard, M. and Strange, N., 2013. A quantitative analysis of the causes of the global climate change

research distribution.
Global Environmental Change, Volume 23, pp. 1684-1693.
Raneesh, K., 2017. A Review on the Impact of Climate Change on Crop Production in Humid Tropics.

SciFed Journal of Global Warming,
p. 1.
Richter, I., 2015. Climate model biases in the eastern tropical oceans: causes, impacts and ways forward.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change,
Volume 6, pp. 345-358.
Seung-Jae, L., Sang-Goo, J. and Seung-Hyun, M., 2017. Emission sources and mitigation of fluorinated

Non-CO2 greenhouse gas in registered CDM projects.
Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology,
Volume 7, pp. 589-601.

Simpson, R., Seager, R., Mingfang, T. & Tiffany, S., 2015. Causes of change in Northern Hemisphere

winter meridional winds and regional hydroclimate.
Nature Climate Change, Volume 6, pp. 65-70.
Stern, D. and Kaufmann, R., 2013. Anthropogenic and natural causes of climate change.
Climatic
Change,
Volume 122, pp. 257-269.
Tomkiewicz, M. and Scarlatos, L., 2013. Bottom-up Mitigation of Global Climate Change.
The
International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses,
Volume 4, pp. 37-48.
Zhong, X., 2016. Causes of global climate change.
International Journal of Global Warming, Volume 10,
p. 482.
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