Analysis of Climate Change, Disasters, and Scientific Data

This environmental science assignment addresses the debate surrounding climate change by presenting researched facts and data, acknowledging Earth's natural climate cycles, and exploring whether current changes are human-induced. The assignment analyzes the significance of drilling the Ross Ice Shelf and growth bands on Galapagos coral in understanding climate change, and how this scientific data is shared with the public. The student selects drought as a potential $100 billion weather disaster, discussing its impacts on the climate, agricultural activities, and food prices, referencing data, and figures to support their arguments. The assignment uses references from various sources to substantiate the arguments presented throughout the analysis.

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There has been some category of people who do not trust in climate change and they don´t
always believe climate change is real. These deniers, for example, may use some arguments like
climate has always been changing so change in climate is natural. These deniers always lack full
information to base their argument that climatic change is not real. The politics of global
warming have really the action which human beings can take to mitigate changes in global
warming since they view it as natural and normal actions (Letcher 210). There has been a slight
increase and decrease in global temperature from 11th Century (1000) as seen in figure 2 below.
And that is witnessed up to around 18th century while from 19th century there is a serious increase
in global temperature. The increase in temperature is proportionate to increase the concentration
of carbon (IV) oxide. Thus it can be said that global temperature always increases due to the
increased carbon (IV) oxide as an example of greenhouse gas.
Figure 1: Showing the concentration of carbon (IV) oxide and temperature against time
(http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2009/03/17/we-are-cooling-we-are-not-warming/)

Drilling of the Ross Ice Shelf and growth band is an experiment to investigate if the climate has
really changed over time (Bailey 334). It is for a fact that climate has really changed in the
history of the earth and we have techniques of telling what these conditions were before changes
occurred. A good technique is to analyze the ice core content in Greenland and Antarctica
(Pearman 102). The data from figure 2 above showing some of the air bubbles in the ice
illustrates that for sure the climate has changed over time. When the snow fell air will be trapped
inside the ice and eventually ending in very tiny bubbles in the ice as seen in the following
diagram;
Figure 2: Showing some tiny bubble indicating the change in climate
(https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/climatesciencenarratives/climate-has-
changed-before.html)
From the video of Mr. Masters, I select drought as the disaster for analysis, this is because the
drought has really affect the climate of our global temperature (Maslin 112). Where there is
drought, there will be no or fewer trees which will, in turn, result in less absorption of carbon

(IV) oxide from the atmosphere. Trees also promote good climate as trees are known for the
source of rain and that is why there are no trees there is less rain as illustrated from the figure
below;
Figure 3: Showing Midwest drought in Texas 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KZp2QQexock )
With the drought, there is no or less rain which highly affects agricultural activities like crop
growing and livestock farming. Figure 3 above illustrates dead livestock due to the lack of grass
and water to make it survive (Pittock 229). Due to drought, there is less production of food

which will then result in higher prices of food in the world, this can be illustrated by the increase
of food in the following diagram;
Figure 4: Showing an increase in food prices due to drought (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KZp2QQexock )

Reference
Bailey, Ronald. Global Warming and Other Eco-myths: How the Environmental Movement Uses False
Science to Scare Us to Death. 2nd. Califonia: Forum, 2012. Document.
Letcher, Trevor M. Climate Change: Observed impacts on Planet Earth. Liverpool: Elsevier, 2011.
Document.
Maslin, Mark. Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction. Hull: Oxford University Press, 2014. Document.
Pearman, GI. Greenhouse: Planning for Climate Change. Hull: Csiro Publishing, 2012. Document.
Pittock, Barrie. Climate Change: The Science, Impacts and Solutions. Liecester: Routledge, 2013. 2nd.