Climate Change Due to Human Activity - Essay Sample

Introduction

The earth's temperature today is rising twice as fast as it did half a century ago. Scientists have warned that this rate of warming is mainly a result of human activities that emit greenhouse gases (Nordhaus 11). Human activities that have been identified by scientists as the major contributors to global warming include burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and farming. The rate of GHG emission has increased more rapidly in the past half-century because the developed countries are adopting fossil fuels as the major means of generating electricity. We can curb global warming if we find alternatives to the major producers of greenhouse gases.

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Burning fossil fuels has been the main contributor to global warming. Most developed countries still depend on gas and coal to generate electricity. The effect of this is the release of massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Australia is among the largest contributors to carbon dioxide emission in the world. Burning coal contributes to 73% of electricity generated in Australia (Harvey 21). One person in Australia releases twice as much as the average rate of carbon dioxide emission in the world. There have been campaigns by environmental conservationists for countries to adopt clean energy sources such as wind and solar power for the generation of electricity. Since fossil fuels are the main contributors to global warming, implementing this measure seems like the most convenient way to reduce global warming.

Deforestation is also part of the larger problem of global warming. Plants are vital in the regulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. Due to the scarcity of land in parts of Africa, people have been clearing forests in an attempt to increase the size of land for farming or to sell timber (Jepma 34). Burning vegetation leads to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere thus increasing global warming. Clearing forests also produce an indirect effect on humans and animals because water catchment areas are destroyed. Forests are also the natural habitat for wild animals hence these animals lose their homes and move into human settlements. Individuals have to make an effort to plant trees through afforestation and reforestation to reduce the impact of deforestation (Jepma 59).

Farming, although not very significant, contributes to global warming. Livestock such as sheep produces a greenhouse gas known as methane (Crutzen 229). When livestock is reared in large scale as in places like Mexico, they release a large amount of methane into the atmosphere. Some of the stock feeds that farmers use on animals are also a source of nitrous oxide. The effect of these gases is felt globally as it contributes 16% of the total greenhouse emissions (Crutzen 230). Reducing the number of livestock is not the solution to this problem. However, if farmers diversify their stock feeds, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions may reduce.

Conclusion

Overall, it is evident that the rate of GHG emissions has been extremely high in the past few decades. The major contributors to GHG emissions have been fossil fuels, deforestation, and farming. Countries such as Australia have been using coal as their main means of electricity generation. Additionally, deforestation has been very high in Africa due to the scarcity of land. Lastly, countries in South America conduct large-scale livestock farming which releases massive amounts of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Overall, we need to develop alternatives in order to reduce global warming before it escalates to dangerous levels.

Works Cited

Crutzen, P. J., Mosier, A. R., Smith, K. A., & Winiwarter, W. (2016). N 2 O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels. In Paul J. Crutzen: A pioneer on atmospheric chemistry and climate change in the anthropocene (pp. 227-238). Springer, Cham.Harvey, LD Danny. Global warming. Routledge, 2016.

Jepma, Catrinus J. Tropical deforestation: a socio-economic approach. Routledge, 2014.Nordhaus, William D. A question of balance: Weighing the options on global warming policies. Yale University Press, 2014.