ENVE 101 - Example essay
Global Climate Change
Introduction / Definition
Climate change is a significant environmental problem that has surfaced in last couple of
decades. It occurs due to the global warming which occurs due to increase in temperature of
atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of greenhouse gases by human activities.
Sources and Causes
Change in the overall global climate can be contributed to activities that release a large amount
of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a term used to describe harmful
gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N20). The gases are
essentially being held into our atmosphere from its multiple layers that are meant to protect our
planet. The buildup of the gases that cannot escape our atmosphere in turn causes the warming
of our climate.
Effects
Climate change is triggering major changes on our planet but not limited to melting of polar ice,
change in seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in
overall weather scenario. A simple rise or fall in general temperature can have a large effect on
precipitation patterns and the frequency of storms. The rise in sea level, which has been
accounted for and is constantly rising, has been result of the melting of ice and glaciers.
Scientists have observed that the recent increase in the temperature of the global climate has
occurred at a much faster rate than that of in any of the previous decades before us. The current
levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are substantially higher than they have been for thousands
of years.
Climate change is already having a significant impact on ecosystems, economies and
communities. Rising average temperatures do not simply mean balmier winters. Some regions
will experience more extreme heat while others may cool slightly. Flooding, drought and
intense summer heat could result. Violent storms and other extreme weather events could also
result from the increased energy stored in our warming atmosphere. One of the most serious
impacts of climate change is how it will affect water resources around the world. Water is
intimately tied to other resource and social issues such as food supply, health, industry,
transportation and ecosystem integrity. Climate change also threatens the health of our children
and grandchildren through increased disease, freshwater shortages, worsened smog and more.
These impacts also pose incalculable economic risks that far outweigh the economic risks of
taking action today.
Solutions / Conclusion
In order to prevent this situation from worsening or continuing how it is currently, it is
important to be more conscious of your burning of fossil fuels and energy use. Not only will
these actions most likely save you money, but they will contribute towards saving our planet
and possibly stopping global warming before it worsens to a point of no return. As this is a
problem that we as humans brought about, it is a problem that we can certainly work together to
eliminate. After all, there is only one Earth.