Owing to the development of industry and the use of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere has produced and the average global temperature seems to have risen. What’s more, deforestation can affect climate changes. The growing of trees and plants can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere because of photosynthesis, however, deforestation lead to carbon dioxide emissions. Both of these can lead to global warming of the atmosphere. The report (UNEPWMO, 2004, P10) also pointed out, the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are altering the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the extent to which human activities, such as deforestation and fossil fuel burning, have directly or indirectly changed the biogeochemical and physical processes involved in determining the earth's climate. These changes in atmospheric processes can disturb a variety of ecosystem services that humans depend upon. Humans clearly disturb many, if not all biogeochemical cycles and in the process threaten many ecosystems. In recent years human activities have directly or indirectly affected the biogeochemical cycles that determine climatic conditions of earth. The following summary is how human activities have contributed to disruption of biogeochemical cycles (M Moses et al., 2010): Use of phosphorus fertilizers: Human influences on the phosphorus cycle come mainly from the introduction and use of commercial artificial fertilizers.
Unfortunately, the activity of burning or combusting fossil fuels releases various kinds of hazardous substances and pollutants which eventually leads to changes in the environment; such as climate change, global warming, and changes in environmental health. Let us start with the change in climate or climate change. For over the past 150 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" to increase significantly in our atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. It would change our climate, but it would not bring us close to the level of uninhabitable Venus.
The Impact Humans Has On the Ecosystem Shanty DePriest Everest University Online EVS 1001-44 October 26, 2012 The Impact Humans Has On the Ecosystem There are three Cycles in the Ecosystem that are impacted by Humans. They are the Carbon Cycle, the Phosphorus Cycle, and the Nitrogen Cycle. First cycle that human has a very significant impact on is the Carbon Cycle. The Carbon Cycle is the circulation of carbon between living organisms and their surroundings. For instance Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere is synthesized by plants, which is ingested and metabolized by animals, which is converted to Carbon Dioxide during respiration and decay.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria in the roots of leguminous plants reduce atmospheric nitrogen to ammonium using ATP and reduced NAD. The ammonium ions released into the soil are oxidised by nitrifying bacteria firstly to nitrite, and then to nitrate. This oxidation increases the nitrogen content in the soil which plants can use to produces many useful molecules including amino acids, proteins, DNA and ATP. The formation of these ions forms part of the ecological nitrogen cycle which plays a key role in sustaining life on this planet. Plants are the producers for an ecosystem.
Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping greenhouse gas. It gets “released through human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels, as well as natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions” (Global Climate Change: Key Indicators, 2014). An increase in carbon dioxide means more heat is trapped thereby raising the Earth’s temperature. Global surface temperature needs to also be monitored. Not just one area but globally!
Because they reflect solar energy back into space they have a cooling effect on the world. The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is also produced however the CO2 produced is insignificant when compared to emissions created by humans. (see also featured article - Do Volcanoes cause climate change) Ocean current - The oceans are a major component of the climate system. Ocean currents move vast amounts of heat across the planet. Winds push horizontally against the sea surface and drive ocean current patterns.
Furthermore, mercury spreads and destroys plants and animals in the area. All of the above help to cause the greenhouse effect, affecting global warming massively. If this continues the oxygen throughout the world will decrease. A staggering 40% of the world’s oxygen supply comes from the rainforest. Statistics state, and I quote; “at this rate the rainforest only has 28 years left “.
“The increase in the mean temperature of the earth due to excessive emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen.” ( Green) These extra gases are making it hard for heat to escape the Earth’s atmosphere resulting in warmer temperatures. Here is a model of the Greenhouse Effect retrieved from http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html. Ethical Issues on Global Warming There are many causes of Global Warming to include Carbon Dioxide from power plants, cars, airplanes, and from buildings. “In 2002 about 40% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation.”(Ayres) 93% of electricity generations is produced by coal. 33% of the carbon dioxide comes from vehicles.
This essay will show the reason why we need renewable energies and two solutions to use them effectively. There are three main problems with the use of fossil fuels. Firstly, although they are the main sources for world energy supply，they are also the main cause of man-made climate change resulting from the CO2 emissions produced. The global carbon budget has shown that 87 percent of all human-produced carbon dioxide emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil (Le Quéré, 1107-1157). The consequence of climate change is serious.