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Carbon Dioxide Factor in Climate Change

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Summary
Works Cited

Introduction

Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns. Although these changes can be natural, such as cyclical variations in solar activity, since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change (Tabassum 26). This is mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. However, the main man-made factor in climate change is the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Main body

Scientists have found that human-initiated processes are one of the main aspects influencing climate change (National Academy of Sciences 5). This was established with the help of a model, which included all facets provoking the increased emission of CO2 gas into the atmosphere. First of all, factors beyond human control, such as solar activity, were included in the climate model. However, the calculations only came together when anthropogenic processes were included in the system. Thus, it became clear that humans played a significant role in climate change. One of the main factors influencing global climate change is solar activity. One solar cycle lasts for eleven years, and during that cycle, the solar energy output can change. These changes affect ozone concentrations, temperatures, and winds in the stratosphere.

Changes in these indicators also affect changes in the Earths climate. However, there have been no significant changes in solar energy over the past century. From this, one can conclude that the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration, which affects climate change, is anthropogenic, in other words, caused by humans. Thus, the sun has no direct influence on climate changes on the Earth. The problem of increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere is very acute today. According to the latest measurements, it is now almost 400 ppm, the highest level in several million years (National Academy of Sciences 9). For the last 800,000 years until the 20th century, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere remained between 170 and 300 ppm. The last time the concentration approached the 400 ppm mark was three to five million years ago.

The highest CO2 concentration was recorded about 50 million years ago and reached 1000ppm. There was almost no ice back then, and the sea level was much higher than it is today. Despite global warming, it still snows in many places around the globe during cold winters. The reason for this is that warming affects changes in atmospheric circulation. Because of these changes, the wind currents also change, bringing colder winters and menacing clouds. Thus, some places can have quite cold winters, even during a warming period.

In addition to atmospheric processes, the increase in carbon dioxide also affects the oceans. Concentrations of CO2 dissolve in water to form acid, which lowers the pH of the ocean. In acidic water, many species of marine organisms change. They are also deprived of some nutrients, which leads to the speciation of competition between species and, as a consequence, disruption of the food chain. Scientists predict that the effects of global warming and the greenhouse effect on the climate system will intensify in the coming years (National Academy of Sciences 22). Accordingly, both land and seas, and oceans will be affected. Temperatures will rise everywhere, and winters will become warmer and shorter. However, it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to climate change because, to predict it, we need to know the exact values of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere in the coming years.

Summary

To summarize, increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have a profound effect on global warming. In turn, it affects the length of the seasons and the increase in the total temperature of the Earth. Not only the land but also the ocean suffers because of CO2 many sea creatures are losing their regular appearance due to a decrease in acidity. Thus, increasing CO2 concentration is one of the main threats provoking global warming.

Works Cited

National Academy of Sciences. Climate Change: Evidence and Causes. The National Academies Press, 2014. Web.

Tabassum, Nowrin. The Politics of Climate Change Knowledge: Labelling Climate Change-induced Uprooted People. Routledge, 2022. Web.

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