It’s Getting Hot in Here. Essay on Changes that We Need to Save our Planet

Imagine a world where children climb on piles of waste instead of climbing on trees. Imagine if while walking on the beach you do not step on rocks and shells, but instead, you step on garbage and dead sea life. Could you imagine what the world would be like without wildlife animals? Can you imagine looking up into the sky and instead of seeing stars, you see clouds of pollution and complete darkness? Soon it will no longer be needed to imagine these circumstances. Eventually, humans will normalize such saddening things. It is global warming and climate change that are driving the earth into destruction.  Even though global warming may be considered natural, it is caused by humans and their actions like changes with the industrial revolution, production of carbon dioxide, and the greenhouse effect.

First of all, global warming has been caused by the changes that came with the industrial revolution. When the world started changing, the industry began to grow. Many new amazing inventions entered into the everyday lives of people. There were so many benefits of having faster factories, transportation, and daily items. What people did not know then, and still do not realize now, is that it was a turn for the worst for our wonderful earth. With all the new machines, there were many new gases being exposed to the air. Scientists are finally coming to the conclusion that it is the actions of humans that are driving the earth to warm.

NASA stated in it’s article “A Blanket Around the Earth” that “a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there's a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet” (Shaftel 2019). It is depressing to know that the reason the beautiful natural world is being ripped out of our hands by our own actions. This goes to show that from the time that humans started to industrialize the earth has been set on a path similar to that of bread in a toaster. There was a time when the earth was natural, there was a time when the earth was slightly warm, and there will be a time when the earth will be burnt. Most of the time, people do not understand the impact that their actions have on the climate of the earth. They do not think that in the end, it will affect the earth, but it does. Every action has its own consequences, this one being global warming. 

In addition, another major factor of global warming is the production of carbon dioxide. It is a direct cause of industrialization, and with industrialization, there are many gases that are emitted into the atmosphere. When gases, like carbon dioxide, escape into the air, they stay there. NASA states, “a layer of greenhouse gases acts as a thermal blanket for the earth, absorbing heat and warming the surface to a life-supporting average of 59 degrees Fahrenheit” (Shaftel 2019). There is a natural amount of gas that is needed to support life, but when there are more gases emitted that should be, there is more heat trapped in the atmosphere. This is a major contributor to global warming, considering it is what makes the earth hotter. Another study by NASA introduces that, “humans have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change” (Shaftel 2019). Not only do high levels of carbon dioxide affect the amount of heat to be trapped in the air, but it also causes the ocean to become more acidic.

The more that the ocean becomes acidic, the more natural life the ocean loses. This affects marine life and the ice that is present in the ocean. It causes it to melt, making sea levels rise. It is undeniable that there will be more and more carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, but not it is just a question of whether or not action will be taken against the overexposure of carbon dioxide in the natural world. With so many downfalls present from the emission of carbon dioxide, many people who have not realized the effect of humans on the earth must be brought to the truth. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “among scientists and concerned citizens are those who believe that the link between carbon dioxide and warming is the last great hope to decrease the pollution inherent in the burning of fossil fuels” (Salvador). It is crucial to the planet that people see the real effects their actions have. 

Finally, the most prominent cause of global warming is the abundance of gas in the atmosphere. It is called the Greenhouse effect. The Greenhouse effect is simply the warming that happens when the atmosphere traps the heat radiating from the earth toward space. There are many gases that are either increased or decreased in the atmosphere by the actions of humans. Those gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. Water vapor may not seem like it can affect the climate very much, but it is actually the largest concern. NASA shares this shocking fact, “the most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as a feedback to the climate. Water vapor increases as the earth's atmosphere begins to warm. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases” (Shaftel 2019). It is clear to see that humans are changing the natural climate of the earth, and not in a good way. If there is enough greenhouse gas emitted into the earth’s atmosphere, it will become similar to the atmosphere of Venus and Mars. It is a fact that the atmospheres’ of Mars and Venus are unable to support life. That is where humans are taking the earth. If the increase of these gases continues to grow, there will be some serious consequences for life on earth.  

In spite of the following reasons, some people are led to believe that global warming is natural. The world does, in many ways, change naturally. There are certain occurrences in the world nature that let off gases and cause global warming. The Union of Concerned Scientists claims, “natural climate drivers include the energy from the sun; aerosols from periodic volcanic eruptions, dust, and salt spray” (Salvador). Many people will argue and say that no matter what humans do, they cannot change the fact that there are natural gases in the air. They will argue and say that their actions will not make a difference in the earth’s natural course. It is easy to say that there is no way to stop the sun’s radiation from hitting the earth and getting trapped inside the atmosphere. However, it can be inferred that the sun’s light has not increased, but it has remained constant.

There have been no extreme changes to the natural occurrences that can match the number of gases that have been let into the atmosphere. With scientific studies, it can be concluded that the amounts of global warming cannot be based on the natural changes in the climate. A statement from NASA implies, “if the warming were caused by a more active Sun, then scientists would expect to see warmer temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, they have observed cooling in the upper atmosphere and warming at the surface and in the lower parts of the atmosphere. That's because greenhouse gases are trapping heat in the lower atmosphere” (Shaftel 2019). Therefore, it is clear that global warming is caused more by humans than that of natural causes. 

In summary, it can be inferred that global warming is not just a natural process, but has been caused by the greenhouse effect, industrialization, as well as the production of carbon dioxide. There have been many controversies over this, but with the following reasons, it can be easily concluded that the actions of humans have had a negative effect on the earth. Global warming is not just something that people can overlook. It is a growing issue that fewer people are concerned about. Everything is changing whether or not people see it. Scientists are proving it over and over right in front of our eyes. Will you overlook it like everyone else, or will you come to the realization that life is changing into a landfill as we speak?