As society and technology develops, more natural resources and land are required to sustain the Earths population. Over the past century mankind has dug, extracted, and poisoned our earth’s atmosphere and internals. As members of society it is our civil duty to uphold standards to preserve our planets well being. Climate change is a bigger deal than most make it out to be because of its fast moving effects on the planet. Part of our society is unenlightened of these changes due to media and ignorance, however there are people who value this information and are attempting to make a change. This problem will only be fixed with unity and cooperation from the common wealth of our planet. This research can benefit humanity by informing them of this overwhelming global problem, in hope to inspire them to fight for our earth’s health. It is extremely vital that we make a change now and get as many people to understand and recognize the problem. Mankind has been inseparable from fossil fuels since the start of the Industrial Revolution. An unbelievable amount of toxins are pumped into out atmosphere, oceans, and soil; poisoning our marine life and land dwelling animals. This research will enlighten readers of the over hanging problem and hopefully spark enthusiasm to participate and do their part as a citizen of planet earth. 

There are many opinions as to why our planet is warming up at an extremely noticeable rate. Some say that the earth is adapting or naturally warming, and there are others who believe that mass use of fossil fuel burning off green house gasses (GHG) are slowly destroying our ozone layer which shields the sun to an extent. How can scientists be so sure that human activity is causing an increase in the production GHG? Many believe this is due to rising levels of GHG production since the late start of the Industrial Revolution has only been progressing each year. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), In 2007 GHG’s increased from seventy percent to eighty percent from 1970 to 2004. These stats where limited to only carbon dioxide levels; not other harmful gasses like methane and sulfate (IPCC). “Humans changed the balancing act beginning in the second half of the 1700s, at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Since that time we have been adding greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, to the atmosphere at a steadily increasing rate, trapping that heat and warming the planet. Although there are several greenhouse gases — some are more potent than others — CO2 currently represents about 84 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted by human activities, totaling about 30 billion tons a year. Most of this comes from burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, although industrial processes and forestry also contribute heavily” (Platt) Due to hard facts like the ones in the latter sentences, many scientists and civilians have come to the conclusion that GHG’s are the cause of global warming. There are still many respected officials who believe that climate change is a natural occurrence. One for example was the Environment Minister of Ireland, Sammy Wilson. Wilson believes climate change is out of our hands. He promotes the idea that “resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change rather than, King Canute style, vainly trying to stop it” (Monbiot). While not denying that GHG’s are one of the biggest culprits in the problem, Wilson doesn’t acknowledge them as a “fixable” in his public address. The IPCC has presented data justifying that this isn’t a natural occurrence. 

As this problem escalates, society needs to think about energy sources. Earth is indisputably heating up and diminishing due to our dependence of fossil fuels. With the increase in GHG’s comes an equal increase in the temperature with direct correlation to the pollution rate just over the past fifty years. In 2006, Director of the Climate and Global Dynamics Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (DDNCAR), James Hurrel stated that “nine of the last ten years are among the warmest since 1860” (Clemmitt). “According to an ongoing temperature analysis conducted by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8° Celsius (1.4° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975, at a rate of roughly 0.15-0.20°C per decade” (Carlowicz). Human activity on earth is beginning to become very detrimental to the planets health and could lead to a catastrophic event if its not addressed. According to the IPCC, methane and carbon dioxide alone in 2005 exceeded the natural release from the past 650,000 years combined (IPCC). Along with the latter report, IPCC also released information that concluded the majority of the release was from fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas; the smaller portion was caused by clear cutting forests, which depletes the atmosphere of clean oxygen and removes the carbon dioxide consuming plants (IPCC). Thus we can conclude the all this information leads to two culprits, humans and fossil fuels (GHG). 

With the climate warming at an alarming rate, Glaciers are melting, breaking off, and sliding into the ocean. Scientists have set out to figure out just how much the glaciers are melting. The campaign is called Oceans Melting Greenland or OMG for short. By the end of the five-year mission, scientists will be able to measure the changing volume of ice in the glaciers (Rasmussen). With this sort of research and development scientists will be able to measure the effects of global warming on the ocean and its water level. NASA’s team has been studying the effects of global warming in the arctic in order to discover and present feasible and factual claims to prove the devastating effects of climate change. Over the years global warming has started to increase the effects of pollution, which has decimated the marine life population. Due to the amount of chemicals in the atmosphere and ocean, the waters temperature fluctuated from year to year.  Part of the reason the air temperature isn’t rising as a fast as it should is because the ocean absorbs most the heat that is produced from our toxic emissions. It is said that the ocean absorbs thirty percent of our carbon dioxide emissions (Barnett). “Sea surface temperatures are at record highs. The water has become 30 percent more acidic since the industrial revolution” (Barnett). The main problem this causes is the change in the oceans ph levels. These chemicals being released into the ocean at such a large amounts are killing reefs and their inhabitants. 

With the vast amount of ice and glaciers melting, sea levels are slowly rising. Arctic ice used to average twenty to thirty feet thick, ice in these areas now only averages ten feet. Clemmitt also states that the one hundred and fifty glaciers in Montana’s Glacier National Park has now been reduced to just thirty (Clemmitt). All of the water runs off into the ocean and causes water levels to rise. In the mangrove forests along the coast of Bermuda, vegetation is slowly being submerged and killed by the invading saltwater (Clemmitt). Some may say that this idea is “far fetch,” but when looking at this information people need to consider that most large U.S cities are at sea level or very close. If the sea level continues to raise these cities could potentially be submerged and cost millions in damages. 

This warming does not only affect the atmosphere and Ocean but also land living organisms. Alaska has experienced a notable amount of change inland along with on the coast. Alaska’s artic tundra is heating up faster than the environment can adapt and therefore is causing the soil to unfreeze and become soft and loose. These plants and trees can’t hold secure roots in an environment like this and can no longer survive (Clemmitt). According to research done by Kristen Choo, villages on the coast are experiencing large cases of erosion that will ultimately lead to disaster. One villager who was interviewed said, “It was pretty clear that our island was going to wash away and we needed to relocate” (Choo).  As time progresses and society continues to abuse fossil fuels, the heat will slowly move down to other regions, and we have to hope our environments will be able adapt to new conditions. 

With the facts presented in the past paragraph, there are very few things we can do to stop it. Renewable resources need to be immediately funded and researched. There is a projected temp rise of 4.9 degrees Celsius by 2100; potentially this could be the highest rise in atmospheric temperature in ten thousand years. Humanity as a whole cannot be so dependent on fossil fuels, they will be the death of our planet if our behavior doesn’t change. Currently the most common renewable recourses being used today are solar, wind, and nuclear. There are other sources of energy that we are capable of harvesting, however if we want to make better progress the government needs to participate more. If the government invested more research and development into sources like hydrogen we could potentially solve our GHG problem. Along with research and development of new renewable sources the government should actively participate and encourage other leaders to assemble teams and fund projects. 

Sean Davie, an author for Engineering and Technologies wrote an article about different types of bio fuels. Bio fuel is a form of energy derived from living matter. For example bio-diesel and forms of petrol can be made from vegetable oil and have very clean and low emissions. However in the article, Davie claims that new development promises a process to create energy from algae. The reason they chose algae is due to its abundance and how fast it reproduces and grows in almost any condition. Along with its ability to reproduce fast, algae also absorbs carbon dioxide, cleaning our air as it grows. Davie writes how much faster it grows than corn (used to make bio fuel currently). In his article he claims, “a hectare (2.47 acres) of corn harvested for bio-fuel can produce about 30liters of oil a year; a hectare of algae could produce nearer to 30,000liters” (Davies). The comparison between the two is remarkable, if we have information and technology to turn algae into energy then the skies the limit. Davies also writes about Subitec. Subitec is currently the leading company in engineering of green fuel technology. 

Subitec has invented an incubator to grow algae without the use of sunlight; they feed the algae a special mixture, which includes mostly sugars that plants receive from photosynthesis. The overall plan is to develop a way to transfer the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning plants into their reactor to maximize algae production and reducing carbon emissions (Davies). However there is another element that can be harvested for energy that doesn’t emit carbon and has a higher efficiency rate. Hydrogen. Dr. Valerie Dupont from the School of Process of Environment and Materials Engineering says this about hydrogen, “I can foresee a time when the processes we are investigating could help ensure that hydrogen is a mainstream fuel. We are investigating the feasibility of creating a uniquely energy efficient method of hydrogen production which uses air rather than burners to heat the raw product. Our current research will improve the sustainability of this process and reduce its carbon emissions” (U of Leeds). There are two setbacks currently when producing hydrogen. The cost of producing it is extremely expensive and with todays technology scientists only know how to make it by releasing carbon dioxide during its development. Hydrogen fuel will replace dirty forms of energy in the near future; it needs proper funding and support first which needs to be done by the government. 

Until the dream fuel (hydrogen) can properly be developed and funded, we need to start using more renewables like solar, wind, and water turbines. These options are already available and being used but they don’t receive as much attention due to their expensive development process and inconvenience. All these sources are non-carbon emitting and renewable, they are also very efficient. Mark Jacobson, a civil environmental engineer at Stanford and Mark Delucchi, a researcher a UC Davis wrote an article about electric power in Science Daily. Their article depicted a world run completely on electricity. Plausible? Possibly. With no fossil fuels being used, energy consumption would substantially decrease. The energy usage would be reduced from 16.9 terawatts to 11.5 terawatts by using strictly electricity. They explain it like this, when developing fossil fuels, approximately eighty percent of the energy is lost when combusting the heat to produce a finished product. This method is outdated, wasteful, and pollutes the atmosphere with harsh chemicals like sulfate, methane, and carbon dioxide/ monoxide. Therefore this method leaves the producer with a mere twenty percent heat energy left. Now compared to renewable resources that produce electricity the rate is exactly opposite. When producing electricity only twenty percent of the heat energy is lost leaving you with a gross eighty percent (Stanford). With more research and development for electricity over fossil fuels the more plausible it will be. There isn’t any way one government can do it though. A transition of this scale would require complete unity between competing nations. However if achieved the mass use/abuse of fossil fuels will be ended and it would put an end to the monopoly that is know as OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum exporting Countries). Overall if the world could unite to develop safer and cleaner forms of energy the green house gas emissions would be almost completely eliminated. Renewable energy is the future and it needs to be funded and researched as soon as possible. 

What can federal governments around the world do in order to help develop cleaner energy and eliminate the use of fossil fuels? Regulations and research and development. In the IPCC’s fourth assessment report in 2007, chapter 11 discusses different ways that the government can participate and help divert this global problem. The most discussed policy is the “Cap-and-Trade.” This policy would allow a government or group of governments/leaders to essentially put a capacity limit on green house gas’s emitted by companies.  The idea is to sell permits based on the amount of pollutants a company’s factory and plants are producing. The rules are simple, higher the emissions the higher the contract price and visa versa. Lastly the companies could allegedly sell back their permit once their emissions were lowered to a respected level. The government would then be able to use this money to fund other research and development projects for cleaner greener energy. 

The UN deems that global warming plans, called “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions” will draw up the basis of a necessary, international contract on climate change, which will be discussed at a seminar in Paris in December. “Their assessment is decidedly upbeat about the plans, despite acknowledging that taken together they point to rises in global temperatures of 2.7C above the pre-industrial level.” UN climate chief, Christiana Figueres, said the plans were an excellent first step: The INDCs have the capability of limiting the forecast temperatures to rise to around 2.7C by 2100, by no means enough but a lot lower than the estimated four, five, or more degrees of warming projected by many prior to the INDCs (McGrath). With the UN contracting an agreement to keep emissions low and the U.S at their back heel in support, more pressure moves to China’s leaders to make a contract to uphold better standards. However like previously stated, something on this large of a worldwide scale could only work with full cooperation from all nations and strong enforcement of these regulations. Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Myron Ebell, agrees that a worldwide regulation could only be possible through complete harmony between leading nations. Ebell says, “carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas that is fairly well blended in the atmosphere around the world. If California does something and China and India don’t, then what we do is virtually useless” (Greenblat). This confirms that climate change needs to be concentrated topic between leading nations such as China, Japan, European Union, the United States, and possibly Russia. 

Overall it is very legitimate and acceptable to believe that mankind’s carbon footprint is the problem causing global warming. Our reliance on fossil fuels has become a known problem. We are not only endangering ourselves but the lives of generations ahead. If we keep pushing our planets limits it will eventually push back. Our dependence on dirty energy is the main reason why the ozone is depleting, BP’s 18.7 billion dollar spill that killed countless sea dwelling animals and was the leading cause of job loss in the coastal areas it affected happened, and countless other tragic and unlawful events. Climate change is not a light subject, which is why many people put it aside for others to deal with. It needs to be publicly addressed worldwide as a serious problem. The earth is our home and our provider. Society needs to open their eyes and stop neglecting one of the biggest problems of this century and beyond. If nothing is done about this catastrophic problem the planet will surly die along with our existence.  There is only one way today that everyone can make a difference, don’t forget about climate change, and tell your friends, family, co-workers, and peers of its overhanging effects on our future. Our generation needs to be the one to stop this ongoing problem. The only way to a greener future is through unity. 
