Dylan Pashoian

Professor Range

Composition 2

March 26, 2018

Climate Change Draft

Currently, the global doomsday clock is two minutes from reaching midnight. As the

Board of Atomic Scientists reports, the clock has moved forward 30 seconds from 2017 because

of world leaders disregard for climate change and threats of nuclear war. Although nuclear war is

preventable, climate change has already begun and is posing an imminent threat to humanity; if

humans continue on their current path, the planet and every living organism inhabiting it will feel

the grave consequences of climate change.

To begin, one must first understand how a heathy ecosystem works in order to fully

comprehend the effects of climate change. By definition, ecosystems are biological communities

that interact with their physical environment. Within an ecosystem, all living things depend on

abiotic factors such as soil, sunlight, water, and temperature to provide all of the necessary

components for life. Without the non-living factors in an ecosystem, no life could be sustained.

Soil provides nutrients for plants and shelter for animals, sunlight provides light, warmth, and

energy, and water makes up the majority of living organisms and is necessary for all life

(Ecosystems).

In addition to abiotic and biotic factors, core processes such as cooperation and symbiosis

make up the basis of a healthy ecosystem. Cooperation and symbiosis are both relationships
between different factors in an ecosystem. Cooperation is the process of living and non-living

things working together, where symbiosis is the process of two or more living organisms

interacting. Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism are the three sub-relationships of

symbiosis. Mutualism is a relationship where both parties benefit from one another, to explain, a

bee pollinating a flower results in the bee getting the nectar it desires and the plant getting

pollinated. Commensalism is a relationship where only one party benefits, and the other party

remains unharmed, an example of this would be a remora attaching itself to a shark; the remora

gets a free ride, a measure of protection, and food scraps from the shark, and the shark is

unharmed. Lastly, parasitism is a relationship where only one party benefits and the other party

is harmed. Predator-prey interactions are a good example of parasitism, as the prey is most often

killed or harmed for the greater survival of the predator. Climate change is negatively and

directly affecting the non-living factors of ecosystems, which is having detrimental effects on the

living organisms (Interactions).

While some do not believe that climate change is caused by humans or even real, the

scientific evidence for climate change is “unequivocal” (Synthesis). Climate change being

naturally caused by the sun seems rational as solar variability has caused changes in the past, but

the amount of energy coming from the sun since 1750 has remained fairly constant. In addition

to this, if the sun was causing global warming, scientists would expect to see each layer of the

atmosphere warming, but in reality, scientists have observed a cooling in the outer layers of the

atmosphere, and a significant warming in lower layers of the atmosphere (Evidence). So if the

sun is not causing global warming, than the main argument and only proposed answer against

climate change is moot.

 As it stands now, climate change is believed to be mainly caused by the “human

expansion of the greenhouse effect” (Causes). The greenhouse effect is caused by human activity

such as deforestation, agriculture, industry, and burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. Certain

gasses that are released during these processes get caught in Earth’s atmosphere and block heat

from escaping. These gasses remain semi-permanently in the atmosphere and do not respond

physically or chemically to temperature change, therefore forcing climate change. The main

gasses contributing to the greenhouse effect are carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide is

released through respiration, deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Methane is

released by landfills, agriculture, and livestock, and while it is much less abundant that carbon

dioxide, it is much more active on a molecule for molecule basis. Water vapor is also considered

a greenhouse gas, but unlike carbon dioxide and methane, water vapor is not nearly as harmful.

As Earth’s atmosphere warms, the amount of water vapor also increases resulting in more clouds

and precipitation, because of this and the fact that no other greenhouse gas has an effect visible

to the human eye, water vapor is considered a feedback to climate change (Causes).

Climate change has already had a measurable effect on Earth and will continue to

threaten Earth and every living organism on it until a genuine change is made by humanity.

Before the start of humanity, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had never raised

above 300 parts per million, but since the start of humanity, the amount of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere has had a vertical spike to over 400 parts per million (Evidence). As a result of this,

the planets average temperature has risen by 2 degrees since the late 19th century, with the

majority of the warming having occurred within the last 35 years and 16 of the 17 warmest years

on record occurring after 2001. Climate change has the potential to monumentally change Earth
through temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreats, decreased snow

cover, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events (Effects).

The effects of climate change can best be seen through snow cover and ice as it is the

factor that has been most greatly affected by climate change. On March 17, 2018 arctic sea ice

reached its yearly maximum and was the second lowest sea ice maximum ever recorded. In fact,

the four lowest maximum extents have all occurred within the last 4 years (Maximum). Ice

coverage in the great lakes has reduced by 63%, and ice thickness has reduced by 50%

(Overview). In Greenland, 36 to 60 cubic miles of ice sheets had been lost each year from 2002

to 2006 and has continued to decrease at a similar or increased rate. In the arctic, 36 cubic miles

of ice sheets have been lost each year, and overall ice coverage has reduced by 49% from the

1980’s to 2012 (Cho).

Snow and ice help Earth regulate the exchange of heat between Earth surface and the

atmosphere as well as Earth’s energy balance. Because snow reflects 80-90% of sunlight, it helps

balance Earth’s energy and heat exchange by reflecting solar energy back into space, cooling the

planet. For reference, trees, plants, and soil only reflect about 10-30% of sunlight. Although cold

and frozen, snow insulates and protects the ground and the organisms living underground as only

1 foot of snow will completely protect the ground from any change in air temperature. If the

ground were to freeze, greenhouse gasses like carbon and methane would become trapped under

the ice, organisms living underground would die, the plants that other organisms depend on for

food would die, and root death paired with nutrient runoff would cause algae blooms and dead

zones (Snow).

By 2050, the arctic is expected to be completely ice free in the summer months, and

because all of the ice around the world is melting into the oceans, the ocean itself and the life
inhabiting it will experience great change. To further explain, the ice sheets in the arctic and

around the globe are habitats for thousands of species, and so when all of the ice melts, every

single organism that depends on it will die. In addition to this, global sea levels are expected to

rise between 2 and 6 feet depending on if humans make a significant change regarding climate

change or not (Trends).

If not, sea levels could rise tremendously causing ocean acidification, problems with

photosynthesis in sea plants, changes in animal migratory patterns, coral bleaching, and major

coastal flooding. Ocean acidification is the decrease in pH and the increase in carbon dioxide, it

has a major effect on calcifying species such as oysters, clams, plankton, and corals. Because

these species are the make up the base of many food webs, all the organisms apart of those webs,

including humans, are at risk (Acidification). For further analysis, billions of people depend on

the oceans organisms for food, and just as many rely on it for economic purposes. In addition to

this, only 28% of Earth’s oxygen comes from rainforests, and 70% of it comes from marine

plants like seagrass. So if the sea were to rise to projected levels, marine plants would struggle to

survive as less light would reach the ocean floor for photosynthesis. Rising sea levels would also

cause major coastal flooding, trillions of dollars in damage, and mass displacement of people.

Weather patterns on Earth are also being greatly affected by climate change as the

temperature rises. Precipitation and heavy downpours are increasing due to a higher evaporation

rate. Water surface temperatures are rising, which is making hurricanes more powerful and more

likely. Droughts are becoming longer and more intense, winter storms are increasing intensity,

and wildfires are becoming more likely (Effects).

In conclusion, climate change is going to wreak havoc on Earth in the very near future,

even if humans do make a major change. Too much irreversible damage has already been done
and will continue to be done as humans most likely won’t change. Due to ignorance and

complete disregard for climate change, life on Earth and the future of humanity may be

nonexistent. Climate change is effecting every living organism and humans are no different, the

food chain will be completely destroyed, and many of the things humans depend on for everyday

life will be majorly affected.

 Works Cited

“Arctic Sea Ice Maximum at Second Lowest in the Satellite Record.” NSIDC Arctic News and

Analysis RSS, National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Cho, Renee. “Climate Change Poses Challenges to Plants and Animals.” State of the Planet,

General Earth Institute, 13 Feb. 2015.

“Climate Change Causes: A Blanket around the Earth.” Climate Change: Vital Signs, NASA, 10

Aug. 2017.

“Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” Climate Change: Vital Signs, NASA, 8 Feb.

2017.

“Climate Change Synthesis Report.” Fifth Assessment Report , International Panel on Climate.

“Climate Trends.” Climate Trends, National Climate Assessment.

“Ecological Interactions.” Ecological Interactions, World Wild Life Foundation.

“Global Climate Change: Effects.” Climate Change: Vital Signs, NASA, 27 Feb. 2018.

“Healthy Ecosystems.” Exotic Invasive Plant Species , Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

“Overview.” Overview, National Climate Assessment.

“Snow and Climate.” All About Snow, National Snow and Ice Data Center.

“What Is Ocean Acidification?” PMEL Carbon Program, NOAA.