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Nicole Fuchs

Professor Riley

English 1201

22 July 2019

How Humans have Impacted Climate Change Research Paper

Climate change has been a hot topic for the past few years. With politics, it seems

that the conservatory and the debate surrounding climate change is growing even more

prevalent. Imagine a world without polar bears. As of now, this seems like this might be very

realistic in the near future. Polar bears have been “the poster child” of climate change.

However, some people do not believe that there is anything they can do to help save the

polar bears and other affected animals.

This picture to the right was taken by

photographer Kerstin Langenberger

who is an accredited wildlife

photographer. This picture was then

featured on CBC’s webpage. The main

claim of this picture is the reality that polar bears are becoming thinner due to climate

change. Specially, due to the decreasing amount of ice that the polar bears need to hunt and

survive on. In addition, climate change is also affecting the animals that the polar bears feed

upon because these animals also need the ice to survive. This picture is trying to demonstrate

that climate change is a really serious issue and it needs to be addressed before it is too late.

More likely than not, the polar bear is thin due to the shrinking ice caps and humans have
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played a role in this. Humans have contributed to climate change by increasing the amount

of carbon dioxide released in the air and by burning fossil fuels in their daily activities. As a

result, polar bears and other species are being affected and are facing extinction. The

lifestyles of humans have changed dramatically since the Industrial Revolution. As a result,

humans have impacted climate change and this is affecting the environment and species.

Climate change is occurring and humans have helped to expedite the effects. An

article published on Dayton Daily News, by Shelby Lin Erdman who is a journalist for the

Cox Media Group titled, “Six Signs of Climate Change and Why It is Already Here”

presents scientific data to try to support the fact that climate change is already occurring.

Throughout Erdman’s article, she provides six different scientific reasons to help suggest

that climate change is already occurring. As Erdman states in her article, “the last five years

[are] the hottest in recorded history. The data also show that the warmest years on record

have occurred since 2001, confirming for scientists that quickly rising temperatures in a

short time span are caused by humans, and are very different from the changing climate

during Earth’s prehistoric time or during the later ice age” (Erdman). In this quote, Erdman

is providing evidence that climate change is already occurring but that some scientists are

convinced that humans have played a role in contributing to the severity of climate change.

Another reason that Erdman provides is that the melting of a layer of soil known as

“permafrost” is continuously thawing at a rapid pace. “Permafrost, ground that remains

frozen for two or more consecutive years… is already thawing in some places in Alaska and

the Arctic. This is a huge concern for scientists because they estimate the world’s permafrost

holds 1,500 billion tons of carbon… When permafrost thaws, it releases carbon into the
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atmosphere and could accelerate climate change” (Erdman). As temperatures continue to

rise, it is causing devastating effects in some parts of the world, like, the permafrost melting.

Not only is permafrost important to the animals that depend on it for survival, permafrost is

capable of absorbing and holding carbon. As the temperature increases, and the permafrost

melts, more carbon is released into the atmosphere. Another concern with rising

temperatures is that it melts the ice caps. This threatens the life that depends on the ice for

survival (Erdman). Releasing more carbon into the atmosphere may continue to increase

temperatures and threaten life that depends upon the permafrost and ice.

Climate change has also had impacts in climate and long term weather conditions.

One specific example as outlined by Erdman is that flooding, droughts and higher

temperatures have become more common. As quoted by Erdman in her article, the U.S.

Global Change Research Program states, “Over the past 50 years, much of the U.S. has seen

increases in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, heavy downpours, and in

some regions severe floods and droughts” (Erdman). As Erdman outlines in her article, these

changes in weather conditions/climate are already affecting animals. Erdman states, “Species

already in decline due to rising temperatures include polar bears, coral, North Atlantic cod

and Adelie penguins, to name just a few” (Erdman). As Erdman mentions these four species

are not the only species that are threatened by climate change but are some of the most

common examples.

The scientific article, “Does It Matter If People Think Climate Change Is Human

Caused?” written by Joel Hartter addresses the controversial topic of whether climate change

is occurring and if humans are the main cause. This article designed and implemented a
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scientific project that tested if droughts and wildfires were becoming more common in

Oregon. The results of the experiment concluded that wildfires are becoming more frequent.

A quote from the conclusion of Hartter’s scientific article states, “Dry years have become

more common, along with upward trends in temperature, and in area burned by wildfires.

Scientists know that these trends are linked, and are likely related to global climate change.

Perceptions by the general public remain deeply divided, although our two surveys suggest

this could be slowly changing” (Hartter). Like Erdman, Hartter is offering proof, gathered

from a scientific experiment, to help convince people that climate change is really

occurring.

Not only is climate change occurring, humans play a significant role in how serve

climate change is becoming. The article titled, “How Do We Know That Humans are the

Major Cause of Global Warming?” posted on the The Union of Concerned Scientists’

website, provides proof that humans are accelerating climate change by daily activities. The

Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit organization that works to gather scientific data

to help explain/solve some of the planet’s most troubling problems- like climate change. A

quote taken directly from the article states, “Scientists agree that today’s warming is

primarily caused by humans putting too much carbon in the atmosphere, like when we

choose to extract and burn coal, oil, and gas, or cut down and burn forests… compared to

other carbon sources, carbon from fossil fuels has a distinctly different “signature,”

essentially the relative amount of heavier or lighter atoms of carbon (technically δ13C). The

more negative the δ13C, the higher the proportion of carbon from fossil fuels... Over the

years, δ13C has decreased while the overall amount of CO2 has increased. This information
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tells scientists that fossil fuel emissions are the largest contributor of CO2 concentrations

since the pre-industrial era." (“How Do We Know That Humans are the Major Cause of

Global Warming”). This quote supports the fact that humans are contributing to climate

change. The biggest reason humans are contributing to climate change is due to the output of

carbon into the atmosphere. The main human activity that is responsible is the burning of

fossil fuels. Scientists have been able to prove that fossil fuels give off a unique signature

and scientists have been able to determine how much carbon in the atmosphere is from

burning fossil fuels. This fact further proves that humans are playing a role in the severity of

climate change.

Author Michael Bloomberg who co-wrote his book, Climate of Hope, which

discusses the importance of climate change and the necessity of taking action. Bloomberg is

featured in an interview posted on the Oceana website. Ocena is an organization that is

committed to preserving and restoring marine life globally. Bloomberg discusses the ability

that all Americans have to reduce the effects of climate change. Bloomberg mentions that

even though the United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement, citizens can still work to

honor the conditions of the agreement specifically lowering the country’s carbon footprint.

In the interview, Bloomberg offers several changes to help address the issue of climate

change and ways to help lower an individual's carbon footprint. One of his solutions include

biking/carpooling more and planting more trees. Bloomberg states, “Parks and trees make

cities more beautiful, and they also suck carbon and soot out of the air. Energy efficiency

reduces emissions while cleaning the air and saving money. Bike lanes and mass transit

make it easier to get around town while also shrinking city carbon footprints. These are just a
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few of the steps that help cities attract new residents and businesses while also strengthening

the economy” (Bloomberg). Bloomberg offers a couple of different benefits to riding bikes

more and planting more trees. As Bloomberg outlines a couple of benefits is the economy

will benefit, as well as the air will be cleaner. Perhaps the most important reason, is that in

riding bikes more and planting more trees, this will help to reduce the output of carbon into

the atmosphere. In return, lowering the output of carbon will help slow down climate

change.

In addition, Bloomberg also suggests that Americans should help to preserve marine

life to aid in the fight against climate change. Bloomberg states in the article, “Healthy fish

populations aid the fight against climate change, because fish has a lower carbon footprint

than beef and other types of meat” (Bloomberg). Bloomberg explains that fish have a lower

carbon footprint than beef. Therefore, by consuming more fish people can reduce their

carbon footprints which will help prevent climate change from becoming even worse in the

near future.

Climate change is not a result of human activities; instead, climate change can be

explained by natural processes. For example, the increased carbon in the atmosphere is a

result of natural processes like cellular respiration and volcano eruptions. When humans

exhale, they release carbon into the atmosphere. Since the population has continued to

increase, more carbon is being released into the atmosphere by more people exhaling. The

rise in temperatures can be attributed to the warming of the sun. As the sun warms up, the

Earth is warming up too. Carpooling and riding a bike are good ideas but are not realistic or

feasible for every situation. Buying energy efficient appliances is more expensive for
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homeowners and this discourages homeowners from buying energy efficient appliances. The

article, “Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible For Global Climate Change?” offers

explanations as to why climate change is occurring and it is not due to humans. The article

“Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible For Global Climate Change?” states, “According

to a 2007 study published in Energy & Environment, ‘variations in solar activity and not the

burning of fossil fuels is the direct cause of the observed multiyear variations in climatic

responses… According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-

Terrestrial Physics, ‘up to 70% of the observed post-1850 climate change and warming

could be associated to multiple solar cycles” (“Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible For

Global Climate Change?”). According to this article, climate change is not related to humans

and their lifestyles. Instead, the changes in the sun can explain the changes in climate and the

continuous warming temperatures. “A 2014 report by the Global Warming Policy

Foundation found that a slow global sea level rise has been ongoing for the last 10,000

years” according to “Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible For Global Climate Change?”

This statement from the article any ties to humans and climate change considering humans

lived much different lifestyles 10,000 years ago and the amount of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere was much lower.

While some of the changes in the temperature and climate may be able to be

attributed to natural causes, the main driving force is humans. The article titled, “The Causes

of Climate Change“, written by Holly Shaftel states “Carbon dioxide (CO2). A minor but

very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural

processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as
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deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased

atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began.

This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change” (Shaftel). The quote

explains how carbon dioxide is released as a natural process but how humans activities (like

burning fossil fuels) have greatly attributed to the warming effect.

Also, while buying energy efficient appliances and installing solar panels may be

more of a costly option upfront, it will save homeowners money on their electricity bills. A

quote from “How Much Does Energy Efficiency Cost” written in January 2019 states, “The

U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the typical household can save 25% on utility bills

with energy efficiency measures, which amounts to over $2,200 annually. Although energy

efficiency is often the more expensive option in the short term when compared with

conventional alternatives, utility bill savings over the life of the efficient product can fully

offset the initial cost premium and yield an implicit return on investment for homeowners”

(“How Much Does Energy Efficiency Cost”). This proves that homeowners will save money

in the years to come, nearly 25% on their electrical bills, by buying energy efficient

appliances. Energy efficient appliances are better for the environment, can help fight climate

change, and help save the homeowners money in the future.

The warming of the sun is not responsible for climate change either. Another quote

taken from Shaftel’s article states “the Sun can influence the Earth’s climate, but it isn’t

responsible for the warming trend we’ve seen over the past few decades. The Sun is the

giver of life; it helps keep the planet warm enough for us to survive. We know subtle

changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun are responsible for the comings and goings of the
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ice ages. But the warming we’ve seen over the last few decades is too rapid to be linked to

changes in Earth’s orbit, and too large to be caused by solar activity… if the Sun were

responsible for global warming, we would expect to see warming throughout all layers of the

atmosphere, from the surface all the way up to the upper atmosphere (stratosphere). But what

we actually see is warming at the surface and cooling in the stratosphere. This is consistent

with the warming being caused by a build-up of heat-trapping gases near the surface of the

Earth, and not by the Sun getting ‘hotter” (Shaftel). Here Shaftel explains why the sun could

not really be the source of the Earth’s continued rising temperatures. If the sun was

contributing to climate change than the layer of the atmosphere closest to the sun would be

expected to be the hottest and the layers would gradually cool moving away from the sun.

However, as Shaftel explains, the layer closest to humans is the warmest while the layer

closest to the sun is actually cooler. Due to this inconsistency, this proves that the sun does

not play as big of a role in climate change that humans do.

Humans have contributed to climate change. If climate change continues to increase

at this rate, species will be driven to extinction. While polar bears may be the “poster child”

of climate change, they are unfortunately, not the only animals at risk for extinction due to

climate change. However, since humans have arguably been part of the problem, humans

need to be part of the solution too. Solutions provided earlier include: carpooling, riding a

bike, switching to natural and renewable energy sources, and buying energy efficient

appliances. Bloomberg suggests the urgency in the matter of climate change by stating in his

interview, “fighting climate change is one of our greatest opportunities for improving lives”

(Bloomberg). As suggested by Bloomberg action needs to be taken now before it is too late
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and species are driven to extinction. If not for the environment and the wellbeing of the

planet; action needs to be taken before it threatens human’s lives as well. The article titled

“IPCC Presents Findings of the Special Report of Global Warming of 1.5 ℃ at Event to

Discuss Viet Nam’s Response to Climate Change” is featured on the IPCC’s website. The

IPCC is a global organization that helps provide information to governments so they can

combat climate change for the better. The IPCC has been around helping governments and

gathering research since 1988. In this article, the IPCC chair mentions that the Paris

agreement is supposed to hold countries to a max increase of 2 °C. However this article

explores how holding global warming to 1.5 °C would greatly benefit ecosystems and the

planet. By decreasing this target number by .5 °C, almost 30% more coral reefs would be

saved (IPCC Presents Findings of the Special Report of Global Warming of 1.5 °C at Event

to Discuss Viet Nam’s Response to Climate Change”). By just decreasing temperatures

globally to just .5°C, humans can hopefully give the coral reefs the time they need to adapt

to avoid extinction. This article shows just how important it is for humans to stand together

and to take action to save our planet against climate change before it is too late.

Even if humans have not contributed to climate change, humans need to be part of the

solution. Pope Francis is quoted in a John Hopkins article titled, “Food and Climate

Change”. In the article Pope Francis states, “The environmental challenge we are

undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.” Regardless of whom/what is the

possible cause of climate change, or if humans have had any role in accelerating climate

change; humans need to unite. Humans need to come together to fight and tackle this serve

problem of climate change. Humans have not done anything to address this problem for too
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long. The article, “Food and Climate Change”, states, “Climate change is among the greatest

threats of our generation—and of generations to come—to public health, ecosystems, and the

economy.” Everyone has to be committed to helping solve this issue. If humans do not take

action that is so necessary now, then it may have lasting impacts on the environment.

Species may continue to become extinct and climate change may directly affect human’s

lives, as well, in the near future.

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Works Cited

Bloomberg, Michael. “Interview: Michael Bloomberg on Climate Change Optimism”.

Ocenea. oceana.org/blog/interview-michael-bloomberg-climate-change-optimis

Erdman, Shelby. “6 Signs of Climate Change and Why It’s Already Here”. Dayton Daily

News. 19 Feb 2019. www.daytondailynews.com/news/national/signs-climate-

change-and-why-already-here/zCzsVPVQOj5Fh2SfhVNJBI/

“Food and Climate Change.” John Hopkins University. www.foodsystemprimer.org/food-

production/food-and-climate-change/index.html. 15 July 2019.

Hartter, Joel, et al. “Does It Matter If People Think Climate Change Is Human Caused?”

Climate Services, vol. 10, Apr.2018,pp.53–62.EBSCOhost,doi:10.1016/j.cliser.

2017.06.014.www-sciencedirect-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/science/article/pii/S24

0588071730092. Accessed 26 June 2019.

“How Do We Know That Humans are the Major Cause of Global Warming?” UCSUSA. 1

Aug. 2017. www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/

human-contribution-to-gw-faq.html. Accessed 26 June 2019.

“How Much Does Energy Efficiency Cost.” Energy Sage. 16 Jan. 2019.

www.energysage.com/energy-efficiency/why-conserve-energy/cost-of-ee/.

Accessed 26 June 2019.

“IPCC Presents Findings of the Special Report of Global Warming of 1.5 ℃ at Event to

Discuss Viet Nam’s Response to Climate Change.” The Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change. 10 Oct 2018.www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/10/ipcc-presents-

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Findings-of-the-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-at-event-to-discuss-v

iet-nams-response-to-climate-change/. Accessed 26 June 2019.

“Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible For Global Climate Change?” ProCon.org.

(19 July 2016). climatechange.procon.org/. Accessed 15 July 2019.

Langenberger, Kerstin. The Photographer of ‘Horribly Thin’ Polar Bear Hopes to

Inspire Climate Change Fight. 17 Sept. 2015.www.cbc.ca/news/trending/thin-

bear-photo-kerstin-1.3232725.

Shaftel, Holly. “The Causes of Climate Change.” NASA. 28 May 2019.

climate.nasa.gov/causes/. Accessed 26 June 2019.