Climate changes are a

part of a natural
geological cycle
English Assignment Group C

Government team
We agree that climate change is affected either directly or
indirectly by natural phenomenon. Some examples are,
1.
2.
3.
4.

Plate tectonics
Volcanic eruptions
Fluctuation of Earths axial tilt (Milankovitchs cycle)
Thermal inertia

1. Plate tectonics
The Earth is actually composed of many layers rather than being one
solid sphere.

The plate tectonic theory suggests that Earths outer shell is divided
into plates that glide over the mantle. Due to this property , the
plates, known as tectonic plates are not fixed to a certain location
but can move as it glides across the mantle.
Due to this phenomenon, certain areas located on the tectonic plates
are actually mobile and can move from its initial position. Due to the
mobility of the plates, the areas that are located on the tectonic
plates can experience climate changes as the plates travel from
warmer regions to colder regions and vice versa. However, the rate of
movement of the plates are very slow.

A good example of this phenomenon would be the San Andreas

fault line located in the USA. The state of California lies on 2
tectonic plates, the Pacific plate and the North American plate.
These 2 plates are constantly moving away from each other at an
average rate of 3-4 inches a year, forming a seismic gap.

The San Andreas fault line.

A picture depicting the movement of

the tectonic plates that forms the San
Andreas Fault Line.

Climate,
Noun.
thecompositeorgenerallyprevailingweatherconditionsofaregion
, such
astemperature,airpressure,humidity,precipitation,sunshine,
cloudiness,andwinds,throughouttheyear,averagedoveraseries
of years.

Pangaea, the supercontinent that existed approximately

300 million years ago.

2. Volcanic eruptions
Volcanic eruptions are an eruption of gas and semi solid rocks from
the Earths molten crust to the surface via vents such as volcanoes
on Earths surface. When a volcano erupts, it emits large amounts of
Carbon and carbon dioxide gas directly into the atmosphere. These
gases insulate the Earth, preventing heat from escaping into space
and this phenomenon is known as the green house effect. The green
house effect causes an increase in Earths temperature that leads to
climate change in the long run.

Eruption of Mt Calbuco in Chile results in a massive ash cloud .

Hydrothermal vents are also

responsible for emitting Carbon
dioxide gases from Earths crust

Hydrothermal vents
are more widespread
than volcanoes and
can contribute to the
Green House Effect.

3. Milankovitchs cycle
The Earth orbits roughly 149,600,000km from the sun. The distance
of the Earth to the sun plays a vital factor in the regulation of
temperature on Earth. If a planet is too close to the sun like Venus,
temperatures there will be too high and if a planet is too far from
the sun, the temperature will be too low to sustain life. Earths
position is perfect to sustain life as its neither too hot or cold.
However, the Earths angle of tilt can change. Milankovitchs theory
was that the oscillations in the degree of Earth's axial tilt occur on a
periodicity of 41,000 years from 21.5 to 24.5 degrees. In laymans
terms, the Earth can tilt closer or farther to the sun, causing an
change in temperature and climate as certain regions of Earth will
be closer or further to the sun.

When the Earths axial tilt is towards to the sun, the northern
regions experience summer solstice while winter solstice is
experienced when the axial tilt of Earth is away from the sun.

4. Thermal inertia effect

When Earth was formed, it was in a very hot and dense state. The
oceans at that time experienced extreme temperatures. However, as
time went on, the Earth began to cool and life started on this planet.
However, just like cooling a huge volume of water compared to a
smaller one, the smaller one will cool faster. This is called the thermal
inertia effect. Since almost 70% of Earths surface is covered in water,
the oceans of the Earth is still cooling down even to this day. Even in a
few million years, the oceans will continue to cool. This will cause a
change in climate as cooler oceans results in cooler temperatures.
Thus, Earths climate is constantly undergoing change due to natural
geological cycles.

Opposition team
We, the opposition team do not agree with the motion. We believe that
climate change is due to human activities such as industrialization and
globalization. Among the human activities responsible for climate change
are:
1. Usage of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
2. Industrialization
3. Urban heat island effect
4. Deforestation

1. Usage of Chlorofluorocarbons
Ever since its discovery, mankind has used chlorofluorocarbons for
many purposes ranging from refrigerants to degreasing agents due to
its low toxicity, low reactivity, and low flammability properties.

However, when released into the atmosphere, chlorofluorocarbons are

broken down by Ultraviolet radiation from the sun to form chlorine
atoms. These chlorine atoms react with the ozone molecules, O3 to
produce oxygen gas and ClO- ions. Ozone is responsible for filtering
out most of the suns UV radiation that heats the Earth. When the
ozone layer is depleted, more of the suns UV rays can penetrate the
atmosphere and increase Earths surface temperature. This in turn
causes climate change.

2. Industrialization
The industrial revolution occurred in the 1760s and as a result, new
manufacturing processes and modes of transport have been created. Due
to these engineering marvels, mankind has left a big carbon footprint on
Earth. From the use of automobiles to jet engines, the amount of carbon
dioxide produced have tripled over the past centuries. Due to the increase
in carbon dioxide production, the Earth is experiencing the Green House
effect, due to the presence of a layer of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
that insulates the Earth resulting in climate change.

During world war 2, there was a huge spike in Carbon dioxide

concentration. World war 2 was indirectly caused by German and
Japanese industrialization that led to the occupation of countries thus,
resulting in world war 2.

3.Urban heat island effect

As the human population grows, bigger cities and industrial areas are being
built. Roads and railways are increasingly replacing the Earth with asphalt an
rocks. The asphalt and rocks used for road pavement is usually dark in colour
and absorbs heat easily. Due to this property, heat energy is retained in cities
where there are a lot of roads instead of being reflected back into the
atmosphere. This creates an urban heat island effect as temperatures in the
cities are higher compared to rural areas. Due to this phenomenon, large
areas of land can experience a significant increase in temperature that will, in
the long run, cause climate change as changes in temperatures affect the
water cycle and percentage of humidity.

Large cities such as New York can create the urban heat island effect

4. Deforestation
Mankind has always exploited the Earth for industrial purposes. Among
Earths resources, wood has always been sought after. Wood has many
uses in industry from making furniture to building tools. Wood is
obtained from trees which are cut down in forests. However, trees play a
vital role in sustaining the environment. They provide habitat for
animals and also regulate carbon dioxide and water cycles. However,
due to excess logging, the Earth is experiencing climate change due to
the interruption of water and carbon dioxide cycles as the number of
trees have been reduced due to industrial activities. An interrupted
water cycle results in a change in humidity while excess carbon dioxide
that cannot be converted into oxygen by trees will further influence the
green house effect.

Trees play an important role in

maintaining humidity through
the process of transpiration.

In conclusion, the Earth is always

subjected to climate change.
However, human activities speeds up
the process.