Uriel Corrales

ENGL 2010/Kilpatrick
March, 8 2016

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE?

Climate change has been a controversial topic throughout the world.

But the more time passes by, the more people see and feel the changes in
the environment. Elevated levels of greenhouse gases emission, the changes
in temperature, the melting of the glaciers, the inversion, and the droughts
are only some factor of the changes happening on earth. So why are all
these changes happening, and what is causing them? Around 97 percent of
well-respected climate change scientists agree that the changes around our
environment are caused by human activity such as burning of fossil fuels and
greenhouse gasses (Cook). According to an article titled, Climate Change:
What Happens after 2100? by Gregory Trencher, Trencher states that we will
live in a world poisoned by CO2. (Trencher) It will linger in the atmosphere for
centuries to come and it will affect every living creature on Earth. Also other
outcomes of climate change will continue to worsen. Sea levels and
temperatures will continue to rise. Climate change will continue to intensify
and grow, which puts everyone and everything in danger. In the first article
introduced, author John Cook conducts a study about the awareness of
people around the world and their beliefs about climate change, next
Professor in Geology Sciences Carlo DAgata will show evidence of receding

glaciers in the Italian Alps do to Anthropogenic, Finally the last source is

based on NASA evidence about climate change.
In the academic article, Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic
global warming in the scientific literature, the author John Cook conducted a
study that tested all other studies and research about climate change from
1991-2011. Cook did the study by getting raters to analyze all the peer
review articles about climate change. There were 11,944 papers that were
reviewed and either had no position, rejected or had a position on climate
change. Cook expressed the results show that 97.1% of papers written about
climate change that had a position about it, believe that humans are the
main cause for the changes. In a second part of the study, authors that write
about climate change rated their own work and 98.4% endorsed
anthropogenic global warming (AGW) or pollution caused by human activity.
Further into the study Cook explains around 57% of Americans that have no
position or reject climate change. Cook discusses how major oil companies
like Western Fuel Association spent millions of dollars on campaign that
dismiss climate change as a problem, thus confusing the public. From this
Cook states that having scientific evidence will educate the public and make
them aware of the causes of climate change (Cook).
John Cook is the headmaster of Climate Communication for the Global
Change Institute at the University of Queensland, and also wrote books like
Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand, and co-authored for a 2013
college textbook called, Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis. This

particular article was awarded the best paper published in Environmental

Research Letters in 2013. (Ward) We can see the credibility of the author
through his experiences and expertise. That is the reason he is credible to
conduct this study and write this article. Cook also utilizes logic through the
study he performed. He uses evidence and statistics to show that climate
change is in fact caused by humans. Cook claims that 98.4% of well
recognize scientist believe in anthropogenic global warming. He uses this
valuable information to educate the public about the presence and danger of
our activities and how it empowers the negative changes in the environment.
Professor Carlo DAgata et al wrote, Glacier shrinkage driven by
climate change during half a century (19542007) in the Ortles-Cevedale
group (Stelvio National Park, Lombardy, Italian Alps) In this study DAgata
shows evidence of over 113 glacier in the Alpine region named OrtlesCevedale glaciers and other glacier around the Italian valley have receded
over 40% in the last 50 years. He explains that the warming of the Alps have
almost doubles in the last half century. D Agata states that these changes
are unnatural climate variability, because of the present greenhouse effect
and rising climate. DAgata observed that because of the melting of glaciers,
water sources are now lower in the local area and the geodiversity of these
mountains are being affected.
Author Carlo DAgata graduated with a PhD in Geological Science at
the University of Milan Italy. Then after graduating became a scientist at the
Department of Earth Sciences at the same university. D Agata has dedicated

his life to studying glaciers all over the world. He has written over 14 peer
reviewed papers about glaciers with other well know scientist all over the
world. D Agata explains that glacier melting and receding is a serious
situation because of the changes that are occurring do to climate change.
Water sources become scares and the geodiversity of the Alps Mountains are
being unnaturally changes do to the high temperatures. This article utilizes
ethos through the authors credibility and the studies done throughout the 50
years. D Argata used satellite photos, regular photos, previous
investigations and personal experience with the glaciers over the years to
create all the statistics and charts filled with evidence. Futhermore, D Argata
uses Pathos to show the readers that because of the greenhouse effect that
caused the rising in temperatures, the locals are being affected due to low
water sources. D Argata explains that this is a serious matter and it will
continue to worsen and sources will continue to decrease if change isnt
presented.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has created a
website specifically for Climate change and climate change awareness. At
the beginning of the webpage there is a figure that shows carbon dioxide
levels have gone up about 403.19 parts per million in our atmosphere. That
is the highest levels of CO2 ever to be recorded, and it started rising
dramatically at the beginning of the 1950s. CO2 is a gas that is part of the
greenhouse effect and also includes other gasses like water vapor, Methane,
Nitrous Oxide, and CFC which are all emitted by human activities like burning

oil and fossil fuel. These negative factors have created a cloud of greenhouse
gasses that trap in heat from the sun and send it back to the surface.
Therefore warming the planet and raising temperatures by 1.4 degrees F
since 1880, which resulted in having 10 of the warmest years occurring in
the past 12 years. Other effects of anthropogenic climate change has had
are rising sea levels, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, extreme natural
events decreasing snow cover, ocean acidification, and many more stated by
NASA and its references (NASA).
NASA is one of the most credible, admirable, and respected companies
in the world. The federal government funded NASA with 17.7 Billion dollars in
2013. The web page is not an academic essay but it does have a huge
amount of sources and references from scientist that have written academic
articles. For example the author and scientist John Cook (whom is presented
in the first article shared in this essay) who wrote, Quantifying the
consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature was
extracted from the references in the NASA climate change website. NASA
also has their own well respected scientists that are qualified to write articles
like this. James Hansen (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at
Columbia University) is one of those scientists that believe that climate
change is an urgent problem and it is being caused by human activities.
Furthermore NASA is partnered up with some of the most well know Scientist
groups in the world like American Association for the Advancement of
Science, U.S. Global Change Research Program, and Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change. NASA utilizes Ethos by displaying statistics, charts and

satellite pictures of all the changes caused by anthropogenic global warming,
and of course the many credible references they site. NASA then goes on to
utilize the Pathos appeal, by showing the danger humanity is in and how we
have to care about Earth. For example there is a page in the website that is
targeted at kid and for them to be aware of what is happening to this planet.
In this webpage children can play games and learn about climate change in a
simple way. With NASA targeting kids, makes the parents care more about
climate change in order for their children to have a better, livable future.
The NASA climate change website is an overview of all the affects
climate change has had and is currently having. The scientists speak about
the melting of the glaciers in the same matter as DAgata. Both sources
explain that the main reason glaciers around the world like the Alps,
Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa are melting do to the unnatural
changes in temperatures. Furthermore both sources do state that its due to
the greenhouse effect, which is being altered by human activity. Evidence
show from NASA references and DArgata study that Mount Kilimanjaro in
Eastern Africa is the most affected Mountain of glacier loss in the world due
to human activity. Although NASA strictly states that global warming is due
to human activities, DArgata makes a more conservative approach of stating
thing like, unnatural changes and altered greenhouse effect. While Cook is
stating the statistics of his study of how many scientist actually believe
climate change is caused by humans. Throughout his article, Cook is clearly

believer of anthropogenic global warming. Stating the consequences of not

being educated about climate change, and claiming that major oil companies
support anti-climate change campaigns, shows his side of the topic. All
sources confidently point their fingers at the human race for the abnormal
changes happening on Earth.
In conclusion, all three sources continuously agree that climate change
is caused by human activities. The statistics, facts, studies, and evidence
done by highly educated scientist show that there is no way all these
extremely negative outcomes are happening to this world naturally. Humans
are the reason for the destruction of Earth. The public has to be aware and
educated about climate change and therefore live a cleaner, safer life for
future generations to come. Reassurance is what the public has to acquire, in
order for change to start.

Works Cited
Cook, John. "Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the
scientific literature." 2013. IOP Science. 8 March 2016.
<file:///C:/Users/Windows%208%20Pro/Downloads/erl13_2_024024.pdf>.
NASA. "Climate change: how do we know?" n.d. NASA GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE. 9
March 2016.

Trencher, Gregory. "Climate Change: What Happens after 2100?" 16 November

2011. Our World. 18 April 2016.
Ward, Bud. "Skeptical Science Founder John Cook; Climate Science from "Basic... to
Advanced'." 12 December 2010. Yale Climate Connections. 18 April 2016.
D'Agata, Carlo, et al. "Glacier Shrinkage Driven By Climate Change During Half A
Century (1954-2007) In
The Ortles-Cevedale Group (Stelvio National Park, Lombardy, Italian Alps)."
Theoretical & Applied
Climatology 116.1/2 (2014): 169-190. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17
Mar. 2016