BENGUET STATE UNIVERSITY La Trinidad Benguet GRADUATE SCHOOL RD. 315.

Development Perspectives Position Paper Is Global Warming a Natural or Man-Made Occurrence? By Sheila G. Dolipas Ph.D. Educational Management Global Warming is the increase of the worlds temperature. It was specifically stated in ENCARTA Dictionary (2009) that it is partly caused by Greenhouse Effect. Greenhouse is a result of the atmospheric pollution of gases. What I would like to reiterate however is the word partly. This implies that there are other causes of what man consider as a curse of his generation. Man therefore is to be partly blamed for global warming.

To fully understand global warming, one has to look to all its causes.

Microsoft Encarta (2008) has pointed out that the Earth has warmed and cooled many times since its formation about 4.6 billion years ago. Several of the causes listed includes; a) massive volcanic eruptions, which increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; b) changes in the intensity of energy emitted by the Sun; and C) variations in Earths position relative to the Sun, both in its orbit and in the inclination of its spin axis.

Seemingly, the earth has experienced several repeated retreat of the polar ice caps which resulted to a cool and warm environment. The last warm environment happened about 125,000 years ago (Microsoft Encarta, 2008). During this period, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane naturally increase in the atmosphere from increased plant and animal life. In an internet article retrieved February 25, 2010 simple entitled GLOBAL WARMING, it also highlighted that apparently the earth goes through a cycle of climate change which lasts for about 40,000 years.

De Silva (2008) provided an ample explanation of the role of the sun in global warming. He pointed out that according to the solar variation theory, the sun has been gaining strength and is at it's strongest since a sixty years. Therefore, it may now be acting as a cause of global warming. Sunspots are also said to be a cause or catalyst for Global Warming. Recent reports suggest that the number of sunspots in an area directly affects the amount of time the nearby earth takes to cool. The sun is the main source of energy to the earth. The earth absorbs about seventy percent of the earth's solar flux. This solar flux increases the temperature of the earth's atmosphere, land and oceans. Other than natural causes, the same website also pointed to man who did the most damage in contributing to global warming. These man-made causes include; 1. Pollution which is brought about by burning fuels and mining that allows methane gas to escape. 2. Population because the higher the population, the higher the need to burn fuels. 3. Industrialization 4. Deforestation The above-mentioned causes are inter-related. One cannot give of the cause w/o mentioning the others At present however, man has tremendously increased greenhouse gases much more than any period in the earths history. Man h as created a monster from what is natural. This is alarming because it threatens our very survival as a human race. In conclusion, the question as to whether global warming is man-made or a natural occurrence is a very simple question with a very simple answer. The question that has to be answered immediately is; WHAT CAN WE DO? Man can only undo what he has caused, he cannot challenge nature to reverse its course. It is anyway, NATURE. but on the brighter side of things, man can also will to change his future and that is his greatest gift he can muster to modify global warming.