Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

Geography Research Paper

My topic will be the rise of heat levels occurring on earth. 2010 was considered to be one of the hottest years in history let alone this decade that has also been recognized for its heat. Planet earth is said to be increasing temperature at a fast pace and shows no signs of slowing down. The previous hottest year was considered to be 2005 but year 2010 has surpassed this by far. This topic really interested me because I have been observing that every year the weather just keeps increasing and the summers are longer than they should be. I can also say that the winters are naturally hotter than in the past. It is important to see why the Earth is heating up and what is the cause for it. I hope to find out if the core causes such as global warming, pollution, and waste could be causing this temperature rise. In the first paragraph an introduction to the topic and various hypotheses by wellknown scientists will be stated. After I plan to introduce the topic of heat and global warming and how it can affect us today. The basic fundamentals of why heat is rising will be stated in the first paragraph to just show the possibilities that could be the reason. The next paragraph and the rest of the body paragraphs will be the different possibilities and background information of each possibility. Each possibility has a very well defined purpose behind each one by the scientists. Each possibility will be well researched and described. I hope that I can gain full understanding of why this heat rise is happening. After the body paragraphs I will state my conclusion in which I will decide why I think that the heat is rising and have a well thought out argument behind it. From my research I hope that I will find the main cause of global warming. I also hope to find the underlying causes. This topic has been argued between professionals for

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

a very long time. Some people say that global warming is the cause and some say pollution. I hope to read in to both stances and compare the evidence. This topic is very important to me because it is vital to the earths existence and humans. If the heat keeps rising how will people be able to survive without using so much energy to power such things as air conditioning and fans. Also, the norm for temperature has been exceeded in the past 30 years and we need to figure out ways to stop this.

Internet links http://www.papermasters.com/hottest-year-record.html http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postcarbon/2010/12/2010_hottest_climate_year_on_r.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/24/planet-hottest-ever-globalwarming/

Books and references The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer R. Weart. Economic Theory and Global Warming by Matthew Paterson. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwa rming/index.html

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

Global Warming
Global warming is an epidemic that has been brought about by the sole actions of organisms that inhabit the eco system, which is us, humans. It has caused an overwhelming array of problems that all lead to the detrimental decline of planet earths healthy habits. The amounts of the human population is increasing at such a rapid pace that the amount of damage being done to the ecosystem is insurmountable. Global warming has been brought up and discussed by scientists and environmentalists across the world. It has been a known issue and is given attention to by various commercials and advertisements that have been played by even famous figures. The government has even emphasized programs to help cut down on the main causes of Global Warming. So much attention has been brought to the topic yet you can see people that defy and ignore it with ease. All it really takes are simple tasks that can be practiced in peoples day-to-day lives but they fail to realize this because they take the earth they live on for granted. (The Discovery of Global Warming, pg.17) I will admit that before researched about the harmful causes that Global Warming has on the earth I was oblivious to the actions that could have been taken to prevent the damage. The key to build a society that cares about the environment and their surroundings is to bring about awareness of the issue. Many organizations have been brought to bring about awareness of the issue and have become so big that television channels are accepting to acknowledge them and let them play commercials. There is more than one reason why global warming is taking place and there are various effects it has on earth.

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

The main reason that global warming takes affect is the pollution that the humans emit into the atmosphere. Pollution is given out from factories, cars, restaurants, etc. In the past 100 years, earths surface temperature has risen 1.4 degrees and 2/3s of that number as occurred over the past three decade. The pollution that these factors are emitting is the eventual cause of the greenhouse effect. Activities such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels cause more and more greenhouse gasses to enter the ozone. Let alone the two main activities there are other events that we participate in that lead to the factors and effects of Global Warming as well. These causes include; carbon dioxide emissions from burning gasoline for transportation, the emissions of methane from various sources of animals, arctic regions and rice paddies, and lastly the usage of chemical fertilizer in crops. (Global Warming Effects and Causes: A Top 10 List, p.1) The national science academies of all the major industrialized countries estimate that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise 2 to 5.2 degrees Fahrenheit at the lowest possible increase and from 4.3 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit at the peak. An increase in the global warming catastrophe will cause the sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of rain percentages and will possibly expand subtropical desserts. Other effects include animal extinction, the disappearance of coral reefs, massive crop failures, and more killer storms. In the past year of 2010 emissions have rose by an amazing 5.9 percent. Experts say that returning back to the previous amount of emissions is difficult and nearly impossible. Global emissions of carbon dioxide jumped by the largest amount on record in 2010, upending the notion that the brief decline during the recession might persist through the recovery. Emissions have raised 5.9 percent in 2010, according to an analysis by the Global Carbon Project, an

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

international collaboration of scientists. The increase solidified a trend of ever-rising emissions that scientists fear will make it difficult, if not impossible, to forestall severe climate change in coming decades. (Global Warming (Climate Change), article of The New York Times, p.1) The reasons behind the occurrences are clear and the reasons why we need to stop them is clear as well. It is easier said than done, but if everyone could possibly do one small thing everyday that would advocate or help out the environment, it would cause a huge impact in the statistics that have been calculated and can eventually prevent global warming from causing and having the harmful effects on this planet. If an alternative could be found for the gasses and smoke that we are polluting in to the air, the ozone layer would be much more healthier and thus the greenhouse gas affect would not be taking place. It is true that some of the fluctuations of earths climate are inevitable regardless of the human activity only because the ocean cycles that have been occurring for over ten years. A personal observation that I easily make over the past couple years is the weather pattern and the timing of the year that the climate changes. I have noticed that in the summer the average temperatures have been hotter than the previous year and the term for summer has become extended. Also, I noticed that winters are much colder now. For example this year if you compare the weather in California and the weather in New York it is not much of a difference. This doesnt make sense since for the past fifty years the east coast has been known for being much colder than the west coast due to the Atlantic Ocean having a colder climate. As seen the effects that are caused by Global Warming and are serious. Even if it does not affect planet earth in the near future it is something to be aware of because it can cause major fluctuations in the climates and regions of different areas throughout.

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

The 2011 meeting began on Nov. 28. One of the issues that is most contentious and least likely to be resolved at the conference involves the future of the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 agreement that requires major industrialized nations to meet targets on emissions reduction but imposes no mandates on developing countries, including emerging economic powers and sources of global greenhouse gas emissions like China, India, Brazil and South Africa. (Global Warming (Climate Change), article of The New York Times, p.2) This shows that actions have been and are being done about the issue. Countries all across the world are not taking this very lightly and have been attending to the topic. As said above, the emissions that are coming out of industries in such countries as China, India, Brazil, and South Africa need to be controlled to a level that can be well suited for the environment. For example, in California there is a smog test check on all vehicles that are registered to the state. They all need to pass this test to prove that the smog the vehicle is emitting is below a certain percentage and it is not overly harmful to the air. If the vehicle does not pass this test the vehicle cannot be driven and must be either impounded or fixed. The same rules need to be applied to factories all across the world. If the factory does meet the requirement of the emissions they are creating they need to be shut down or fixed before continuing. The United States is not a party to the protocol, having refused to even consider ratifying it because of those asymmetrical obligations. Some major countries, including Canada, Japan and Russia, have said they will not agree to an extension of the protocol next year unless the unbalanced requirements of developing and developed countries are changed. That is similar to the United States position, which is that any successor treaty must apply equally to all major economies. (Global Warming

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

(Climate Change), article of The New York Times, p.2) All major countries are being targeted because they are allegedly supposed to be the ones that create the most pollution. However the countries that are being targeted are arguing back that if all the countries dont do it they will not abide by the laws that have been placed. This will not help the factor of Global Warming at all. There needs to be an agreement that all countries, no matter how big or small, will have their emissions of all large factories under control and in accordance with the guidelines that will be set. This topic is very flamboyant because even if one country agrees not too, all will not participate. China has agreed to participate in the laws that will be placed involving the depletion of harmful emission but in return they are asking for much more than can be given. United States has rejected the Kyoto framework and does not want to take on the course of it, because they think they have a more efficient plan to reduce greenhouse gasses. President Obama has promised to reduce emissions in America by 17 percent. This shows that the topic is of importance and they government is actually trying to fix this. That is exactly what we need to fight the epidemic. If the government issues laws and rules the citizens would have no choice but to abide by them and actually enforce actions that will help Global Warming not have such a big effect on earth anymore. The plans and laws that are trying to be built will still take another decade at least to be passed and enforced. In that decade if the factories, cars, and industries continue to emit the same amount of greenhouse gasses our situation on earth will be much worse than expected. Steps towards a response are debated thoroughly because it is hard to determine what exactly to do in a world where fossil fuels lead a variety of world economies from poor to rich. It took until 2009 for the leaders of the worlds largest economic powers to

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

agree on a dangerous climate threshold: an increase of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from the average global temperature recorded just before the Industrial Revolution kicked into gear. (This translates into an increase of 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the Earths current average temperature, about 59 degrees.) The Group of 8 industrial powers also agreed in 2009 to a goal of reducing global emissions 50 percent by 2050, with the richest countries leading the way by cutting their emissions 80 percent. But they did not set a baseline from which to measure that reduction, and so far firm interim targets which many climate scientists say would be more meaningful have not been defined.(Global Warming (Climate Change), article of The New York Times, p.2) Even realizing what has actually occurred or occurring is hard enough for these huge industrialized countries you can only imagine how hard it would be for them to act upon their mishaps. Their needs to be action taken by a central unit that will forcefully make all countries abide by a certain set of codes or regulations that have to deal with the decline of Global Warming. Many programs have been put into affect globally. A worldwide program that is very well known is the Go-Green program. It advises people make sure they are participating in acts that will help the earth and its environment. The Go-Green movement picks certain topics that all citizens can participate in their day-today lives. Things such as recycling to save plastic materials that can be harmful to bury in the ground where the trash landfills are. They also advise you to save as much water and energy as you can. The main point of all their slogans and their rules is to better the ecosystem in which you live in. Being green is basically making your choices while keeping in mind that we have to save our water, land, and air resources. Humans play an important role in conserving and using these resources and they need to know that

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

overuse or abuse of them will lead to shortage in the future. Some ways you can go green and have an impact are: Buy direct from farmers, eat minimally processed food, stick with organic foods, recycle paper, glass, and plastics, do not dispose of toxic waste such as batteries in a normal trashcan, try taking the bus or public transportation to more places you go, use the heater and the air conditioner less during the winter and summer times, buy more energy star appliances for your house, lastly, lower the temperature on your water heater. All these are actions that can be taken to help the earths environment on a more minimal level and drastically help the Global Warming issue if everyone decides to participate. Yes, it is true that the majority of the causes come from huge industries and factories and cars, but citizens can also do their part to help save and conserve the natural resources that we survive off of. Basically, both the government and the citizens should be partaking in activities and actions that will benefit Global Warming. The steps to avoid it and the actions that should be done are not that hard to follow. Even if it takes the government a long time to decide their participation in the disaster, it shouldnt stop us from doing our job and protecting the ecosystem we live in. Global Warming may not have a huge affect in the lifetime we are on this planet but it sure will affect our future generations. In conclusion, Global Warming is not just a light topic that doesnt concern us. IT is a very serious and detrimental issue that needs to be attended to and taken care of. If we keep doing what we are doing, eventually there will be no earth for humans to occupy. Our very existence will be demolished. We are lucky to have a place where the climate and various factors that we need to survive are there. The conditions that humans need to survive cannot be found on any other planet. The causes and reasons it has I have

Deepen Shah

12-9-11

Geography final paper

stated above and as one can see, they play an important role in the preservation of earth. So many effects can happen if Global Warming increases. Even though it is easier said than done, we need to take this issue seriously. If everyone were well educated on what exactly Global Warming does and what simple tasks can be taken to end it, I am sure a lot more implementation of going green or preserving resource would take place. In the future I still believe that if the citizens are not willingly taking part in the preservation, then it should be made a law and be practiced by everyone across the world. Global Warming is an epidemic that is not only affecting certain parts of the planet; it affects the planet as a whole. Since we inhabit this planet, it is our duty to give back to it. Not only has planet earth given us a place to stay, it has given us resources, which we rely and live off of every day.

INTERNET SOURCES: http://planetsave.com/2009/06/07/global-warming-effects-and-causes-a-top-10-list/ ARTICLES: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html BOOKS: The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer R. Weart.

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