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Page Contents - Causes of Climate Change
The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories, human and natural causes. It is now a global concern that the
climatic changes occurring today have been speeded up because of man's
activities. The natural variability and the climate fluctuations of the climate system have always been part of the Earth’s history however there have been changes in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere growing at an unprecedented rate and magnitude. The United Nations, governments and many top scientists around the world believe that we must act now to stabilise and arrest further changes.
What Causes Climate Change
in detail Natural Causes of Climate Change The earth’s climate is influenced and changed through natural causes like volcanic eruptions, ocean current, the earth’s orbital changes and solar variations.
Solar variations - The Sun is the source of energy for the Earth’s climate system. Although the Sun’s energy output appears constant from an everyday point of view, small changes over an extended period of time can lead to climate changes. Some scientists suspect that a portion of the warming in the first half of the 20th century was due to an increase in the output of solar energy. As the sun is the fundamental source of energy that is instrumental in our climate system it would be reasonable to assume that changes in the sun's energy output would cause the climate to change. Scientific studies demonstrate that solar variations have performed a role in past climate changes. For instance a decrease in solar activity was thought to have triggered the Little Ice Age between approximately 1650 and 1850, when Greenland was largely cut off by ice from 1410 to the 1720s and glaciers advanced in the Alps. Current global warming
however cannot be explained by solar variations. Some examples are
evidenced such as since 1750, the average amount of energy coming from
the Sun either remained constant or increased slightly.
Human Causes of Climate Change
The certainty of global warming can be seen through some of the natural phenomenon like the effect on crops and extreme weather conditions around the world. It is especially clear in the dramatic change of the polar caps, i.e. the Arctic ice cap is shrinking and the Antarctica ice shelf is melting.
Main Contributors and Causes of Climate Change According to the UK Government the main
contributors of man made causes of climate change in the UK are:
Want to learn more on the causes of climate change? Then take a look at the video below.
Agriculture as a Contributor to the Causes of Climate Change According to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the three main causes of the
increase in greenhouse gases observed over the past 250 years have been
fossil fuels, land use, and agriculture. Another contributing cause of climate change is when agriculture alters the Earth's land cover, which can change its ability to absorb or reflect heat and light. Land use change such as deforestation and desertification, together with use of fossil fuels, are the major anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide. Deforestation as a contributor
to the Causes of Climate change Rainforests every year
help to absorb almost 20% of man made
CO2 emissions therefore
deforestation can be classed as a major contributor to the causes of
climate change. Cutting down rainforests faster than they can be
replaced has a devastating effect on the carbon emission cycle producing
an extra 17% of
greenhouse gases. Remember trees absorb CO2. More
deforestation means more CO2 build up in the atmosphere. Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman, a
biodiversity specialist, (UNO, Mongla, Bagerhat) says, "that
climate
change and forests are interlinked. The increased destruction of the
rainforest forming a precious cooling band around the Earth's equator,
is recognised as one of the main causes of climate change. Forests trap
and store carbon dioxide, playing a major role in mitigating climate
change. On the flip side of the coin, forests become the sources of the
greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide when destroyed or over-harvested and
burned. Forests , if not harmed ensure that they are enabling to
continue to produce the benefits; to mitigate the effects of a changing
climate; and to compensate for fossil fuel emissions through carbon
storage; and to enhance ecosystem health, sustainability, and
resilience.
The causes of climate change
continued The most recent assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that the earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees in the period from 1906 to 2005, and that the average temperature will continue to rise. The greenhouse effect is
a natural mechanism that retains the heat emitted from the earth’s
surface. The earth’s average temperature is at the moment around 14
degrees celsius (57 degrees fahrenheit). If the natural greenhouse
effect did not exist, the average temperature would be around minus 19
degrees celsius (minus 2 degrees fahrenheit). Shattering some of the Green myths that contribute to the causes of Climate Change Traditional nappies
(diapers) are as bad as disposables, a study by the Environment Agency
found. While throwaway nappies make up 0.1 per cent of landfill waste,
the cloth variety are a waste of energy, clean water and detergent Sources for
Shattering some of the Green myths that contribute to the causes of
Climate Change: Defra; How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, by Chris Goodall;
Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association; The Times; BBC The Causes and Effects of Climate Change in Ethiopia A recent report released
by Oxfam International shows that small-scale farmers and pastoralists
in Ethiopia are likely to bear the brunt of the negative
impacts of
climate change in the region, which will include increased poverty,
water scarcity, and food insecurity. Farmers, who form the majority of
the Ethiopian population, continue to cry foul over inconsistent
weather. Read More: Media must act on Climate Change
Existing Work and Knowledge regarding climate change indicates that:
Taken from
Background Paper to the 2010 World Development Report, The Royal Society's 2010 Report looks at the science behind the causes of Climate Change The Royal Society acknowledges climate change and the causes continues to be a area of immense scientific research and public debate. The implications of changes in climate are significant to everyone now and for future generations. Humanity depends on the balance of the world's ecosystems. The Royal Society agrees that global warming has occurred over the past 50 years and is largely caused by human activity. What causes climate change is highlighted by human actions such as the the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use, including agriculture and deforestation. The Royal Society state there is still some uncertainty on the size of future temperature fluctuations and other aspects of climate change however the risks associated with these changes are substantial. The Royal Society's latest report aims to summarise current scientific evidence on climate change and the causes of climate change. The report sets out where the science is established, where there is a wide consensus but continuing debate. The document does not tackle the impacts of climate change but the causes of climate change are considered. This document draws upon recent evidence and builds on the Fourth Assessment Report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 2007, which is the most comprehensive source of climate science and its uncertainties.
Click here for the Full Royal Society Report
Nitrous Oxide No Laughing Matter US (United States) scientists have revealed Nitrous Oxide better known to the public as laughing gas is very much overlooked when it comes to greenhouse gases. It is believed to be the third most important gas that contributes to global warming. The major study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science say that climate scientists and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have not paid enough attention to other causes of climate change but have largely focussed on CO2 as the main contributor.
Nitrous Oxide is produced alongside Dinitrogen, a
harmless gas, as a by-product of a microbial process working on nitrogen. As
human activities such as intensive agriculture and the
burning of fossil fuels
have hugely increased, therefore so has the concentration of the element in the
environment. Generally, research has surrounded the effects of the process of
agricultural soils which has been published in over 1,000 studies on this
subject. The US study concludes that the occurrence in rivers and streams is
responsible for at least 10 per cent of emissions of nitrous oxide caused by
human activities. This is three times more than estimated by the IPCC. Dr Henry Gholz, programme director in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology, believes the results of the research are “startling", and “clearly establishes streams and rivers as important sources of nitrous oxide” . They are important because you have to know where a problem originates before you can tackle it.
Climate Change and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was jointly established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1988. The IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) and latest was released in 2007. It was compiled by contributions from over 3,500 experts from more than 130 countries contributed. It provided over 90,000 review comments from 450 Lead Authors, 800 Contributing Authors, and 2,500 expert reviewers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) terms of reference include: 1. To assess available scientific and socio-economic information on climate change and its impacts and on the options for mitigating climate change and adapting to it and 2. To provide, on request, scientific/technical/socio-economic advice to the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). From 1990, the IPCC has produced a series of Assessment Reports, Special Reports, Technical Papers, methodologies and other products that have become standard works of reference, widely used by policymakers, scientists and other experts.
NASA's Earth Observation System monitoring the changing climate NASA plays an important part in monitoring the oceans, land, atmosphere, biosphere and cyrosphere. They have at least 14 satellites in orbit around the earth and plan to launch many more in the next few years. The spend by NASA last year on climate science amounted to $1.3 billion and in 2004 the overall climate science budget exceeded all other federal agencies combined. The scientists of NASA have an international presence in the media wordwide as climate experts. They have been helping to identify the causes of climate change and supply information on solar activity, rises in sea levels around the world including the temperature of the oceans. The agency also focuses on air pollution, rises in atmosphere temperatures, they monitor the ozone layer and changes in ice in the sea and land especially at the the poles. In 2007, over 17 space missions also collected data on the climate. NASA also provides funding through sponsorship for field experiments which assist in providing "ground truth" data which is then used to check space instrument performance. Causes in climate change from natural sources such as volcanoes and dust storms and man made sources such as from burning fossil fuels were first globally recorded by NASA's satellites, Terra and Aqua. Using 30 years of satellite solar and atmospheric temperature data greatly assisted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to reach the conclusion in 2007 that "Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations." NASA have confirmed that " Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. Studying these climate data collected over many years reveal the signals of a changing climate". Livestock and Climate Change Causes What if the key factors in the causes of climate change were cows, pigs and chickens? In their published report Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang believe that the life cycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been an area greatly underestimated in the production of greenhouse gases. They account for at least half (50%) of human caused greenhouse emissions. They argue if this is true, a better strategy in reversing climate change would be to find better alternatives by replacing livestock with other food sources. This approach would have far more of a rapid effect on greenhouse emissions and their atmospheric concentrations therefore the rate on which the climate is warming and the unnecessary urgency to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. It is widely accepted that Livestock are known to contribute to greenhouse gases.
The Livestock’s Long Shadow, 2006 report by the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 7,516 million
metric tons per With that amount this would easily qualify livestock as an important area for ways to address climate change. Analysis shows that livestock and their by-products actually account or at least 32,564million tons of CO2e per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide greenhouse emissions. See the full report here Emotional Causes of Climate Change Denial Paul Thagard is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo and author of The Brain and the Meaning of Life. He explains climate change denial as a result of motivated inference, in which people's beliefs are biased by their goals. He believes it is a good explanation why some politicians and oil company executives ignore the substantial evidence for global warming resulting from human carbon emissions. But a new book provides an alternative explanation that applies very well to denial of climate change problems by ordinary people. Kari Marie Norgaard is an American sociologist who spent a year in a small city in Norway interviewing people about their beliefs and attitudes concerning climate change. Her new book Living in Denial provides a sophisticated account of why a group of people, who are largely well informed and politically progressive, nevertheless tend to deny that climate change is a serious problem. She points to psychological and social processes that are different from Paul's motivated inference explanation. Learn more about causes of climate change denial here. United States Global Research Climate Program - human activities have United States
Global Research Climate Program - "human activities have increased
additional heat-trapping gases" Human activities have
played a significant part in releasing additional heat-trapping gases.
This has intensified the natural
greenhouse effect and changed the
Earth’s climate. The most important and key factor causing global warming over the past 50 years is the increased build up and concentration of CO2 otherwise known as carbon dioxide. The build up of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere started during the industrial revolution around the mid 18th century which saw the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and the clearing of forests. Trees help to reduce carbon dioxide by absorbing it during the night, producing oxygen during the day. Human activities have helped to increase other greenhouse gases, such as methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons 3. These emissions cause thickening of the blanket which trapping gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the surface temperatures to rise. Find out more about human
activities and the causes of climate change in the
USGRCP report. Causes of climate change millions of years ago For hundreds of thousands, to millions of years, the Earth’s temperature and weather patterns change naturally over time. But how is the climate defined? Statistics gathered generally over a period of 30 years are analysed and averaged. The climate can never be static and is subjected to continuous disturbances perhaps occasionally minor in nature and effect but sometimes times much larger. These changes can be gradual and other times abrupt according to The Geological Society. Where does this evidence come from? Evidence for the natural causes of climate change can be found and is preserved in a wide range of geological settings, including marine and lake sediments, ice sheets, fossil corals, stalagmites and fossil tree rings. The advances in field observation, laboratory techniques and numerical modelling allow geoscientists to show, with increasing confidence, how and why climate has changed in the past. For example, cores drilled through the ice sheets yield a record of polar temperatures and atmospheric composition ranging back to 120,000 years in Greenland and 800,000 years in Antarctica. Oceanic sediments preserve a record reaching back tens of millions of years, and older sedimentary rocks extend the record to hundreds of millions of years. This vital baseline of knowledge about the past provides the context for estimating likely changes in the future. Over at least the last 200 million years the fossil and sedimentary record shows that the Earth has undergone many fluctuations in climate, from warmer than the present climate to much colder, on many different timescales. Several warming events can be associated with increases in the greenhouse gas, CO2. There is evidence for sudden major injections of carbon to the atmosphere occurring at 55, 120 and 183 million years ago, perhaps from the sudden breakdown of methane hydrates beneath the seabed. At those times the associated warming would have increased the evaporation of water vapour from the ocean, making CO2 the trigger rather than the sole agent for change. During the Ice Age of the past two and a half million years or so, periodic warming of the Earth through changes in its position in relation to the sun also heated the oceans, releasing both CO2 and water vapour, which amplified the ongoing warming into warm interglacial periods. That process was magnified by the melting of sea ice and land ice, darkening the Earth’s surface and reducing the reflection of the Sun’s energy back into space. The geological record contains an abundant evidence of the ways in which Earth’s climate has changed in the past. That evidence is highly relevant to understanding how it may change in the future. You can find out more about this geological record helping which admirably explains some of the causes of climate change at:
The Geological Society of London founded in 1807
is the UK' national society for geoscience. The oldest geological society in the
world.
Black carbon now second largest cause of climate change and key human contributor to global warming A comprehensive study and analysis has found that Black Carbon, commonly known as soot, has now been elevated to the second most important human contributor to global warming. Black carbon or soot speeds up warming of the atmosphere by heat being absorbed by ultra small particles. These particles in the air darken snow and ice. Although some lighter coloured particles can have a cooling effect because they block sunlight other black carbon sources have a warming effect because they absorb it. Glacier melting and regional weather patterns can be disrupted. Black Carbon is produced by diesel engines and caused through the burning of wood and and coal. The analysis has pushed methane, which comes from landfills and other sources into third place as a human contributor to global warming.
Piers Forster a professor at the University of
Leeds School of Earth and Environment and one of the soot study’s authors of
this and mark study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres,
said in a statement that reducing black carbon can help address rising
temperatures. Key findings of the report include:
Black carbon has twice the direct
climate impact
than reported in previous assessments The full report published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres can be found here
Greedy Lying Bastards - a powerful film about the people who cast doubts on the causes of climate change
Filmmaker and political activist Craig Rosebraugh
with Executive
It documents an industry that has put profits
before people and who have waged a campaign of lies and deceit to bring down the
climate science and efforts to combat climate change. Millions of dollars are spent each year by oil and related interests to fund scientists, think tanks and US politicians in a campaign of deceit as highlighted in the film. The film Greedy Lying Bastards further focuses on how ExxonMobil has spent over $27 million to squash claims of global warming despite the consensus of the scientific community . The film also claims the Koch brothers operating the conglomerate Koch Industries provided over $67 million of funding between 1997 to 2012. This is a real "must watch" film investigating the reason behind the stalled efforts to tackle climate change in the United States.
Joint science academies’ statement on the Global response to climate change and causes In 2005 the National Science Academies of 11 nations urged the countries of the world to take immediate and prompt action to reduce the causes of climate change at the 2005 meeting at the Gleneagles G8 Summit. The National Science Academies included Academia Brasiliera de Ciências from Brazil, Royal Society of Canada, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academié des Sciences from France, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher from Germany, Indian National Science Academy, Accademia dei Lincei from Italy, Science Council of Japan, Russian Academy of Sciences, Royal Society from United Kingdom and National Academy of Sciences from United States of America. The Science Academy's statement highlights the need to reduce the causes of climate change as the scientific understanding of climate change is sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action. They believe that countries should identify cost effective steps that they can implement now to make an impact in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The development of economies and nations during the next 25 years energy demand is estimated to increase by 60%. The bulk of carbon dioxide emissions is produced by human activities such as the burning of Fossil fuels. These valuable resources are projected to provide 85% of this demand. It is therefore of paramount importance that every effort is made to minimise the amount of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere through cost effective technology.
Their statement reminds the world that Carbon
dioxide can remain in the atmosphere for many decades. By even lowering
greenhouse gas
emissions the
impacts of climate change will still be
experienced throughout
The full statement is here: The Joint science academies’ statement on the Global response to climate change and causes
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