global climate is undoubtedly changing

global climate is undoubtedly changing

It is evident, based on the scientific findings, that the global climate is undoubtedly changing. Some of the proof to demonstrate the global change of environment include the astronomical rise in sea level, the unprecedented rise temperature, ocean acidification, glacial retreat, and the shrinking ice sheets. The increased emission of greenhouse gases has shown to be an integral component of climate change, and climate scientists believe that anthropogenic activities are at the center of the increased emission of GHG. For a long time, scientists have known that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have the property to absorb infrared radiation and scatter them back toward the Earth. Essentially, the GHG stop heat from being radiated back into space, thereby keeping the Earth warm. Scientists have shown that even though there are natural causes of greenhouse gas emission, considerable concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have grown significantly since the Industrial Revolution. Scientists have been successfully able to trace and link the postindustrial revolution increased the level of greenhouse gases to human activities such as burning oil, gas, and coal.

However, despite the proof, there are some resources urging that anthropogenic activities are not to blame for the increased emission of GHG into the atmosphere. For instance, according to Harde (2019, P.139), the anthropogenic contribution to the observed CO2 increase over the Industrial Era is significantly less as compared to the natural influence. As an average over the period 2007-2016, the anthropogenic emissions donated not more than 4.3% to the total concentration of 393 ppm, and their fraction to the atmospheric increase since 1750 of 113 ppm is not more than 17 ppm or 15%. With other evaluations of absorption, the contribution from anthropogenic emission is even smaller. Consequently, not really anthropogenic emissions but mainly natural processes have to be considered as the dominating impacts for the observed CO2 increase over the last 270 years and also over paleoclimate periods (Harde, 2019, P.159).

In response to the criticism presented by Harde (2019, P.159), a scientific reaction has been provided by Wang & Chameides (2007, P.5). Wang & Chameides (2007, P.2) urges that there is no scientific rationale through which natural factors can be responsible for the increased emission of GHG into the atmosphere. This is because as much as natural processes emit large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, they also have a mechanism through which they remove it at approximately identical rates. For a thousand years, the natural processes have able to use this balancing mechanism to maintain the concentration of CO2 at a stable level until the Industrial Revolution. This raises the question, what exactly is causing the increased frequency of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? It is evident that the isotopic arrangement of carbon in atmospheric CO2 provides an exceptional “impression” that is convincing to scientists that the lion’s share of the additional CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere, particularly after the industrial revolution, is from the anthropogenic burning of fossil fuels (Wang & Chameides, 2007, P.5).

There are various uncertainties regarding greenhouse gas emission and mitigation measures. Of interest to us is the uncertainty that arises from incomplete knowledge of external factors influencing the climate system, including future trajectories of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Due to insufficient knowledge, some of the projections made are not satisfactory, causing doubt and loss of confidence with the scientific information (Deser et al., 2012, P.528).

All three sources are essential to this study. The study sought to establish that anthropogenic activities are responsible for the increased emission of GHG by demonstrating that even though there are natural causes of greenhouse gas emission, considerable concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have grown significantly since the Industrial Revolution. The first source criticized this position by arguing that as an average over the period 2007-2016 the anthropogenic emissions donated not more than 4.3% to the total concentration of 393 ppm, and their fraction to the atmospheric increase since 1750 of 113 ppm is not more than 17 ppm or 15% (Harde, 2019, P.159). However, Wang & Chameides (2007, P.2) urged that there is no scientific rationale through which natural factors can be responsible for the increased emission of GHG into the atmosphere. This is because as much as natural processes emit large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, they also have a mechanism through which they remove it at approximately identical rates, therefore confirming the initial position that anthropogenic activities are responsible for the increased emission of GHG into the atmosphere. The third source urged that the uncertainty that arises from incomplete knowledge of external factors influencing the climate system, including future trajectories of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), causes doubt and loss of confidence with the scientific information (Deser et al., 2012, P.528). The overall assessment based on the available evidence validates the hypothesis that anthropogenic activities are responsible for the increased emission of GHG into the atmosphere.