Human Causes of Climate Change

Posted by Ella R. Stanley on October 30th, 2019

Human activities have contributed significantly to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is resulting in climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been part of the environment where it has steadily been exchanged between the land, atmosphere, and the ocean. For more than 200 years ago, the cycle has been steady and balanced. However, this changed in the 19th century when humans started inducing CO2 into the environment. Activities such as combustion of fossil fuels, cutting down trees, and industrialization has disturbed the balance.

These human activities have been adding CO2 into the atmosphere at a faster rate than the land or ocean can absorb it. In the past few years, about 25% of the total CO2 emitted has been incorporated into the sea, which made the water more acidic. About 30% is getting used on the surface to help in germination and nutrients development in plants. However, about 45 % of emitted CO2 remains in the atmosphere leading to global warming and climate changes.

Since the introduction of the industrial revolution, human activities have greatly influenced climate change. Take, for instance, El Niño, which used to occur at an interval of five to seven years, has increased in recent years due to climate changes. These changes have been linked to industrialization activities. Besides, the temperatures have risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius since the industrial revolution.

The essential greenhouse gas is CO2. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere can be attributed to variation in nature activities and also human activities. The majority of the CO2 in the atmosphere is emitted from fossil fuel burning. Besides CO2, scientists have recorded a high amount of methane and nitrous oxide released from livestock and agricultural practices.

The transportation sector is growing fast and becoming a more significant contributor to changes in the climate. The transport industry accounts for about 23 % of the total carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. Besides, transportation leads to the production of black carbon, which is the second-best contributor to global warming following carbon dioxide. In general, human activities are resulting in degradation of the ozone layer, thus leading to climate changes.