Climate Change

Climate Change

Till this day people still fail to see that climate change is an issues that does exist. They think since a vast amount of snow and other regular weather patterns still comes every year that climate change is not real, but what they do not comprehend is that there is a difference between weather and climate. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is the behavior of the atmosphere over a long period of time. For example, 40 years ago in Canada the snow would be well above your waist, currently the snow reaches below your knees. This indicates that the climate has changed since 40 years ago when the winters were harsher. In 1780, the Industrial Revolution began to accelerate. From 1800 to 2012, scientists gather numerous evidence that predicts the Earth’s climate has been changing because of human impact to the environment. The major turning point when climate change rapidly began to increase was the Industrial Revolution. Instead of people manufacturing items by hand, they did it with machines which made the process faster. The machines ran on non-renewable sources released CO2 into the atmosphere. Currently, the CO2 levels are so dangerously high that it’s coming close to the tipping point where the Earth’s state can no longer be repaired. In order in stop this prediction from becoming a reality, we must cut the emission produced and switch over to renewable sources.

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from the 1760’s to the early to mid 19th century. It marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of life has been influenced by this in some way. Before the revolution began, in the early 1700s Britain’s manufacturing was done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines. This meant there would be hundreds of people working to produce a few items at a very slow rate. Industrialization replaced people with more efficient machines. For example if it would take 10 people to build a table, a machine only requires one person to operate it and it would do the job faster and cheaper. This concept became increasingly popular during the industrial revolution due to companies increasing desire for profit and efficiency. The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication, and banking.

While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also resulted in often grim employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes.

During the Industrial revolution, delivery was an important part of the production process. Above is a picture of the first ever locomotive. It is coal powered that releases harmful gases into the atmosphere when burned. Coal was a crucial part of the industrial revolution and was used extensively in many other applications like powering steam engines and making iron, which was another crucial part of the industrial revolution. Iron was used to improve machines and tools, and to also build bridges and ships. This extensive use of coal had caused the air quality to significantly drop and caused cities to be covered in a cloud of smoke.

Discovery of Climate Change

Svante Arrhenius was the first scientist to state that fossil fuels may result in enhanced global warming (1896). He proposed there was a connection between the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the world’s temperature.This timeline presents some of the important events in history that displays conflicts and evidences that lead to the conclusion that climate change exists.

1800-1870

• Level of CO2 in the atmosphere, as later measured in ancient ice, is about 290 ppm (parts per million).
• Mean global temperature (1850-1870) is about 13.6°C.

• First Industrial Revolution. coal, railroads, and land clearing speed up greenhouse gas emission, while better agriculture and sanitation speed up population growth

1859

• Tyndall discovers that some gases block infrared radiation. He suggests that changes in the concentration of the gases could bring climate change.

1896

• Arrhenius publishes first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2

1897

• Chamberlin produces a model for global carbon exchange including feedbacks.

1938

• Callendar argues that CO2 greenhouse global warming is underway, reviving interest in the question.

1945

• Plass calculates that adding CO2 to the atmosphere will have a significant effect on the radiation balance.

1957

• Revelle finds that CO2 produced by humans will not be readily absorbed by the oceans.

1960

• Mitchell reports downturn of global temperatures since the early 1940s.
• Keeling accurately measures CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere and detects an annual rise. The level is 315 ppm. Mean global temperature (five-year average) is 13.9°C.

1965

• Boulder, Colo. meeting on causes of climate change: Lorenz and others point out the chaotic nature of climate system and the possibility of sudden shifts.

1967

• Manabe and Wetherald make a convincing calculation that doubling CO2 would raise world temperatures a couple of degrees.

1970

• Aerosols from human activity are shown to be increasing swiftly. Bryson claims they counteract global warming and may bring serious cooling.

1971

• SMIC conference of leading scientists reports a danger of rapid and serious global change caused by humans, calls for an organized research effort.

1972

• Ice cores and other evidence show big climate shifts in the past between relatively stable modes in the space of a thousand years or so, especially around 11,000 years ago.
• Droughts in Africa, Ukraine, India cause world food crisis, spreading fears about climate change.

1976

• Studies show that CFCs (1975) and also methane and ozone (1976) can make a serious contribution to the greenhouse effect.

• Deforestation and other ecosystem changes are recognized as major factors in the future of the climate.

• Eddy shows that there were prolonged periods without sunspots in past centuries, corresponding to cold periods .

1981

• Hansen and others show that sulfate aerosols can significantly cool the climate, raising confidence in models showing future greenhouse warming.
• Some scientists predict greenhouse warming "signal" should be visible by the year 2000

1985

• Ramanathan and collaborators announce that global warming may come twice as fast as expected, from rise of methane and other trace greenhouse gases.
• Villach Conference declares consensus among experts that some global warming seems inevitable, calls on governments to consider international agreements to restrict emissions.

• Antarctic ice cores show that CO2 and temperature went up and down together through past ice ages, pointing to powerful biological and geochemical feedbacks.

• Broecker speculates that a reorganization of North Atlantic Ocean circulation can bring swift and radical climate change.

1989

• Fossil-fuel and other U.S. industries form Global Climate Coalition to tell politicians and the public that climate science is too uncertain to justify action.

1995

• Second IPCC report detects "signature" of human-caused greenhouse effect warming, declares that serious warming is likely in the coming century.
• Reports of the breaking up of Antarctic ice shelves and other signs of actual current warming in polar regions begin affecting public opinion.

1999

• Criticism that satellite measurements show no warming are dismissed by National Academy Panel.
• Ramanathan detects massive "brown cloud" of aerosols from South Asia.

2000

• Global Climate Coalition dissolves as many corporations grapple with threat of warming, but oil lobby convinces US administration to deny problem.
• Variety of studies emphasize variability and importance of biological feedbacks in carbon cycle, liable to accelerate warming.

2001

• Third IPCC report states baldly that global warming, unprecedented since the end of the last ice age, is "very likely," with highly damaging future impacts and possible severe surprises. Effective end of debate among all but a few scientists.
• National Academy panel sees a "paradigm shift" in scientific recognition of the risk of abrupt climate change (decade-scale).
• Warming observed in ocean basins; match with computer models gives a clear signature of greenhouse effect warming.

2002

• Studies find surprisingly strong "global dimming," due to pollution, has retarded arrival of greenhouse warming, but dimming is now decreasing.

2005

• Kyoto treaty goes into effect, signed by major industrial nations except US. Work to retard emissions accelerates in Japan, Western Europe, US regional governments and corporations.
• Hurricane Katrina and other major tropical storms spur debate over impact of global warming on storm intensity.

2007

• Fourth IPCC report warns that serious effects of warming have become evident; cost of reducing emissions would be far less than the damage they will cause.

• Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover found to be shrinking faster than expected.

2008

• Climate scientists (although not the public) recognize that even if all greenhouse gas emissions could be halted immediately, global warming will continue for millennia.

2009

• Many experts warn that global warming is arriving at a faster and more dangerous pace than anticipated just a few years earlier.
• Excerpts from stolen e-mails of climate scientists fuel public skepticism.
• Copenhagen conference fails to negotiate binding agreements: end of hopes of avoiding dangerous future climate change.

2012

• Controversial "attribution" studies find recent disastrous heat waves, droughts, extremes of precipitation, and floods were made worse by global warming.

2013

• An apparent pause or "hiatus" in global warming of the atmosphere since 1998 is discussed and explained; the atmosphere is still warming, and the oceans have continued to get rapidly warmer.
• Mean global temperature is 14.6°C, the warmest in thousands of years.
• Level of CO2 in the atmosphere reaches 397 ppm, the highest in millions of years.

History of Climate Change Negotiations 

In this video it clearly states that countries in the past had a hard time cutting emissions. Now that this problem is getting to a dangerous point, the countries met in Paris and had a conference about climate change (2015). They all had to sign an agreement to reduce the size of emissions they produced from their country to minimize amount the of carbon released in the atmosphere.

Renewable Energy"Investment Opportunities Renewable Energy." Investment Opportunities Renewable Energy. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://www.investmauritius.com/investment-opportunities/energy.aspx>.

Renewable energy is energy that uses resources that are unlimited like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. This energy provides energy in four major areas such as, electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, transportation, and rural energy services. The renewable energy industry creates hundreds of billions in economic activity, that will continue to grow for years to come. The economic opportunity for the countries that invent, manufacture, and export clean energy technologies are massive. Renewable technology is what we will be using is the future to lower carbon gases.

An example of renewable energy is a solar water heater. A solar collector is made up of absorbers that is in a thermally insulated box with a cover that absorbs the solar radiation and transforms it into heat. A heat conducting liquid (like antifreeze) flows through the absorber and circulates between the collector and the warm water storage tank. Thermal solar energy systems will be brought into operation through a solar automatic controller. When the temperature on the collector goes over the maximum temperature in the storage tank by a few degrees, the regulator switches on the solar circulation pump and the heat conducting liquid transports the heat received from the collector to the storage tank.

How much can we save?

If all Canadians used water heated by the sun instead of water heated by gas, how much Carbon would we save?  

• The average Canadian home uses 2,700 m3 (cubic metre)of natural gas per year
• 1 m3 of natural gas = 0.3 pounds of Carbon released
• 2,700 x 0.3 = 810
• 810 pounds of Carbon is released by the average Canadian
• Year round system provides 35% - 55%
• 810 x 0.35 = 283.5 and 810 x 0.55 = 445.5

If all Canadians used solar water heaters in each household, they would save about 283.5 - 445.5 of Carbon each year. The estimated Canadian population is 35,749,600 on April 1, 2015, and the total amount of Carbon Canada would save as a whole would be around 10,135,011,600 - 15,926,446,800 of Carbon.

More Energy Sources

Therefore, the results of the Industrial Revolution had a great effect on the world by introducing a more efficient way of production, but had an extreme negative effect on the Earth's environment like rising sea levels, extreme weather, animals migration patterns, etc. The technology must change to clean energy or the consequences and damages will be beyond repair.

Citations:

 "Industrial Revolution." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution>. 

"Turning Points in History - Industrial Revolution." YouTube. Web. 26 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Efq-aNBkvc>.

"Industrial Revolution Research." Industrial Revolution. Web. 25 Jan. 2016 <http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_revolution_steam_engine.php>.

Source: "Global Warming Timeline." Global Warming Timeline. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <https://www.aip.org/history/climate/timeline.htm>.

"The History of Climate Change Negotiations in 83 Seconds."  YouTube. Web. 26 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B11kASPfYxY>.

"Solar Water Heater." Solar Water Heater. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://www.attackfire.com/attack-fire-solar-water-heater.php>.

 "Solar Water Heaters." Solar Water Heaters. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. <http://energy.gov/energysaver/solar-water-heaters>. 

"Top 10 Energy Sources of the Future." YouTube. Web. 26 Jan. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uStFvcz9Or4>.