Global Climate Change is a phenomenon that involves the warming of the planet due to anthropogenic manipulation of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect involves the warming of the earth due to outgoing longwave radiation from the earth’s surface becoming trapped in the earth’s atmosphere by gases called greenhouse gases. Examples of greenhouse gases include Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4). Each greenhouse gas is measured by its global warming potential. For The baseline for this measurement is CO2, with a value of 1. While usually beneficial, the greenhouse effect is harmful in that as more greenhouse are emitted into the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped inside the atmosphere. According to Neil Degrasse Tyson in a segment on the Greenhouse Effect from the Television series, Cosmos: A Space-time Odyssey, Carl Sagan produced the first calculation of the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus (Tyson). This is intriguing as the Venusian Atmosphere could provide a glimpse on the result of not ensuring to take the proper precautions on what is emitted in the atmosphere. Of the greenhouse gases, Carbon Dioxide has received the most attention. According to Peter Vitousek, “Carbon Dioxide concentrations have increased from 315 ppm in 1957 to 350 ppm in 1988 (Vitousek 2). These concentrations have the ability to increase the temperature of our planet. Vitousek indicates in his paper that a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations could accommodate a global temperature increase of 2.5°C (Vitousek 4).
Stratospheric ozone protects the Earth’s surface through absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation. According to F. Sherwood Rowland, “Ozone is a three-atom modification, 03 of the molecular oxygen.” (Rowland 282). CFCs float above the stratospheric ozone layer and are destroyed by ultraviolet radiation. As a result, free-floating chlorines are formed that go on to destroy ozone in the stratosphere (Rowland 281). The specifics of the process involve ultraviolet radiation breaking of a chlorine. The chlorine then detaches an oxygen from an ozone molecule. Then an oxygen atom hits a chlorine monoxide molecule, which in turn breaks off another chlorine atom, thus continuing the cycle of ozone depletion. In the past, CFCs were primarily used in air conditioner Freon, refrigeration, cleaning agents. Ozone depletion can potentially cause higher incidences of skin cancer, eye cataracts, and a decrease in the immune system response to disease.
Acid rain is caused by the emission of acidic gases from natural and/or anthropogenic sources. These sources can be sulfur dioxide from volcanoes, nitrogen oxides from lightning strikes to both of the previously mentioned chemicals emitted from fossil fuel point sources. The chemicals emitted usually include sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides. The chemicals then react with water molecules in the upper atmosphere and are then deposited to the earth in the form of precipitation. An interesting issue that David Schindler brings up in his article called From Acid Rain to Toxic Snow is that contaminants can be contaminated in snow which in turn becomes meltwater that people drink (Schindler 354). Acid Rain can also cause structure corrosion on buildings, plant damage, and lake acidification. In plants, acid rain damages the leaves and in lakes, if the pH is below a certain point, fish are not able to survive. Schindler describes that the depletion of base cations will not allow lakes to recover from acidification as quickly as expected (Schindler 351). Acid Rain is a significant threat to human livelihood that should not be underestimated.
According to Dr. Russell Mittermeir in the Nature video, “Biodiversity is the sum total of all life on earth (Mittermeir). Biodiversity loss is caused by activities such as the destruction of natural areas to make room for urbanization and for short-term economic profit. Biodiversity provides many services that we cannot readily see, however, we do benefit from these services. In Norman Myers’s article Environmental Services of Biodiversity, I found it very interesting that there are tremendous economic benefits to preserving biodiversity. One Environmental Service that is valuable to humanity is that of the “pollination of $30 billion dollars’ worth of 90 U.S crops annually” (Myers 2766). As evidenced before, Environmental Services are extremely valuable and if the destruction of biodiversity goes unchecked then humanity may lose these services. Another point the author brought up is that of species redundancy in the following quote: “….Many if not most species are not required for ordinary ecosystem functioning” (Myers 2766).
Biodiversity loss can occur through several methods. One such method is the planting of a monoculture. A monoculture is an area where there is one or few species of plants. Monocultures are primarily planted for agricultural purposes. Another way biodiversity destruction can occur is through the introduction of invasive species. One such example was the introduction of kudzu to the southeastern united states. If biodiversity destruction is left unchecked, then the functioning of ecosystems could deteriorate. The destruction of biodiversity can potentially have a significant amount of impacts on the planet. The first of which is the release of carbon from trees and plants on Earth, which are referred to as “carbon sinks”. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants store a certain amount of carbon. If these trees and plants were to be destroyed, then the carbon stored inside the plants will be released back into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect. In addition, the habitat of many species will be lost, leading to extinctions. Many plants on the planet provide medicinal benefits. If biodiversity loss were to continue to occur at the current rate, then we would lose many critical services to humanity. Biodiversity Loss is an issue that has many implications for the future.