The True Cause of Climate Change and How to Combat It

The transcription discusses opposing views on the causes of climate change and strategies to combat it. It highlights the impact of human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency are working to reduce emissions. Climate change affects various aspects of human life and social justice. Some argue that climate change is a natural occurrence, while others believe humans are responsible. The transcription presents arguments from both sides, with one side emphasizing the role of human actions and the other attributing climate change to natural cycles and the sun. It concludes with a call for policy changes to address deforestation and reduce carbon emissions. The speaker supports the view that human activities contribute to climate change and stresses the need for action before irreversible damage occurs. Hi, my name is Carly Robinson, and for my topic I chose to discuss the opposing sides for the cause of climate change and how we as a society can combat it. With warmer winters, increased droughts, and severe storms, it's clear that there have been shifts in atmospheric patterns, ultimately disrupting the usual balance of nature. Although these shifts may be natural due to variations in the solar cycle, there is much evidence pointing to the fact that human activities are the main driver. Due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, greenhouse gas emissions trap the sun's heat and raise Earth's temperatures. With greenhouse gas levels at an all-time high, the world is experiencing the largest increase in CO2 levels to date. Due to this crisis, many organizations are working to combat climate change and reduce these harmful emissions before it's too late. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through regulatory initiatives and partnership programs. A carbon footprint is defined as the number of carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels. In order for Earth's carbon footprint to be reduced, it is essential for all organizations and individuals to work together. Climate change raises serious issues and threatens the effective enjoyment of a range of human activities. Affecting human life, water and sanitation, food and health, there are so many social justice issues that are affected by this phenomenon. Although there is clear evidence to prove that there have been shifts in atmospheric patterns and a disruption in the usual balance of nature, there are many different perspectives on this issue. One side argues that humans are the root cause of climate change due to their lack of care for the Earth, resulting in an immense carbon footprint. However, others argue that climate change is completely normal since the warming and cooling phases are natural occurrences of the Earth. A common argument for the warming temperatures of the planet is directly traced to the carbon footprint that humans leave on the Earth. With carbon emissions increasing more than 250 times faster than they did from natural sources up to the last ice age, it is evident that humans are responsible. In addition to this, as society has become more business-minded, there have been greater needs for buildings and industries, which essentially takes over land for agriculture. In its fifth assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded there's a more than 95% probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet. Human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the main contributors to these findings. According to the course concepts from this semester, morals can be defined as what societies sanction as right and acceptable. They create standards of behavior that enable people to live cooperatively in groups. Morality often requires people to sacrifice their own short-term interests for the benefit of society. This can clearly be seen through the global warming issues presented in society. Although it may require undesirable actions, in order for societies to put climate change to a halt, it is essential that we as a society must sacrifice our harmful practices. According to social contract theory, people live together in society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior. In terms of global warming, it is essential that being mindful of carbon emissions is promoted within society. By doing so, individuals will come together and reduce their collective carbon footprint. For those who believe that climate change is directly traced to the carbon footprint that humans leave on the earth, ethics plays an essential role in the process of undoing the damage. However, many argue the opposing side, claiming that climate change is a natural phenomenon and humans are not at fault for the increasing temperatures. According to Quantum Magazine, many argue that earth has been both a snowball and a hothouse at different times in the past, so that climate change happened before humans. In his journal entitled Man-Made Climate Change Does Not Exist, Pierce Corbin argues that the increasing temperatures are a result of the sun that drives the climate, not a cause of human actions. As an astrophysicist and director of Weather Action Long Range Forecasting, Pierce Corbin argues that the idea of man-made global warming is a nonsensical theory. Specifically, Corbin believes that the current increase in CO2 levels in the last 100 years is an aftereffect of the medieval warm period. He explains that the medieval warm period occurred 500 to 800 years ago, despite having fewer people burning fossil fuels into the atmosphere. He goes on to explain that the true reason for the abnormally high temperatures is due to the current cycle that the sun is in. He demonstrates this concept by defining the current cycle as the relatively warm interglacial period that has had 10 sub-peaks of warmth. The previous nine have all been warmer than this one, while they had less CO2, supporting his reasoning behind the fact that CO2, and therefore human carbon footprints, do not play a role in global warming. According to Corbin's concepts from this semester, the Environmental Protection Agency, a federal administrative agency created by Congress, coordinates the implementation and enforcement of federal environmental protection laws. The EPA has certain powers to hold hearings, make decisions, and order remedies for violations of federal environmental laws. Pierce Corbin may argue that there is no need for the Environmental Protection Agency, as global warming is a natural occurrence and therefore no one is responsible for violating the law. On the other hand, one who believes that humans are a major cause of this phenomenon would certainly support that the CPA holds a major responsibility in terms of reducing the carbon footprint and overall getting Earth back to a more natural state. The National Environmental Policy Act and Environmental Protection Agency regulations require preparation of an environmental impact, forcing them to consider the adverse impact a federal government action would have on the environment before the action is implemented. After much research to thoroughly understand both sides of this argument, I believe that the warming temperatures of the planet are directly traced to the carbon footprint that humans leave on Earth. There is an immense amount of research to prove that human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming since 1950-1900, and unless something is done about this, the damage will be irreversible. In order to reduce the effects of climate change, it is important that there is a policy change. Through the results of pre-existing climate change policies, there is direct evidence that these proposals are effective, however there is certainly more that needs to be done. There are many policies created to increase human use of renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency, and reduce CO2 levels from transportation. However, a major component of climate change that has not been fully addressed is the destruction of forests to replace with infrastructure. According to the UN Environmental Program, infrastructure is responsible for 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, laws such as the Endangered Species Act, the Wilderness Act, the Lacey Act, and the Roadless Rule protect our forests against the buying and selling of illegal wood products. However, these deforestation policies fail to address the replacement of forests with infrastructure. Trees absorb CO2, and without them, CO2 and other greenhouse gases escape into the atmosphere. In addition to this, the infrastructure built in place of these forests greatly contributes to society's collective carbon footprint. In order to combat this, there are many measures that can be taken. For one, rather than cutting down trees to make room for more office space, businesses should become more reliant on hybrid work environments. For example, rather than creating a building that takes up previous forest space and releases emissions into the atmosphere, employees should take turns going into the office and working from home. In addition to this, another measure that can be taken is for the government to enforce a strict policy against deforestation. Although in theory this policy seems sufficient, there are certain limitations. For one, some businesses may be against the idea of switching to a hybrid work environment. In addition to this, it is extremely difficult for the government to regulate every single instance of deforestation. However, implementing this policy is certainly a step in the right direction. Overall, with warmer winters, increased droughts, and severe storms, it is clear that there have been shifts in atmospheric patterns, ultimately disrupting the usual balance of nature. Although there is clear evidence to prove this, there are many different perspectives on the issue. However, I believe that the warming temperatures of the planet are directly traced to the carbon footprint that humans leave on Earth. In order to combat this, it is essential that there is a policy change made before it is too late. Although this policy change that I discussed earlier may have some drawbacks to it, it is definitely a step in the right direction and can serve as a guide to teach people the importance of taking care of the planet and being more mindful of the carbon footprint we are leaving on the Earth.