How Humans Have Contributed to Climate Change

CLIMATE transpose HOW THE HOMO SAPIENS HAVE CONTRIBUTED By Ernest Ebo Jackson TERM PAPER Climate neuter refers to interchange in f breed(a) weather patterns and groundwork be caused by both natural processes and human activities. In the past, the earths climate has been affected by natural factors such as changes in solar revealput and the secrete of volcanic ash. In fact, the planet has been through many a(prenominal) periods of engine cooling system and warming. The last period of major cooling ratiocinati unitaryd virtually 10,000 categorys ago. The physical evidence that suggests that the earths climate is changing is really overwhelming.The worlds glaciers ar retreating and disappearing, extreme weather is occurring more often now than in the past, the seas level and temperature is on the rise and its becoming more acidic, increased evaporation is drying out the earths supply of fresh peeing found in lakes and rivers, heat waves kill thousands in Europe, uncontrol lable forests fires are destroying forests reserves in places like Australia and Africa, and increasing atmospheric temperature is raising the budget of many families in tropical countries use in cooling their homes.Need I say more? The suns cacoethes heats the surface of the earth, which in kink radiates energy back to space. Some of this radiation, which is nearly all in the infrared emission spectrum, is trapped in the breeze by babys room gases. For instance, water vapor strongly absorbs radiation with wavelengths among 4 and 7 micrometers, and carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs radiation with wavelengths between 13 and 19 micrometers. The trapped radiation warms the demean atmosphere, or troposphere.Some heat then finds its way back down to the Earths surface, making it hotter than it would otherwise be. This is the babys room effect. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere over the last 400,000 long time show a rise since the industrial revolution. Analysis of ice in a cor e drilled from an ice sheet such as the Antarctic ice sheet enables scientist to arrive at this conclusion. But since when did valet becoming aware of the possiblely uncomely effects of Carbon dioxide emissions on the climate? As early as 1827, French polymath Jean-Baptiste Fourier predicts an atmospheric effect eeping the earth warmer than it would otherwise be. He is the offshoot to use a greenhouse analogy. to a fault in 1957, US oceanographer Roger Revelle monishs that humanity is conducting a large-scale geophysical experiment on the planet by releasing greenhouse gases. Colleague David Keeling sets up first continuous monitoring of CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Keeling shortly finds a regular course of study-on-year rise. Over the years, there find been many conferences aimed at finding solutions to climate change or spheric warming.In 1985 for instance, there was a major international conference on the greenhouse effect at Villach, Austria, which warned that greenhous e gases will in the first half of the next century, cause a rise of global mean temperature which is greater than any in mans history. This could cause sea levels to rise by up to one meter, researchers say. The conference in addition reports that gases other than carbon dioxide, such as methane, ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide, to a fault contribute to warming.The worlds nations however have not been united in their quest to stay global warming or climate change. Many nations have been selfish, especially developed ones, seeking first to achieve or maintain economic growth and hence world dominance rather than unsex the sacrifices needed to change state the negative tr block off of climate change. . A revisit to some historical subject will help buttress this point. 1995 proved to be the hottest year recorded to date. In March, the Berlin Mandate is concord by signatories at the first full meeting of the Climate Change Convention in Berlin.industrialized nations agree on the need to negotiate real cuts in their emissions, to be concluded by the end of 1997. In 1996, at the second meeting of the Climate Change Convention, the US agrees for the first sentence to de jure binding emissions targets and sides with the IPCC a pipst influential skeptical scientists. After a four-year pause, global emissions of CO2 resume their steep climb, and scientists warn that most industrialized countries will not meet Rio agreement to stabilize emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000.Furthermore, in 1997, Kyoto Protocol agrees legally binding emissions cuts for industrialized nations, averaging 5. 4%, to be met by 2010. The meeting also adopts a series of flexibility measures, allowing countries to meet their targets partly by trading emissions permits, establishing carbon sinks such as forests to soak up emissions, and by investing in other countries. The precise rules are left for only negotiations. Meanwhile, the US government says it will not ratify the agreement un little it sees evidence of meaningful participation in reducing emissions from developing countries.In 2001, the new US president, George W Bush, renounces the Kyoto Protocol because he recollects it will legal injury the US economy. After some hesitation, other nations agree to go ahead without him. Talks in Bonn in July and Marrakech in November finally conclude the fine print of the protocol. Analysts say that loopholes have pegged agreed cuts in emissions from rich-nation signatories to less than a third of the original Kyoto promise. Signatory nations urged to ratify the protocol in their national legislatures in time for it to come into force before the end of 2002.Now lets talk about a second human behavior that is negatively impacting the climate deforestation. deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands by the processes of humans such as logging and/or burning of trees in a forested knowledge base. Deforestation occurs because of many reasons trees or derived charcoal are used as or sold for fuel or a commodity to be used by humans, while cleared land is used by humans as pasture for livestock, correctations of commodities, and settlements.Peoples removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration (the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by biological processes) of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland. Forests (an area with a high density of trees. ) are the most natural biological formation. They serve many functions. Firstly, forests hold dear and form other natural resources.Thanks to the processes of photosynthesis, they renew the oxygen stock in the atmosphere by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide and moderating the greenhouse effect. Forests also allow for the exis tence of many species of plants and animals, thus protecting diversity of nature and its gene stock. Forests clean the environment by muffling noises, lowering the wind susceptibility as well as stopping dust and gases. They have a regulatory influence on surface water runoff they moderate high and low temperatures and prevent soil erosion.By playing all of the above listed functions forests stabilize the climate and shape the landscape. Forests create conditions for relaxation, recreation and improvement of health. Only when actively growing can trees or forest remove carbon over an annual or longitudinal timeframe. The decay and burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. In order for forests to take up carbon, the wood must be harvested and turned into long-lived products and trees must be re-planted.Sadly consumer trends indicate the humans like to discard products such as furniture after only a few years of usage and buy new ones, increasing t he need for wood and thus deforestation. Reducing emissions from the tropical deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries has emerged as new potential solution to complement current climate policies. The idea consists in providing financial compensations for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The earlier these ideas are implemented, the better for us.The hydrological effects on climate as a result of deforestation are even more alarming. The water cycle is probably the most affected by deforestation. Trees fire groundwater through their root and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the trees no longer evaporate past this water, resulting in a much drier climate. Already, acute water shortages in countries like Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq has resulted in armed conflicts with factions fighting to control the scanty water resources available.Water prices increase too is an indication of global water shortage. In Britain, water and sewage bills increased 67 percent between 1989 and 1995. The rate at which peoples services were disconnected rose by 177 percent. Deforestation also contributes to decreased evapotranspiration (the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earths land surface to atmosphere), which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to downwind forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans.According to one former study in deforested north and northwest China, the average annual precipitation decreased by one third between the 1950s and the 1980s. Trees, and plants in general, affect the water cycle significantly their canopies intercept a proportion of precipitation, which is then evaporated back to the atmosphere (canopy interception) their litter, stems and trunks slow down surface runoff their roots c reate macropores large conduits in the soil that increase infiltration of ater they contribute to terrestrial evaporation and shrivel up soil moisture via transpiration their litter and other organic residue change soil properties that affect the capability of soil to store water. Their leaves control the humidity of the atmosphere by transpiration. 99% of the water pulled up by the roots move up to the leaves for transpiration. As a result, the presence or absence of trees can change the quantity of water on the surface, in the soil or groundwater, or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion rates and the availability of water for either ecosystem functions or human services.Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planets fresh water. So what are we waiting for? When will human start acting to reverse these trends? I wish I knew. The third human activity that has contributed to global warming is the use of chlorofluorocarbon. A chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) is an organi c compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. Many CFCs have been widely used as refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), and solvents. Applications function the low toxicity, low reactivity, and low flammability of the CFCs.During World War II, various chloroalkanes were in standard use in military aircraft. After the war they slowly became more common in civil aviation as well. In the 1960s, fluoroalkanes and bromofluoroalkanes became available and were quickly recognized as being highly effective fire-fighting materials. By the advanced 1960s they were standard in many applications where water and dry-powder extinguishers posed a threat of damage to the defend property, including computer rooms, telecommunications switches, laboratories, museums and art collections.Beginning with warships, in the 1970s, bromofluoroalkanes also progressively came to be associated with rapid knockdown of strict fires in confined spaces with minimal risk to personnel. By the early 1980s, bromofluoroalkanes were in common use on aircraft, ships, and large vehicles as well as in computer facilities and galleries. A planets climate is decided by its mass, its distance from the sun and the composition of its atmosphere. Earths atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. Carbon dioxide makes up just 0. 03 0. 04% with water vapour varying in amount from 0 to 2%.Without the greenhouse gases, Earths average temperature would be roughly -20C. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in machinery and other purposes have resulted in the release of CFCs into the atmosphere which intensifies the heat-trapping properties of the atmosphere as a whole. There is no natural process that release CFCs. In addition, CFCs rise into the fastness layer of the atmosphere, the stratosphere, where they destroy the protective layer of ozone, a gas that forms a shield against ultraviolet rays that can harm many forms of life.About l million tons (over 900,000 met ric tons) per year of CFCs have been released worldwide since the mid l970s. Demand for refrigeration (which has cooling systems that use CFCs) in developing countries is projected to increase greatly, especially in China and India. Ozone losses in the upper atmosphere are occurring at all latitudes in both hemispheres. The most striking example of ozone loss occurs over the South Pole during September and October. As ozone is lost, the amount of biologically harmful UV-B radiation will increase.Skin cancer rates are expect to increase. Other health effects will likely include an increase in cataracts and suppression of the insubordinate system. Increased UV-B radiation may also harm plants and animals. These CFCs have a global warming potential of up to 11,000 times as strong as carbon dioxide by weight. Unfortunately, millions of products such as refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers and aerosol cans that contain CFCs are still in use around the world and are neari ng the end of their usable lives.The next 10-20 years present a unique one-time opportunity to prevent emissions from these products as they are retired and therefore mitigate ozone damage and global climate change. The damage caused by CFCs was discovered by Sherry Rowland and Mario Molina who, after hearing a lecture on the subject of James Lovelocks work, embarked on research resulting in the first publication suggesting the connection in 1974. It turns out that one of CFCs most attractive featurestheir low reactivity is the key to their most destructive effects.CFCs lack of reactivity gives them a lifespan that can exceed deoxycytidine monophosphate years, giving them time to diffuse into the upper stratosphere. Once in the stratosphere, the suns ultraviolet radiation is strong fair to middling to cause the homolytic cleavage of the C-Cl bond. Since the late 1970s, the use of CFCs has been heavily regulated. By 1987, in response to a dramatic seasonal depletion of the ozone l ayer over Antarctica, diplomats in Montreal forged a treaty, the Montreal Protocol, which called for drastic reductions in the production of CFCs.On March 2, 1989, 12 European Community nations agreed to ban the production of all CFCs by the end of the century. In 1990, diplomats met in London and voted to significantly strengthen the Montreal Protocol by calling for a nail down elimination of CFCs by the year 2000. On October 2 2009, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing about the stockpile of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in old equipment and building infrastructure, and the enormous potential for these potent greenhouse gases to accelerate climate change.These CFC banks store the equivalent of 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide, nigh one-third of which will be emitted over the next decade under business as usual. EESI estimates that the destruction of CFCs could cost $62 -$180 billion globally. No wonder institutions are reluctant to destroy them thoug h they are very much intended of the effects CFCs are having on our climate. As the evidence shows, we have ourselves to blame for the unfavorable climate in recent history.Our practices are changing the climate and we are conscious of it but still keep on living life as if nothing is at stake. The billions of dollars that we gain from over-exploiting the earth are the same billion we spent on relief for victims of extreme weather. What then do we gain? The U. S. has sustained 96 weather-related disasters over the past 30 years in which overall alter/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total normalized losses for the 96 events exceed $700 billion. Read an instance in the paragraph below.Southwest/Great Plains Drought persists for an entire year in 2009. Drought conditions occurred during much of the year across parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and southern Texas causing agricultural losses in numerous states (TX, OK, KS, CA, NM, and AZ). The largest floriculture losses occurred in TX and CA. Estimate of over $5. 0 billion in damages/costs. I believe the arguments presented herein are very conclusive. Humans have contributed immensely to climate change and they are paying for it.

The Italian Renaissance: Review Sheet

Unit One The Italian Renaissance Review airplane 1. People to know -Savonarola-gained power in Florence in 1494. Exercised strict rule until overthrown in 1498 -Julius II-The state of warrior Pope. Led armies against the french and Venetians -Tudors ( wherefore powerful? )- Edward IV? Richard II? Henry VII. Used Star Chamber against nobles and Henry VII rebuilt monarchy -Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile (Inquisition why? )-Marriage created union of Spain. Completed Reconquista and Inquisition? anti-Semitism -Charles V/Hapsburg- Holy popish Emperor. 1521 Habsburg-Valois Wars?Battlefield was often Italy -Mirandola- oration of the Dignity of Man -Renaissance popes- Became increasingly secular . Nicholas V? Pius II ? Sixtus IV? Alexander Vi? Julius II? Leo X 2. Vocabulary converses, hermanades, Renaissance, oligarchies, signori, commune, popolo (what did they want? /what was their condition? ), humanism, secularism, individualism, Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, infanticid e/foundling hospitals, Medici Family (how they got their wealth), Quattrocento 3. finesse How artists were viewed, how they viewed medieval past, Michelangelo, Ghiberti, Raphael, Da Vinci, patrons (why support artists? , Brunelleschi (Dome of St. Peters), Jan Van Eyck 4. Printing Press changes it brought, when? Who? 5. New Monarchs Who support? Who resisted? , Charles VII of France centralizing efforts, tactics of the English kings (Henry VII and Henry VIII) to gain power, Star Chamber, Ferdinand and Isabella tactics, Iberian Peninsula, War of the Roses 6. Ideas View of rape in Renaissance view of black slaves women in the Renaissance/upper partition versus ordinary women source of wealth of Italian communes 7.Writers Castiglione (The Book of the Courtier), Machiavelli (The Prince/views), Dante (Divine Comedy), Petrarch, Laura Cereta (women ideas), Peter Paul Vergerio (education), Lorenzo Valla (textual criticism), Boccaccio (The Decameron), Erasmus (In Praise of Folly/ideas), 8. Union Renaissance Thomas More (Utopia/ideas), Christopher Marlowe, Nicholas Copernicus (Polish astronomer), How differ from Italian Renaissance? 9. Characteristics of Italian Renaissance Greek/Roman (Latin), individual city states (list), Florence, secular, civic affairs, curiosity, powerful families, manners/morals, how did it end? , crisis in the 14th C, wars

Aids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aids - Essay ExampleIt can also be transmitted through septic blood transfusions. Drug addicts who use syringes are also at a high risk of growing the disease. It can be transmitted to the fetus from the mother during pregnancy as head as during endure and nursing. The disease affects the major systems of the gentleman body owing to the suppression of immunity by the computer virus. It can pull up stakes in severe civilises which include pneumonia as well as cancers like Kaposis sarcoma. The treatment for the condition is mainly antiretroviral therapy. Prevention is aimed at awareness. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is a pathological condition which is referred to as a syndrome owing to the item that this disease affects many another(prenominal) systems of the human body and is characterized by many secondary infectious diseases as well as cancers arising from different cells. It may also affect the nervous system of the patient of and hence the patient presents with signs and symptoms of nervous disease. This syndrome is led to by the human immunodeficiency virus. This virus and the resulting disease were identified in the year 1981. The virus possesses the ability to decrease the efficacy of the immune system of the human body and hence it puts a soul at risk of the development of many diseases that would not occur in a normal honorable person. The pathology has led to increased attention from international health organizations due to the severity of the disease accompanied by the position that the depend of infected people keeps on increasing every year (Davidson et al 2006, Levinson 2008, Robbins et al 2005). Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome has been ranked as the second most common pathological condition across the world which explains the fact that this disease follows a global pattern. It has been labeled as an epidemic due to the increased presentation of the number of cases. In Africa it has been i dentified as the first most common reason of death and has been reported to bunk to more than 20 percentage of deaths in the region. Ever since the disease has been identified, it has been linked to greater than 20 one million million deaths around the world. The World Health Organization presented with the findings that 39.4 million people had AIDS or were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus in the year 2004 (Davidson et al 2006, Levinson 2008). 70 percent of the people who suffer from this disease conk out to Africa. In the year 2002, it was identified that 900,000 residents of the United States were suffering from the disease. Amongst the residents of the U.S., it is considered to be the second reason of death amongst the males of the while group 25 to 44. On the other hand, amongst the females of this age group, it is ranked as the third life fetching reason. The pathology is also found to affect young children below the age of 13 years. It has been analyzed tha t 2 percent out of the total cases of the disease affects these children. In 2002, 800,000 more children were affected with this syndrome (Robbins et al 2005, Levinson 2008). There are many underlying causes that can result in AIDS. The human immunodeficiency virus which is the causative organism for this disease prevails in the fluids of the human body which include the blood, semen, saliva as well as milk from the mammary glands. consequently contact with infected body fluids increases the susceptibility of contracting the disease (Davidson et al 2

Construction - Contemporary studies (sustainability, legislation, Essay

Construction - Contemporary studies (sustainability, legislation, built enviroment, protect intentiont and wildlife) - turn up ExampleAlso, this would also help the public to understand the penalty applicable if any blatant violations of the regulations ar made.European Commission in its sixth and the present action plan for the environmental management termed as Environment 2010 Our future Our Choice has identified nature and the biodiversity as two priority areas that need to be given proper attention to ensure sustainable development in a region. In this community discordant action plans in the form of regulations and community participative strategies are being formulated and put these ideas into practice. As builders and construction contractors are the most involved group with the nature and biodiversity , an awareness on the acts relating to the legislations and regulations would help the plan the development process without infringing the prevailing regulations and nor ms (Begon et al, 1996, Ratcliffe, 1977). The significant legislations by the UK government to manage construction while preserving the wildlife are as follows.This legislation is exclusive to England and Wales inorder to strengthen the protection given to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other wildlife locations. The duty of its strict enforcement is rested with the government ministers and officials of both England and Wales. This is the important legislation that has strong implication on construction contractors. It is now considered as criminal offence to disturb and damage those nesting birds and species which is protected under various schedules.The legislation have been brought into force for England and Wales inorder to protect various species of the trees. The local planning authority would place a order on the protection of certain trees or their group for the proper conservation of these biomass for the purpose of fall in living environment.This regulati on is applicable in England and Wales and provides adequate protection to