How Do Humans Cause Global Warming
Congratulate yourself for wanting to learn about the main cause of global warming. Not only does our species create huge problems that are beyond the ability of other animals to create, but we have the fortunate ability to analyze them and work to bring an end to their consequences. You are actively engaged in that process.
Humans cause global warming with our unique ability to capture and use energy from stored energy sources. No other animal can start fires or build gasoline engines.
Consider your home and the environment in which it is situated. The very fact that you live in one place, something that was quite uncommon before the discovery of stored energy sources like fossil fuels, speaks to how your life is facilitated by these unique energy sources.
Even your basic needs are dependent on fossil fuels. Your water, food, and fuel for heating and cooking likely travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles to your home.
This pattern couldn’t be sustained if humans didn’t have the ability to exploit dense energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. However, their discovery transformed the face of the earth and the nature of humans.
The effects on earth are dangerous. In the last 150 years, the human population has grown by more than five times and each person uses more energy than ever. This energy comes largely from fossil fuels, the use of which is a direct cause of global warming.
Global Warming is a Growing Problem
The growth of the human population and the growth of consumption adds up to an ever-escalating carbon output. You’ve probably heard a lot of talk about global warming, but if we want to decrease global warming, then the amount of carbon released each year by humans must be drastically reduced.
Human Consumption or Human Population?
Two factors are acting as catalysts of increased carbon levels in our atmosphere:
- Increasing consumption among the wealthy (that means you!)
- Increasing population among the poor
You may wonder which is the primary culprit. The answer is clear – both! Consider the following:
- Americans consume 300 – 600 times as much as people in very poor nations, in some cases.
- 70 million people are added to the world’s population each year, many of whom aspire to live “better” lives, to consume like wealthy people.
From this it becomes clear why humans are the main cause of global warming. However, it is even more important for you to understand that you have the power to help prevent global warming from getting worse.
(Image credit: Flickr via mkw87)
You guys make Hilter look like a baby. He is probably rolling over in hell saying:” I was born too soon”!! I have for the past 700 million years (over the last 30 years) had a job that required reconstructing past environments (environmental geologist). To say that the climate should be stable is calling all the rocks you are walking on to be liars. We live on a dynamic planet- always has been that way. If you believe that humans populations are causing the planet great harm– why don’t you check out. Seems it is easier to kill off everyone else. To ponder- if indeed the climate is changing for the worst, why not let it go on and reduce the population that way instead of resurrening the death camps.
wow what a bitchy website!!! honestly you commenters could graduae from bitch acadamy!!
What is wrong with all of you?? NONE of you people are educated! You people are destroying the Earth. Don’t come crying to Al Gore when there’s a gaping hole in the ozone and you all suffocate! Get your facts straight!!
Global warming has already been proved that it happened millions and millions ago. Humans wasn’t around that long so who cause it then???? We are making the process of global warming right now go faster. Even if we try to stop it……it is still going to happen!!!!!!!!!
man i hate my self now
Global warming does exist. People and scients say this because of many problems like a growing ozone hole over Antarctica or the melting ice caps. I think this is true because humans damage our ozone layer with many things, and the less ozone we have to protect us from the sun the more heat and UV rays we get that cause these problems. These problems can include: carbon emmisions from cars and factories, CFC’s from airisol cans, and deforestation as a matter-a-fact has to do with global warming because trees reduce CO2 and the less trees we have, the more CO2 we have damaging the ozone layer. This is proof that explains the existance and the effects of global warming.
Global warming doesn’t exist. Scientists say this for technalogical proof based reasosns. For example, scientists say that satellite redings show that there has not been a darastic increase in ozone temperature in the last 23 years they’ve been scanning. They also say that the polar ice caps are coming back. They say the cause of why people think there is global warming is due to increased surface temperatures where urbanasation takes place. I still happen to disagree with this even though there is some very logical proof given.
note i didnt say we create an excessive amount of Co2 when we breath, i said we produce some.
yeah ithink we should be more responsible in finding out weather we really do contribute to global warming. we should know how much it impacts the lives of other and we should all take action!!!!
Well, I think that global warming IS our problem. You can’t honestly think that, oh, well, our planets population has doubled in the last 30 years, oh, thats ok!! And, oh, were cutting down all of our trees, and yeah, all the animals that are being extinct is just natural.. when are we going to open our eyes??? This isn’t natural!! And unless we get people like octo-mom and “L. nice” to change how we think of the world, its just going to get worse. Are we really going to just let our planet waste away like this?