Climate Change
Alexander Fitzgerald
Dr. Michael Pieracci
History 105: Roots
January 31, 2013
Global Warming or the Next Ice Age? It would be safe to assume that climate change is going to be around for a long time and have an enormous impact on the lives of many people. Humans have had a huge impact on the environment for many years and can be linked to one the main factors of global warming. Global warming is a topic that has received much attention in recent years; yet our climate change is not a recent problem. If the U.S. Continues to ignore climate change then the effect on the environment will affect humans. Despite what many might think, climate change is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. My thesis is the Greenland ice cap is both shrinking and expanding, and climate change can be linked to both trends. The effect humans have had on the environment can be linked to the shrinking and expanding of the Greenland ice cap. In the book "The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change" it is discussed how greenhouse gasses have been increasing in the atmosphere for the last two centuries or so, primarily as a result of human activity. (Dessler and Parson 88). In addition, climate change will most likely affect populations through impacts on the necessities and comforts of life such as water, energy, housing, transportation, food, natural ecosystems, and health systems. Rural communities tend to be more dependent on climate-sensitive livelihood activities and have fewer resources and social support systems compared to urban populations (Alig 73). The growth of our population has increased our use of fuel, land, and manufacturing. All of these are increasing emissions into our atmosphere that increases global warming. The concern about climate change has been an issue for decades. There’s no specific date as such. The climate-change debate, like all policy debates, is fundamentally an argument over action. An action needs to be taken soon on how
Dr. Michael Pieracci
History 105: Roots
January 31, 2013
Global Warming or the Next Ice Age? It would be safe to assume that climate change is going to be around for a long time and have an enormous impact on the lives of many people. Humans have had a huge impact on the environment for many years and can be linked to one the main factors of global warming. Global warming is a topic that has received much attention in recent years; yet our climate change is not a recent problem. If the U.S. Continues to ignore climate change then the effect on the environment will affect humans. Despite what many might think, climate change is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. My thesis is the Greenland ice cap is both shrinking and expanding, and climate change can be linked to both trends. The effect humans have had on the environment can be linked to the shrinking and expanding of the Greenland ice cap. In the book "The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change" it is discussed how greenhouse gasses have been increasing in the atmosphere for the last two centuries or so, primarily as a result of human activity. (Dessler and Parson 88). In addition, climate change will most likely affect populations through impacts on the necessities and comforts of life such as water, energy, housing, transportation, food, natural ecosystems, and health systems. Rural communities tend to be more dependent on climate-sensitive livelihood activities and have fewer resources and social support systems compared to urban populations (Alig 73). The growth of our population has increased our use of fuel, land, and manufacturing. All of these are increasing emissions into our atmosphere that increases global warming. The concern about climate change has been an issue for decades. There’s no specific date as such. The climate-change debate, like all policy debates, is fundamentally an argument over action. An action needs to be taken soon on how