Impact of Fossil Fuels on Climatic Conditions and the Possible Ways to Manage it
Here is where you will submit your final project that you were introduced to in week 6, please review the instructions below and submit the project when you are finished by the due date.
Your final project should be creative and interesting, and should be a minimum of 6 pages in length not to exceed 8 pages and you will use APA style formatting. It should be well-organized and demonstrate an orderly flow of information that clearly addresses the subject chosen.
You should incorporate the following elements in the project:
Problem identification: Clearly indicate the issue you will discuss and the influence this problem has on land, air, water resources, plant life, animal life, and human societies. Discuss the long-term effects this problem will continue to create without a comprehensive solution. The problem can be of local, national, or global scope.
Solutions currently implemented: Discuss how the issue has been addressed historically. Determine the courses of action taken in science, technology, political and economic systems, laws and regulations, community-based initiatives, education, and so forth. Review the successes and limitations of these actions.
Recommendations: Explain the actions that you believe need to be developed and implemented to accomplish change. Discuss your solution from multiple perspectives, such as educational, legislative, scientific, technological, economic, and other points of view.
In addition you should cite at least three other credible sources. Put these on your last page as works cited. You are cautioned to check out internet sources. The web abounds with junk science that is totally unreliable. Be sure to cross check your sources.
Course
Instructor
Date
Human Activity and Climatic Change
Introduction
Climatic conditions in varied places around the globe keep changing due to the extent of environmental interference by humans. Over the years, the situation has degenerated due to increased population and industrialization. The impact human population has had on the environment has led to environmental degradation and climatic conditions. Environmentalists argue that human activities have caused the change in climatic conditions. In this article, the impact of fossil fuels on climatic conditions will be evaluated and the possible ways to manage it.
Problem Statement
The adverse climatic conditions witnessed all around the world are a constant reminder of the harm humans have done to the environment. If the very obvious that if environmental conservation is not upheld and sustained, the future generations will find our planet in very dilapidated and inhabitable conditions. It is often said that we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but rather borrowed it from our children, and therefore every one of us is obligated to conserve it for them (Jha, 2009). One of the main contributors of the environmental degradation that has led to adverse climatic conditions is the use of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels have been a critical source of energy to humans albeit having serious adverse effects on the environment. Since the inception of industrialization era more than three centuries ago, fossil fuels have been the main source of energy. To use fossil fuels, burning them is inevitable and they produce carbon gasses and other poisonous gasses with adverse effects on the environment.In some places with high industrialization, the amount of air pollution has surpassed the safe conditions for human survival,i.e., Beijing CITATION Jos14 \l 1033 (Kureethadam, 2014). Carbon dioxide leads to global warming which is one of the key reasons why the climatic conditions of some places are changing rapidly for worse. Global warming occurs when the ozone layer is depleted by carbon dioxide and ultraviolet sun rays reach the earth's surface raising its temperatures. The carbon dioxide also forms a cloud in the atmosphere that re-deflects the earth's radiation. However, fossil fuels are not the only air pollutants that lead to global warming, other human activities like use of firewood also have a significant contribution to global warming.
Fossil fuels have an adversative effect on land, air, water resources, plant life, animal life and human societies. For elucidation, fossil fuels lead to land degradation especially in the places they are mined due to excavation and other human activities which destroy the quality of the land. Depleted fossil fuel mines leave the land in a deplorable condition if not rehabilitated. Combustion of the fossil fuels leads to the production of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which has adverse effects on humans, water, flora, and fauna. Some respiratory conditions are caused by air pollution and affect both humans and animals.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combines with precipitation to cause acidic ran which contaminates water bodies. The acidic rain also affects vegetation adversely thus destroying it and leading to desertification. Acidic rain also destroys the soil composition through leaching important soil components that make it support plant life and hence agriculture. If vegetation is affected, animal life is also affected and hence the ecological balance. Fossil fuels use together with other environmentally unfriendly human practices have led to the loss of some plant and animal species some even before they are discovered (Russell, Hertz, & McMillan, 2016). Moreover, acidic rain destroys property by corroding the surfaces it comes in contact with, especially metal and paints.
If fossil fuel menace continues, in the long term, there will be more desertification as there will be less arable land due to soil degradation. Desertification is enhanced by global warming and acid rain. The atmospheric conditions that are necessary to support life will be in a destroyed and lead to increased cases of respiratory complications. In the long-run, more ozone layer will be depleted and lead to increased global warming alongside serious effect on human skin due to U.V rays reaching the earth's surface. Global warming would lead to increased melting of polar ice leading to submergence of many coastal features.
Some of the effects can be felt today by change in climatic conditions which is characterized by floods and prolonged drought on some areas. The effects start on local communities and extend to the national level before engulfing the hole globe. For example, global warming due to heavy industrialization has led to desertification in some parts of China CITATION Sac15 \l 1033 (Mukherjee & Chakraborty, 2015), then increased temperatures lead to melting polar ice caps that raise the sea levels all over the world. The sad truth is, though the communities who lead in the pumping of more carbon dioxide into the environment through combustion of fossil fuels might experience firsthand adverse effects than the rest, in due time the effects will reach a global scale, and the planet will be in jeopardy.
Current solutions to the Problem
Environmentalists have pushed for environmental conservation practices to ensure that more damage on the environment is not done. To win the war against environmental degradation which is irreversible, some ingenious solutions have been implemented....