Climate and climate change

CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
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1. The International Union of Geological Sciences (IGUS) has convened a group of scholars to decide by 2016 whether to officially declare that the Holocene is over and the Anthropocene has begun. Critically discuss the evidence to support the Anthropocene as a new epoch.
Introduction
Reflecting on research, it is agreeable that Holocene defines an era that started during the climax of the Pleistocene and endures to the present-day. This geological epoch incorporate within it the development and influences of man in the global context (Letcher, 2009, p.14). Much has been said concerning Holocene coming to an end and Anthropocene taking over. It is important to provide an in-depth analysis on Anthropocene in order to prove whether it has taken over. Therefore, it is worth examining the evidence supporting the argument that currently humans are living in the Anthropocene epoch from a broad perspective.
Anthropocene epoch is a term used to explain the recent age of man i.e. it describes the way man is influencing and affecting the way the planet works. In essence, man is viewed and analyzed as part of the geological system, as opposed to traditional views where he was seen as an instance with no effect on how the planet operates (Solomon, 2007, p.12). With the coming of the industrialization era, it is agreeable that various activities by man have shaped the current situation of the earth. Most importantly, it is expected that such activities are guaranteed to define the future of the geological nature of the earth.
With increased industrialization in many nations, man has caused imbalances of the normal carbon cycle. Increased carbon in the environment has caused global warming due to increased deforestation reducing the ability of the environment to use this excess carbon. Evidence is clearly seen in the warmer climates in regions traditionally under cold climates like the Antarctica and arctic regions (Croll, 2012, p.32). These warmer climates have resulted in increased photosynthetic processes in plants thus increased rate of the release of oxygen gas that is a by-product of the processes. In addition, while on the same line, this warmer climate has resulted to increase snowlines on mountains as evident in the Alps Mountains in Europe.
More pronounced evidence includes melting of the Arctic, which has led to an increase in the span covered by the water body on the earth surface (Brezina, 2008, 17). Other low-lying areas have even experienced increased sea levels, posing great risk to coastal cities like New York and Sydney. This increase means a higher rate of evaporation of water since a wider surface of water is subject to exposure by the sun. Over the last years, the consequences of this increased rate have been more occurrence of rainfall in various parts of the world, which included areas generally not known to experience high rainfall rates (Brezina, 2008, p.13). Where this effect has occurred in mountainous areas, there has been increased rate of weathering of the mountain peaks traditionally known to be pointed, leading to reduced heights of the same.
Conclusion
From the various activities of man, it is clearly evidence that he is shaping the course of the geological epoch of the world. The present existence of the Anthropocene epoch has been characterized by evidence that everyone can relate to. In essence, it is the accountability of everyone to use this information to push for practices that brings the best geological epoch scenario in the future.
2. Can geoengineering save the world? Critically discuss this statement and theadvantages and disadvantages of a range of geoengineering options.
Introduction
This geological term (geoengineering) is used to describe the manipulation (by humans) of the planetary environment with the intention of reducing and if possible redo the effect of the Anthropocene epoch that is of the present world. The end goal of all this is to ensure the current conditions of the world that support humanity are maintained for the future and survival of all living things ( HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_G._Victor" \o "David G. Victor" David, 2008, p.23). It is worth examining both the advantages and disadvantages of the various geoengineering options to determine the best option that is practical and economic to implement.
Global warming is primarily caused by fossil fuels since they release carbon dioxide into the environment leading to increased temperatures. By controlling the use of the same, the rate of carbon dioxides can be reduced. This is because with a cooler climate, there will be reduced rates of melting of the icecaps on mountains and at the pole regions of both the Arctic and Antarctica meaning more carbon dioxide will be captured by these ice blocks and that the sea levels shall be kept under check. Therefore, reduced carbon dioxide in the environment is a platform for cooler environments. However, the disadvantages of seizing to use fossil fuels and using other forms of power generation, the expense and unreliability of the same becomes a concern e.g. hydropower generation is dependent on rain, and any instance of drought may lead to economic crippling of industries ( HYPERLINK "/search?q=au%3AGreat+Britain.+P...