Issues and Debate of Anthropogenic Climate Change - 763 Words

In the last few decades, the issue of anthropogenic climate change (ACC)—human caused climate change—has come to the forefront of public, political, and scientific awareness. There has been much debate regarding the legitimacy of ACC, despite an article from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration stating: Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. With this in mind, it is important to examine the rationale behind this seemingly unfounded opposition to ACC. Organized Climate Change Denial by Dunlap and McCright (2011) introduces this rationale and gives a face to this denial. They present the idea of a â€Å"denial machine†. This machine is made of various different actors including conservative media, fossil fuel industries, and various front groups—these will be discussed in greater detail within the paper. Essentially, the motivations of the various cogs (actors) vary from economic to ideological to personal, yet overall they rally around shared opposition to â€Å"governmental regulatory efforts to ameliorate climate change, such as restrictions to carbon emissions.† (source) A large factor in governmental regulatory efforts is public opinion and, not coincidentally, there were significant declines in public belief of global warming in 2009 and 2010. This spreadShow MoreRelatedCO2 is NOT Pollution Essay example1492 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of our global climate, most scientists agree that human action s have had a warming effect on the global climate (IPCC, 2010). This idea of anthropogenic global climate change is the general consensus in the scientific community according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These views were increasingly challenged, mostly by non-scientists, in late 2009 when servers owned by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) were hacked. Emails between climate scientists and other documentsRead More Climate Change: The Sciences, the Media, and Politics Essay1468 Words   |  6 Pagesspheres of information and action are invariably linked when discussing complex global issues like climate change. However, the presentation and resolution of disagreement within the three spheres is incredibly independent. The many ways that climate change, specifically the debate on the existence of climate change, is portrayed within these spheres can greatly affect public emotion, knowledge, and policy of such an issue. This is particularly evident in the Un ited States (US) (Boykoff Boykoff, 2007)Read MoreThe Debate On Global Warming1239 Words   |  5 PagesThere is much controversy concerning global warming. The controversy takes the form of public debate that centers on five issues (Mazo 30). The first issue is whether or not global warming is occurring. The second issue is whether global warming is real and extent it has occurred in the recent decades. The third question relates to the causes of global warming. The fourth question centers on the effects of global warming. The fifth question is whether any action needs to be taken to contain globalRead MoreHuman Induced And Proceeds At A Rate1246 Words   |  5 Pages It is no surprise to anyone that Earth’s climate has experienced significant changes throughout history. Over the past million years, planet have been through several changes between glacier advance and retreat whereas the last one ended seven thousand years ago followed by the beginning of modern climate er a and rise of human civilization (NASA, 2010). Majority of these changes were caused by relatively small variations in the orbit of the planet that altered the amount of energy that Earth receivedRead MoreWays Of Knowing Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pagesthe topic of climate change has become a controversial debate between those who support the claim and those who believe it does not exist. Climate change, simply put, is the change in distribution of weather patterns that extend over a longer period of time. One of the major debates is whether global climate change is due primarily to anthropogenic, also known as man-made, causes or it is all part of a natural cycle. This argument introduces bigger topics that are related to the issue, such as theRead MoreThe Debate Over Presidential Debates1079 Words   |  5 PagesWhat topics are labeled important enough to be talked about during presidential debates? Topics such as terrorism and national security; the economy; jobs and employment; and the Affordable Care Act and Healthcare all managed to be the center of attention during all debates. What topics were almost entirely ignored? Topics such as gun policy; social issues like LGBT rights and abortion; and the environment and climate change were put to the side to instead talk about Hillary Clinton’s email scandal orRead MoreIndirect Scientific Measurements Of Atmospheric Composition Over The Last 10000 Years Have Informed The Climate Change Debate1580 Words   |  7 Pagesinformed the climate change debate†. There are both direct and indirect ways of measuring atmospheric composition. Direct scientific measures are used to gain quantitative data which primarily use scientific tools and equipment to measure the actual climatic changes, be it a change in greenhouse gas concentrations or an increase in climatic temperature. Indirect scientific measurements of climate change often measure a separate factor which may provide some evidence of climate change in the past.Read MoreThe Effects Of Fossil Fuels On The Environment1734 Words   |  7 Pagesgenerations to global catastrophe.† The point of no return metaphorically represents the place in ones journey that must be continued with no alternative routes or ability to make change. In consort with President Obama, many scientists believe the point of no return could occur if significant efforts aren’t made soon. Anthropogenic (human influenced) activities in comparison to natural influences have more of an impact on the environm ent. Since the industrial era carbon concentrations in the atmosphereRead MoreThe Debate On Global Climate Change1605 Words   |  7 PagesThe debate on global climate change argues that human-generated greenhouse gas emissions are too small to substantially change the earth’s climate and that the planet is capable of absorbing those increases. It is contended that warming over the 20th century resulted primarily from natural processes such as fluctuations in the sun s heat and ocean currents. But the theory of human-caused global climate change is based on questionable measurements, faulty climate models, and misleading science. InRead MoreThe Debate over Global Warming1406 Words   |  6 PagesKnowing that this isn’t a threat that will peak in our life time or even the next generation’s causes political progression to move slowly. If we misinterpret the climate change now when it’s shifting more noticeably, the time available to effectively respond to the issue could end. In order to react appropriately to the world’s changing climate, we must educate members of society in the distinct knowledge that humans have direct influence on the warming of the planet. The fundamental disagreement when