Zhang, Kevin: Global Warming & Your Carbon Footprint

Individual Essay Submission                  

Cut and paste your un-plagiarized essay of 250-500 words having 3 or more paragraphs into this private individual page below on or before midnight December 1st.  Be sure to save your drafts offline and cut and paste the final version. Submissions will not be accepted after that time.

Once you have made a final submission, send Dr. R. an e-mail ([e-mail]) advising him that you have done so.

According to Basics of the Carbon Cycle and the Greenhouse Effect from ESRL, the greenhouse effect is a process which warms the earth’s atmosphere due to the absorption of radiation energy by several trace gases (esrl.noaa.gov).  The four most important greenhouse gases are Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (NO2), Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). It is reported that due to greenhouse gases’ (GHG) ability to absorb infrared radiation and the solar energy that has been absorbed by Earth's surface, GHG molecules have a significant impact on Earth's climate by acting as a barrier for escaping "heat" (esrl.noaa.gov).

Within GHG, CO2 is a great concern because it contributes the most to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and climate change. The statistic shows that there are 9.6 million metric tons of CO2 that were in the atmosphere in 2012 (esrl.noaa.gov). In the same article, the author indicates that CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing due to the fact that humans have been burning these fossil fuels and emitting CO2. In the United States, for example, 38% of the CO₂ produced in 2012 came from generating electricity and 32% came from vehicle emissions (J.P., Economist.com).

According to ESRL, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has changed from 185 ppm in ice age to 403 ppm to Jan 2016. A new concept, carbon cycle, has been brought out by the scientists to describe the carbon atom within the molecule moves between many different natural reservoirs (esrl.noaa.gov). Solar energy is one of the most important alternative energy, as it is a renewable resource. We can always rely upon on the sun showing up the very next day as a constant and consistent power source. Furthermore, CO2 has also contributed to the increase in ocean acidity since CO2 is acidic. As the atmospheric CO2 concentration increases, the ocean sink also increases slightly. There are also concerns that if the carbon cycle’s CO2 equilibrium level is not reset to a lower concentration level, the acid-base equilibrium of the ocean will be disrupted and the global warming will continue to be on the rise. CO2 is related to acid-base equilibrium as CO2 is acidic and it reacts with the strongest base present in significant concentration and upsets the carbonate buffer system. If the buffering effects in the oceans were to stop, the net result is a more acidic ocean, according to American Chemical Society (acs.org).

According to the Guardian, the average American is responsible for 19.8 tonnes per person (Vaughan, theguardian.com). My personal household carbon footprint in tons per year is around 78.3 per year. To improve my carbon footprint, I can take fewer airplane trips, turn off the lights when not using and eat less meat etc. (Gillis, nytimes.com). In order to raise the awareness of the global warming in my community, I can work with the school newspaper to promote the related background information and possible solutions to the issue.

 

 

 

Works Consulted

“Basics of the Carbon Cycle and the Greenhouse Effect.” NOAA Earth System Research     

    Laboratory, 1 Oct. 2005, www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/basics.html.

“Benefits Of Solar Power.” The Advantages of Solar Energy Power | Big Dog Solar,

     www.bigdogsolar.com/faqs/benefits-of-solar-power/.

Gillis, Justin. “Short Answers to Hard Questions About Climate Change.” The New York Times,

     The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2015, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/28/science/what-is-climate-change.html?_r=0.

J.P. “Why Scientists Are (Almost) Certain That Climate Change Is Man-Made.” The Economist,

    The Economist Newspaper, 2 Nov. 2014,        

“Ocean Chemistry.” American Chemical Society,

    www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/oceansicerocks/oceanchemistry.html.

    www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/11/economist-explains.

“Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.” ESRL Co2 Trends RSS, 1 Oct. 2005,

    www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/history.html.

Vaughan, Adam. “Carbon Emissions per Person, by Country.” The Guardian, Guardian News

    and Media, 2 Sept. 2009,

  www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/carbon-emissions-per-person-capita.

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