In the last 800,000 years, our planet has gone through eight different warming and

cooling periods. It is no doubt that the climate has been forever changing since the beginning of

time. However, in none of these periods have scientists observed the climate changing as drastic

as it currently is; and it’s not even close. Since records began being kept in 1880, the earth’s

global average temperature has risen by an unprecedented 2.45 degrees Fahrenheit. This rate of

warming is extremely alarming, and the damages are already in play. While there are many

factors that play into the warming of our earth, it is only reasonable to suggest that humans are

the primary cause of this rapid warming. In the same 800,000 years that the earth has seen

multiple freezes and thaws of the earth, the amount of carbon dioxide (one of the many gases that

scientists have coined “greenhouse gases”) in the atmosphere never reached above 300 parts per

million, until 1911. The beginning of this increase in carbon dioxide directly coincides with the

beginning of the industrial revolution. In this essay, I will explain how humans have an effect on

climate change, and how we can work to negate these effects. By the end of this paper, I hope

that the reader understands the importance of protecting our precious planet.

“Human activities contribute to global warming by increasing the greenhouse gas effect.

The greenhouse gas effect happens when certain gases-known as greenhouse gases-collect in

Earth’s atmosphere”, states an article produced by the National Geographic Society. These gases,

which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, allow the sun

to shine onto the earth’s surface. However, in excess, these gases prove harmful to our

atmosphere as they simultaneously trap heat which reflects back into the atmosphere. The reason

that this should be a worry to all of humanity is due to the recent skyrocket in the levels of these

gases. According to the National Geographic article, “Greenhouse gas emissions increased 70

percent between 1970 and 2004%”. The majority of these gases are the result of the burning of
fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gases. These resources are responsible for running our

society, as they fuel cars, trains, factories, and many other things that our world relies on much

too heavily. Additionally, greenhouse gases are released as a result of deforestation, agriculture,

landfills, and the production of fossil fuels. Other things, some as simple as aerosol cans, also

release greenhouse gases. If humans do not make an urgent change in how we live, it is likely

that the effects will be detrimental. We have already begun witnessing these effects in many

forms.

The most obvious negative effect of global warming is the harm to the environment of the

planet. While the increase in temperature in the last century may not seem significant, even the

smallest shift in temperature can cause drastic changes in the environment, which ripples

throughout different ecosystems. One of the immediate changes that global warming has initiated

is the rapid melting of sea ice. As stated in an article produced by the Natural Resource Defense

Council (NRDC), “The Arctic is heating up twice as fast as anywhere else on earth, leading to

the rapid melting of glaciers and polar ice sheets, where a massive amount of water is stored”.

As this ice melts, dark ocean waters that were not previously exposed will begin to absorb

sunlight, which causes the melting to occur even quicker. The NRDC goes on to state that the

Arctic could be entirely ice-free in the next 15 years. In turn, sea levels across the world would

rise dramatically. With the path that we are currently headed down, scientists predict that the sea

level could rise by a staggering 3.61 feet by the end of the century. As a result, many low-lying

regions would be destroyed. This would have major negative effects on hundreds of lives,

economies, and infrastructures. Additionally, many ecosystems would be devastated by the rise

in sea level, due to issues like erosion and saltwater spillover into freshwater bodies. Lastly, it is

important to note that inland flooding will become a more prevalent issue.
 The rise in sea level is only one of many issues concerning how climate change will

affect our environment. Another concern involving the earth’s oceans, which make up 70% of

the earth’s surface, is the threat of increasing ocean water temperatures. Due to the rapid heating

of the earth, many forms of marine life have begun making changes in their migration patterns,

which will have a negative effect on the fishing industry. Furthermore, much of our marine life

will die off due to the heat as well as the chemical alteration of our oceans due to the absorption

of carbon dioxide.

Apart from our oceans, land-based ecosystems will also see detrimental effects. It is

likely that climate change will increase the outbreaks of unwanted vexations, invasive species,

and pathogen infections. This poses a threat to native species of a given area. Also, climate

change has already begun affecting what vegetation and wildlife can thrive in certain

ecosystems. An article produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency states

“As temperatures have warmed in the United States, some land animals have moved to the

(typically cooler) north by an average of 3.8 miles per decade. Some marine species have also

shifted north by more than 17 miles per decade”. Some plants and animals have the ability to

adapt to the changes that are happening, but not all will be so successful. As a result, we could

see more expansions, reductions, and extinctions of many life forms. Beyond the immediate

effects of climate change on animals and plants, there are other aspects linked with climate

change that destroy our ecosystems. For example, the conversion of forests to farmland destroys

the habitat of the native life forms in that area.

Another thing that climate change has a huge effect on is the weather. As our global

temperatures continue to rise, the severity and the inability to predict certain weather events will

become more extreme. In some regions, we could see more extreme droughts, while in others
we might see intense flooding. First of all, higher average temperatures are certain across the

globe. In fact, we are already witnessing this happening, with the last 10 years being the hottest

years on record, according to Nasa. Along with this, we will observe increasingly intense heat

waves, which are already the leading cause of weather fatalities in the United States. Coinciding

with this increase in temperature, droughts which are a concern to our safety, food, and

ecosystems will become longer lasting. This can be observed by the current state of the

American West, which has found itself in the driest 22-year period recorded in the last 1,200

years. This has shrunken our water supply, withered crops, and harmed our forest. Continuing

on, this dryer and warmer climate makes many regions more susceptible to wildfires. To put the

dangers of this into perspective the annual area burned by wildfires in the state of California

increased by 500% from 1972 to 2018. Aside from the droughts, flooding, and wildfires that

global warming exacerbates, stronger storms also put humanity at risk. Because warm air holds

more moisture than cool air, an increase in temperature causes storms to be more intense.

According to the IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) rainfall in these weather

events increases 7% for every rise by one degree Celsius.

A huge concern of everything discussed above is how agriculture will be affected. First

of all, as global warming continues to be a worsening issue, the growing season for certain

crops will be less predictable, and certain livestock will be harder to raise. As stated by the

NRDC, “Climate change shifts precipitation patterns, causing unpredictable floods and longer-

lasting droughts. More frequent and severe hurricanes can devastate an entire season’s worth of

crops. Meanwhile, the dynamics of pests, pathogens, and invasive species—all of which are

costly for farmers to manage—are also expected to become harder to predict. This is bad news,

given that most of the world’s farms are small and family-run”. Extreme heat and changes in
precipitation can also worsen soil quality. Ultimately, the importance of this is extremely

significant as our food supply is predominantly dependent on agriculture. Food will become

more scarce, and prices will inevitably rise above the majority of the population’s competence.

The impacts that climate change has on weather, the environment, and agriculture affect

humans, but it even goes beyond that. Global warming is a threat to human health, equality, and

our economy. As global warming increases, exposure to dangerous wildfire smoke and ozone

smog becomes more of an issue. Additionally, warmer temperatures increase the likeliness of

insect-borne diseases. Moving on, global warming will have a worsening effect on inequity.

While first-world countries, like the United States, are responsible for the majority of

greenhouse emissions, developing countries are the ones that will suffer the most, as they may

not have the means to adapt to the changing climate. Even within wealthy countries, disparities

will continue to increase. While those who are wealthy will have the ability to combat the

negative effects that climate change imposes, not all will be so fortunate. Food and other goods

essential to life will become unaffordable to some, and treatment against illnesses caused by the

results of global warming may be needed. Even more so, those with wealth will have a greater

ability to navigate around traumatic experiences like relocation. The NRDC gives an example of

this, saying “Hurricane Katrina displaced more than one million people around the Gulf Coast.

But in New Orleans, where redlining practices promoted racial and economic segregation, the

city’s more affluent areas tended to be located on higher ground—and those residents were able

to return and rebuild much faster than others”.

As if everything discussed above isn’t enough reason to be concerned about climate

change, it is important to note that the global economy will also be damaged. According to the

2018 National Climate Assessment, climate change will cost the United States economy around
500 billion dollars per year. Many industries, like commercial fishing and tourism, will take a

dive. Here in Salt Lake City, a major component of our economy could tank. The ski industry is

reliant on cold temperatures and persistent snowfall. As temperatures increase and storms

become less predictable, our ski areas will suffer. Per Mountain Research and Development, it

has already been discovered that “winters with particularly high levels of snow contributed an

additional US$ 49 million to the state’s economy, while low snow years resulted in a 7%

decrease in skier visits and a loss of US$ 53 million to the Utah economy”.

If we continue with our current ways of living, it is certain that climate change will only

get worse. The WHO (World Health Organization) predicts that “in the near future, between

2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year from

things like malnutrition, insect-borne diseases, and heat stress. And the World Bank estimates

that climate change could displace more than 140 million people within their home countries in

sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America by 2050”. While there are things we can do,

if we ignore this crisis, the damage will be detrimental. It is also predicted that, by the end of

the century, the world will warm by eight degrees Fahrenheit if we fail to cut back on

greenhouse gas emissions. This would result in wars over water, overcrowded hospitals,

collapsed industries, dead coral reefs, and many other horrible repercussions.
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Lindwall, Courtney. “What Are the Effects of Climate Change?” NRDC, NRDC, 24 Oct. 2022,
www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-effects-climate-change#humans. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

NASA. “Evidence.” Science.nasa.gov, NASA, 2024, science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/.

Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Climate Impacts on Human Health | Climate
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US EPA, OAR. “Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystems.” Www.epa.gov, United States

Environmental Protection Agency, 18 Oct. 2022, www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-
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Wilkins, E. J., Akbar, H., Saley, T. C., Hager, R., Elkin, C. M., Belmont, P., Flint, C. G., & Smith,
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