Climate Change Assignment Paper: Atmosphere and Clouds

Climate Change
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Introduction
The global atmosphere has over the years been affected by the various activities that take place on the earth. While there are other impacts that are caused by the natural activities on the earth surface such as volcanic eruptions, it is the human activities that affect the atmosphere with the most significant impacts. The production of greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide and methane has been rated as one of the most devastating activities polluting the environment and affected the atmosphere negatively.
Thesis statement: An analysis of human activities such as the production of carbon dioxide for more than 450,000 years and the destruction of the sinks have directly contributed to global warming.
What is the current CO2 concentration in parts per million (ppm)?
According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography website, the current CO2 concentration in parts per million is estimated at 290 ppm (Scripps.ucsd.edu, 2016).
Is this higher or lower than the highs over the past 450,000 years?
Compared to 450000 years ago, this is much higher. This is relative to the fact that, at the time the concentration was only 190 ppm (Scripps.ucsd.edu, 2016). This is an increment of an estimated 100 ppm (Scripps.ucsd.edu, 2016).
From which three sources do humans add CO2 to the atmosphere?
Of the main sources of the carbon dioxide that is polluting the atmosphere, human activities have the greatest impact on the same. As stated in the thesis statement, for a long time the development activities have been on the rise since the industrial revolution. The most important aspect of the carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere is linked to the fact that, the human activities contributing to the rise in the CO2 have upset the balance. This means that, there is more carbon dioxide produced into the atmosphere than there it is absorbed by the sinks. The main sources of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are associated with combustion of the fossil fuels. Otherwise referred to as burning of fossil fuels, these are activities that contribute to more than 87% of the carbon dioxide produced in the atmosphere (What's Your Impact, 2014). Burning fossil fuels is important for the production of energy that is used in the transportation industry and as a source of power and heat. This power is also used in a number of ways within the economy and is a vital pillar within the social and industrial activities. In 2011, it is estimated that, fossil fuels contributed to more than 33.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions (What's Your Impact, 2014). The most common fossil fuels in this case are coal, oil and natural gases. An estimated 43% of the carbon dioxide produced through fossil fuels comes from coal, 36% from oil and 20% from natural gas. One of the main source of the leading CO2 in the atmosphere is the electricity and heat generation (What's Your Impact, 2014). These are a set of activities that are estimated to produce more than 41% of carbon dioxide. This is relative to the fact that most of the industries across the globe get their electricity from combustion of fossil fuels.
The residential and commercial sector heavily rely on electricity for various ac...