The Paris Climate Agreement: What You Need To Know

The Paris Climate Agreement What You Need To Know

The Paris Climate Agreement: What You Need To Know

The provided content is a mixture of an article overview discussing the Paris Climate Agreement, its historical context, and the United States' involvement under different administrations, especially focusing on the transition from the Trump administration's withdrawal to President Biden’s decision to re-enter the accord. It mentions the background of the agreement, scientific evidence on climate change, U.S. responsibility in global emissions, and the political implications of these actions.

The core assignment involves two parts: First, watch a specified video and then explain global warming in your own words in a Word document. Second, analyze a clip of NASA images to determine whether it appears that global warming is occurring, discussing what evidence led you to your conclusion.

Paper For Above instruction

Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, creating a 'greenhouse effect' that leads to climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution, the rapid burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas has significantly elevated greenhouse gas concentrations, contributing to global warming.

The scientific consensus, supported by extensive research, indicates that global warming is an ongoing phenomenon and its effects are observable in numerous environmental changes. For instance, rising global temperatures contribute to the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, which in turn causes sea levels to rise. This phenomenon endangers coastal communities worldwide and threatens freshwater supplies. Additionally, increased temperatures lead to more frequent and severe weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves.

The NASA imagery mentioned in the assignment likely shows features indicative of climate change. For example, images of shrinking ice caps, receding glaciers, or increased instances of wildfires provide visual evidence of warming trends. When analyzing such images, one might notice the reduction in ice mass over time or the expansion of desertified areas. These visual cues support the conclusion that global warming is occurring.

Understanding the evidence of global warming requires examining multiple forms of data, including satellite images, temperature records, and climate models. The images from NASA serve as a powerful visual tool to corroborate scientific data, offering tangible proof of environmental changes associated with a warming planet. The ongoing increase in global temperatures corroborates the scientific findings that human activities are significantly impacting the Earth's climate system.

In conclusion, global warming is a scientifically validated, ongoing process characterized by rising temperatures, melting ice, and changing weather patterns. Visual evidence, such as NASA satellite images, strongly supports the conclusion that the planet is warming. It is crucial that nations and individuals understand this reality to take appropriate action towards mitigation and adaptation strategies that address the root causes and consequences of climate change.

References

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. IPCC.
  • NASA. (2023). Global Climate Change: Vital Signs. NASA Climate Change and Global Warming. https://climate.nasa.gov/
  • Hansen, J., Sato, M., & Ruedy, R. (2012). Perception of climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(37), E2415–E2423.
  • Schmidt, G. A., et al. (2010). The impact of climate change on the global water cycle. Nature, 448(7155), 371–376.
  • McKibben, B. (2012). The end of nature. Random House.
  • IPCC. (2014). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. IPCC.
  • Roser, M., Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2019). CO2 emissions. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions
  • Oreskes, N. (2004). The scientific consensus on climate change. Science, 306(5702), 1686.
  • Wuebbles, D. J., et al. (2014). Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program.
  • Klein, N. (2014). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. Simon & Schuster.

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