As outlined in the introductory piece March 3 (http://bit.ly/30BRihl), the Herald will endeavor to provide a layman’s digest of climate change issues that Cape May County faces. We are doing this, given the potential disproportionate impact climate change may have upon us here at the ocean’s edge.
With the introduction behind us, perhaps the best place to begin this series is with the most basic question, but understanding its answer is at the core of comprehending this international problem. “Is global warming real and, if so, is it manmade?”
According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Research Letters, over 97% of published climate scientists agree that global warming is real and caused by human activity (https://bit.ly/3qHoI8E). The study shows that the number of scientists expressing a view contrary to that is miniscule and continuing to diminish over the years.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) published statements on its website from most of the leading scientific organizations on the planet that support this accepted premise (http://go.nasa.gov/3cmecP4). NASA’s endorsement of this position should lay to rest concerns or disbelief. So, if it is understood that climate change is, in fact, caused by man, it is essential to next look at how people are causing the problem.
First, there must be a basic understanding of the greenhouse effect. When sunlight reaches the Earth, some of it is reflected into space, but some is absorbed by greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide (CO2), and reradiated as heat, warming the Earth.
It is this effect that makes the planet’s climate comfortable and livable, but as we add more CO2 to the air, through our activity, we trap more and more of this heat, which gradually increases Earth’s temperature.
Some CO2 is produced naturally, through decomposing organisms, breathing, weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions and forest fires, but scientists said in a study from the U.S. Global Change Research Program, that humans are responsible for 93-123% of warming observed from 1951-2010 (https://bit.ly/2OqhkS4).
It is explained that humans could be responsible for more than 100% of change in the Earth’s temperature because volcanoes and sun activity would have actually had a cooling effect in that time period.
So, if we accept the consensus that human activity is causing the climate to warm faster, the next question naturally is, what activities are causing the problem?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put out a chart tracking the different leading causes of greenhouse gasses caused by human activity, in 2018 (http://bit.ly/30DfaRz).
According to the EPA, transportation was the number one generator of human-caused greenhouse gasses, accounting for roughly 28%. A close second was energy production, at 27%. Industry accounts for 22%, the EPA said, and residential and commercial properties, forestry and agriculture have a smaller piece of the pie.
Having addressed the question, is global warming real, and if so, is it manmade, and concluding it is both, in the weeks ahead, the Herald will look into what would happen if these greenhouse gas sources are left unchecked and what options man has available to overcome the consequences of climate change.
“A Layman’s Understanding of Climate Change” is an ongoing collaboration between Correspondent Shay Roddy and Publisher Art Hall, focused on taking a broad-based look at climate change and mankind’s efforts to mitigate it, both of which have major implications for our county.
It is the authors’ objective to do all they can to understand this issue and present it to the reader in succinct, readable installments. Responses are welcome in the form of Letters to the Editor or anonymously via a Spout Off submission, both of which will be considered for publication.
