10 Reasons Why Global Warming is Real

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In recent decades, inhabitants of the Earth have been faced with changing weather patterns and sea level activity, which has been linked to global warming, or what is currently being called climate change.

Despite plenty of scientific and government research to prove how real this problem is, there are still a number of people who just believe climate change to be a hoax, or think because they’ve had horrible snow that global warming is obviously false.

Don’t fall prey to ill-informed myths. The chief way that the human race can help to combat these effects is by being informed by what causes climate change, and what you can do to help.

Here are the 10 reasons why global warming is real, and why you should care.

  1. Rising Sea Levels

Based on the centuries that the Earth has existed, we have been able to see how much changes in ocean levels have affected how the Earth’s natural landscape was formed. For many people, this is reason enough to prove that climate change is fake: if levels have always been rising then what makes now any different?

The problem is that never in history have sea level rates raised as rapidly as they have in recent years. NASA estimates that in the last 100 years the global level rose about 6.7 inches, but tracking has shown that it has increased to double that in the last 10 years alone.

  1. The Globe Actually is Warming

While people in some regions of the world may not feel as though they are experiencing warmer temperatures, scientists have shown that the Earth’s temperature has been steadily rising since the late 19th century, unsurprisingly coinciding with the rise of the industrial age.

  • Again, while temperatures do fluctuate throughout time, the key is that scientists have noted that most of the higher temperatures have been tracked in the last 40 years alone.
  • The 10 warmest years that have been tracked have all occurred within the last 12 years.
  1. The Oceans are Getting Warmer
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The warming in global temperatures has also led to an increase in the temperature of the world’s oceans, again with most of this being seen since the 1970s.

Scientists believe that because the atmosphere has become hotter due to ozone depletion because of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases, this results in the ocean having to absorb more of that heat.

This has had terrible effects on the amounts of phytoplankton, which are key elements for most sea creatures’ survival.

  1. Decreasing Ice

It goes without saying that one of the other ways to show how real climate change is would be to look at how much the world’s ice landscape have been affected.

The top and bottom of the Earth are covered in masses of ice, and there are entire ecosystems that exist in these realms. The decrease in ice can have massive repercussions, both for immediate inhabitants and for others around the world.

  • In the Arctic, it has been shown that the amount of and strength of the ice has significantly diminished, only in the last 40 years or so.
  • In Greenland and Antarctica, it has been shown that the huge ice sheets are beginning to shrink and break apart. NASA studies show that almost 60 cubic miles may have been lost in Greenland, and over 35 cubic miles lost in Antarctica between 2002 and 2005 alone.

Glaciers in some of the world’s highest peaks have also started to reduce in number, and this phenomenon is unfortunately visible throughout the world, including:

  • The Andes in South America
  • The Rocky Mountains in the United States
  • The Himalayan Mountains in Asia
  • The Alps in Europe
  • Kilimanjaro in Africa
  1. Snow is Disappearing Faster

With the decrease in ice there has also been a faster recorded decrease in snow around the world. It may seem like there have been intense snowfall in recent years, but scientists have actually noted that there is less snow in the spring.

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Therefore, over the last 50 years they have noted less snow cover at certain times of the year and faster melting, which indicates warming effects.

  1. Weather has Gotten More Intense

If you have paid attention to news in the last few decades, it is no secret that there have been a greater amount of massively destructive natural disasters in parts of the world from the United States to Asia.

Meteorologists have recorded more record high temperatures in the US alone, and there have also been significant increases in rainfall and precipitation amounts in many parts of the world.

  1. The Ocean is Suffering

Another concern with climate change is how the world’s oceans are affected, as they are a chief source of food and economy for many parts of the world.

Studies have shown that the acidity in oceans has been steadily rising since the late 19th century, which is directly related to both the advent of machines and technology and the resulting growth in human population. This unfortunately shows how a natural process can be disrupted by the presence of humans.

  • Carbon dioxide is released as the byproduct of human oxygenation and other processes of Earth’s inhabitants.
  • This is then absorbed back into the oceans, where it gets used in a variety of ways.
  • Greater amounts of people and processes that produce carbon dioxide means higher amounts in the atmosphere.
  • Consequently, the ocean is absorbing more carbon dioxide than it can process, which harms ocean life.
  1. We Have the Technology to Show it

Unfortunately, it has only been in recent centuries that people have developed accurate ways of recording things like temperature and weather patterns. While that data has been unequivocally useful to see just how much the Earth has changed in recent years, we have also developed technology to get some more clues into how drastic these changes have been.

  • Some of the world’s oldest objects are the ice sheets in polar regions, and scientists can drill through them to release what gases have been trapped at different stages in the Earth’s history.
  • Scientists look at the insides of trees to see what kind of climate changes have affected growth and development over the years.
  1. We Have Set the Historic Record
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We now know that there have been several instances during the Earth’s history where temperatures have risen and the effects of global warming have been felt. Since we now have the technology and resources to access some of the world’s most remote regions, we can see how untouched areas have been affected.

  • 800,000 years ago was the last time increased levels of carbon dioxide were found in Antarctica’s ice.
  • The amount found, 170 to 300 ppm (parts per million) is believed to be about only 35% of the amounts we’ve seen in the last century.
  • Current levels are estimated at around 400 ppm, which has shown a drastic increase in a relatively short amount of time.
  1. People Smarter Than you Believe it

You can stick your hand out the window and base your belief of global warming’s legitimacy on that, or you can have faith in the tons of scientific professionals who have come to recognize how drastically important this issue is today.

  • NASA and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration) continue to release clear evidence from thorough and respected studies that shows just how much the world is being affected by global warming.
  • 97% of scientists who study climate and the environment have all agreed that climate change is undeniably real, and that it is absolutely linked to the activities of humans.
  • The top scientific organizations around the world are all united in their belief that global warming is real, and must be studied so as to protect the sustainability of life on Earth.
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