Human Activities Harming the Earth Essay

I. Introduction Thesis statement: There are many actions being implemented by humans that harm the earth and its climate, some of which are deforestation, the use of CFCs and the increase of greenhouse gas emissions. II. Body A. Deforestation and the increase of temperature. 1. Effect of plantation on the earth 2. What happens to the atmosphere 3. What happens to the temperature B. Greenhouse Gases cause global warming 1. Radiation absorbed by the earth 2. Greenhouse gases link with the radiation 3. Global warming and greenhouse gases C. Gases that deplete the ozone 1. What they are and their usage 2. CFC’s and the ozone 3. Ozone depletion and UV rays III. Conclusion A. Human activities that contribute to harming the earth such as deforestation, and use of harmful chemicals should be stopped. Human Activities Harming the Earth One of the most dangerous environmental hazards is global warming; it is causing a dramatic increase in the temperature around the globe. Some people don’t think that global warming is actually happening and assume that the sun, glaciers and oceans are the only factors that are responsible for regulating the earths temperature and that computer models are not reliable since they are â€Å"guessing† the temperature change that would occur later on and that is true. There are many actions being implemented by humans that  harm the earth and its climate, some of which are deforestation, the use of CFCs and the increase of greenhouse gas emissions. First, deforestation is the removal of trees and plants for building and creating space for development, an ignorant person would think that this is a normal thing while on the other hand removing trees will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere because their removal would mean that there are le ss plants to photosynthesize. This process is like the breathing process of humans but it takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen anyone should at least know that this is a good thing because carbon dioxide is a harmful gas that also traps heat causing the earth’s temperature to increase because nothing is making a good use out of it. This is the cycle of how deforestation increases the temperature of the earth, Plants are removed, consequently Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase and causes the temperature in that area and anywhere the carbon dioxide goes to to increase. In addition to deforestation, the use of CFC’s (Chlorofluorocarbons) is also extremely dangerous since they contribute to an increase of cancer casualties. CFCs are most commonly used in fire extinguishers, air conditioners and refrigerators. As El-Hinnawi explains in the book Global Environmental Issues, When these gases are used, they rise to the atmosphere because they are lighter than air and are later on are converted by UV radiation to ozone-destroying catalyst to add on to this issue these gases are extremely stable. (1982, P. 61-63). These gases have been banned of use except in cases of emergencies but they still exist and are being used and they cause the ozone in the earth to deplete. This is caused when CFCs are used these gases are lighter than air; so they travel up the earth reaching the atmosphere that consists of ozone making a chemical reaction that changes ozone to oxygen. The ozone is responsible for blocking UV radiation from entering the atmosphere, but now since we have a â€Å"hole† in the ozone more UV radiation enters the earth this means we are more vulnerable to radiation that is cancer causing. Finally, the emissions of greenhouse gases. These gases are responsible for keeping the earth’s temperature warm and life supporting by trapping heat, but what happens when these gases are being emitted by factories and daily human activities such as transportation, electricity and agriculture the amount of these gases in the atmosphere is increasing and the issue is that these gases trap in heat  radiated by the earth that should instead be reflected out causing the temperature to increase then as a consequence more water vapor that is also a heat trapping gas thus causing a change in rainfall patterns, sea level, temperature and ecological balance. These activities include burning fossil fuels, industrial emissions or industrial processes. This means the more the greenhouse gas emissions the more the temperature would rise. To sum up, the fact that the planet earth is being harmed has to be accepted. Some of the many harmful activities that include but are not limited to deforestation, the use of CFC’s and emissions of greenhouse gases. Many solutions have been given by environmentalists to stop this mayhem and damage some of these are for deforestation is banning the cutting down of trees in specific places, encouraging agriculture and reforestation. For chlorofluorocarbons it is really unfortunate that there is no way for them to be removed except when they degrade after a 100 years or so, a decision to ban them has been taken prior to that (Montrà ©al protocol). Also, for greenhouse gas emissions many solutions are being worked on such as cars that run using electricity and using nuclear power, hydroelectric power and solar power to provide electricity. Human activities nowadays are definitely hurting the earth’s environment and these rules and restrictions have to be implemented. References How we know global warming is real. (2008). Skeptic, 31-37 ,80. Aggarwal, A., & kumari. (2013). Depletion of the Ozone Layer and Its Consequences: A Review. American Journal of Plant Sciences. Archer, D., & Rahmstorf, S. (2010). The Climate Crisis. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. El-Hinnawi, E., & Hashmi, M.-U.-H. (1982). Global environmental issues. Dublin, Ireland: United Nations Environment Programme. Siddens, S. (2001, July). Rescuing the ozone. Specifying Engineer, 30(1).