Evidence for Global Climate Change: Causes and Solutions
This paper examines the evidence for global climate change, tracing both natural and human-driven sources of climatic shifts. It reviews the Earth's historical climate cycles—including orbital changes, solar variability, and volcanic activity—before turning to the modern era of rising CO2 emissions and their measurable consequences. The paper evaluates scientific data on sea level rise, increasing surface temperatures, coral reef bleaching, shifting species ranges, and intensifying wildfires. It also addresses the political debate surrounding climate change and the influence of corporate interests on public discourse. The paper concludes by discussing actionable solutions, including renewable energy adoption and vehicle emissions standards, and reflects on whether current efforts are sufficient to avert long-term environmental harm.
- Introduction: Overview of Earth's climate history and scope
- Natural Sources of Climate Change: Orbital, solar, volcanic, and CO2 cycle drivers
- The Politics of Climate Change: Corporate denial, political divisions, and urgency
- The Big Question: Is Human Activity to Blame?: CO2 data, sea level rise, and temperature trends
- More Noticeable Signs of a Warming Planet: Coral bleaching, species shifts, wildfires, drought
- What Can Be Done?: Clean energy, vehicle standards, emissions reduction
- Conclusion: Urgency, encouragement, and unresolved questions
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds the argument in historical context, distinguishing natural climate variability from modern anthropogenic warming before making its central claims.
- It uses a range of evidence types—peer-reviewed studies, government agency data, and observable phenomena—to build a cumulative, multi-layered case for climate change.
- The paper acknowledges opposing viewpoints (denial, natural cycle arguments) and addresses them directly, strengthening its overall credibility.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of multi-source synthesis, drawing on EPA, NOAA, the National Academy of Sciences, and peer-reviewed journals (PNAS, Science) to triangulate evidence across different domains—atmospheric chemistry, oceanography, and ecology. This cross-disciplinary approach reinforces the argument that climate change is a systemic, not isolated, phenomenon.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a classic problem-solution structure across seven sections. It opens with historical background on natural climate variability, moves into the political context of the debate, presents scientific evidence in escalating specificity (CO2 data → sea levels → surface temperatures), catalogues visible ecological impacts, and closes with a forward-looking discussion of mitigation strategies and an honest reflection on uncertainty. This logical progression keeps the reader oriented throughout a complex, multi-topic argument.
Introduction
In our lifetime, we have experienced a period of relative stability in the Earth's climate — at least when compared to the deep past. The Earth's climate has been in a constant state of flux long before the dawn of life. The planet has experienced periods of relative warmth and periods when great ice sheets covered vast portions of its surface. Recently, signs have appeared indicating that the Earth is once again entering a period of change. The arguments surrounding these changes are numerous and span a wide range of topics. The following research outlines the key issues regarding climate change and the possible solutions to it.
Natural Sources of Climate Change
Climate changes happened long before humans entered the scene, and certainly before the industrial era with its greenhouse gas emissions. Past climate changes have been attributed to changes in the Earth's orbit that affect the amount of sunlight reaching the surface (EPA, Past Climate Change). Changes in the sun's intensity have also been a source of climate change (EPA, Past Climate Change). Volcanic eruptions have likewise been responsible for past changes, largely due to aerosol and carbon dioxide emissions (EPA, Past Climate Change).
Changes in the heating of the Earth's surface can alter concentrations of greenhouse gases. When global temperatures warm, CO₂ is released from the oceans, which increases greenhouse gas concentrations and enhances the greenhouse effect. When temperatures cool, CO₂ re-enters the oceans, driving temperatures further downward. CO₂ levels tend to track the glacial cycles closely (EPA, Past Climate Change).
In the past 1,000 years, humans have witnessed periods of natural climate change. Between 900 and 1300 AD, a period of unusual warmth occurred across Europe, Greenland, and Asia (EPA, Past Climate Change). From 1500 to 1850, a period known as the "Little Ice Age" brought temperatures as much as 2°C colder in some regions (EPA, Past Climate Change). During this time, a permanent ice sheet never formed, but the period was nonetheless marked by consistently cooler-than-normal temperatures.
The Politics of Climate Change
In the past 100 years, the Earth has been going through another period of rising temperatures (EPA, Past Climate Change). Some claim that this period of rising average global temperatures is simply part of the Earth's natural cycle. Others deny that warming is happening at all. It is worth noting, however, that those who deny the existence of global climate change have often been funded by large corporate interests (Begley).
The issue of global climate change has produced two sharply opposed political factions. On one side are those who wish to deny that climate change is occurring or that humans are its cause. On the other side are those who argue that immediate action is required to prevent catastrophic consequences. Both sides of the political divide come armed with an array of scientific studies to support their claims, each intent on minimizing the findings of the other. Both sides also have substantial funding and organized support behind their positions.
This political debate is not unlike other contentious policy disputes. Congress remains divided between competing legislative proposals on the issue. Doubt and controversy among scientists regarding the severity and cause of the problem further deepen political divisions. It is difficult to advance policies controlling greenhouse gas emissions when powerful business interests are actively working to minimize their perceived impacts. This is one political debate that cannot be deferred — answers must be found quickly if humanity is to have any hope of finding a resolution before it is too late.
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