Global Warming: Evidence, Debate, and Future Implications
This paper reviews the scientific literature on global warming and its implications for humanity's future. It examines the growing body of evidence linking anthropogenic activities — particularly since the Industrial Revolution and post-World War II industrialization — to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and accelerating global temperatures. The paper also addresses the debate surrounding the so-called global warming "hiatus" observed after 1998, presenting findings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that characterize the hiatus as an artifact of incomplete data. Evidence from multiple environmental indicators, including glacier retreat, permafrost thaw, and coral bleaching, is surveyed. The paper concludes by considering the policy implications and the enormous financial and human costs associated with continued inaction.
- Introduction: Overview of global warming debate and paper scope
- Scientific Consensus and the Anthropogenic Cause: Carbon dioxide emissions and rising temperatures since WWII
- The Global Warming Hiatus Debate: Skeptical claims about warming slowdown after 1998
- New Data and Multiple Lines of Evidence: NOAA data refutes hiatus; multiple environmental indicators
- Policy Implications and the Cost of Inaction: Federal spending, greenhouse gas reduction, and policy debate
- Conclusion: Global effort needed as warming accelerates
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper opens with a compelling epigraph from a political figure, then immediately grounds the discussion in scientific debate, establishing both urgency and balance.
- It systematically presents both sides of the hiatus debate — citing skeptics and proponents alike — before resolving the tension with updated NOAA data, demonstrating fair-minded argumentation.
- Concrete quantitative evidence (e.g., warming rate increases from 0.039 to 0.086 degrees per decade, $22 billion in annual federal spending) gives the paper empirical weight and specificity.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses a literature review structure to synthesize competing claims. Rather than asserting a position outright, it marshals multiple cited sources on each side of the debate before allowing the most recent empirical data to guide the conclusion. This "claim, counter-claim, resolution" pattern is a strong model for academic argumentation in environmental science writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper has two main sections: a review-and-discussion body and a conclusion. The body moves logically from establishing the anthropogenic cause, to acknowledging skeptical voices (the hiatus claim), to refuting those claims with NOAA and NASA data, and finally to policy consequences. The conclusion synthesizes the findings and reinforces the urgency of a global response.
Introduction
"Climate change can no longer be denied… and action can no longer be delayed." — U.S. President Barack Obama, 2015
As reflected in the epigraph above, there is a growing consensus among climatologists that anthropogenic activities have caused the entire world to become hotter. Some experts even caution that the balance may have already tipped and that global warming will continue unabated for the foreseeable future. Some scientists, however, maintain that current trends in global warming are a natural part of the cycles the earth goes through over the millennia, and suggest that the warning calls concerning global warming are vastly overstated. To determine the facts concerning this vitally important issue — one that affects all humankind — this paper reviews the relevant literature about global warming and its implications for the future. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion.
Scientific Consensus and the Anthropogenic Cause
A growing body of evidence indicates that anthropogenic activities since the Industrial Revolution, and more recently since the end of World War II, have poured millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the earth's atmosphere, thereby trapping more radiant heat and causing the earth to become hotter (Li, 2016). According to one climatologist, "As scientific evidence shows, the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is attributable to human activities since WWII, leading to global warming, rising sea levels, and more frequent occurrences of extreme weather" (Li, 2016, p. 46). The scientific community has emphasized the urgency of the situation and has sounded clarion calls for action to avoid the devastating effects of global warming for humanity (Li, 2016).
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
7-Day Pass
Does not renew
Get 7-Day PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 3 during the 7-Day Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.