Earths Tipping Point

Climate Change: Earths Tipping Point

John Hickson 4271878
Niagara College

Earths Tipping Point

Abstract
Humans have been constantly evolving and getting better at surviving on
planet earth. Over recent centuries, the planet has, and still is, having
some changes to the surface and atmosphere that can only be explained
by the concept of Climate Change. Humans have gone too many years
ignoring the fact the earth is suffering in its ever-changing climate. Maybe
the populations can undergo such drastic changes but the planet will
simply parish.

Earths Tipping Point

3
Earths Downfall

Ever since humans have inhabited the earth, climate change has
always existed but do most of us even understand what it is? Global
climate change is a major societal issue that many citizens do not
understand, do not take seriously, or do not consider to be a major public
policy concern.(DiMento, Joseph F.C., and Doughman, 2014) People do
get the idea of climate change but not the full extent of it. NASA stresses
and explains that the temperatures will continue to rise (1-3 degrees
Celsius) in the next couple of decades all thanks to greenhouse gasses
from human activities. The results of the climates change are the glaciers
have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and
animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. (Facts, 2014)

The earth is on a downhill spiral. If we continue down the same

path and do not address the problem of depletion, the future will be one
where scarcity will turn one non-renewable resource after another into
objects of power. (Mark C. Henderson, 2010) Does that seem like
anything that is happening now? Maybe the oil industry is this exact
prediction? The future is falling into place, as predicted, and the next
chapter of the earth is not as picturesque as we would all hope. Purda Rao
lists the most likely effects of drastic climate change; melting of glaciers,
prevalence of disease, sinking of many islands under water, rise in sea

Earths Tipping Point

level, water scarcity, which would drastically affect future water supply,
increased disease and heat stress, and also a rise in atmospheric
temperature (Rao, 2014) The way humans treat the earth is astonishing
when every educated person knows how the earth is deteriorating quicker
than ever due to ourselves and the way we treat the planet.

As global temperatures increase, sea level rise and extreme

weather become even bigger threats to communities at home and around
the world. (Green Peace, 2015) The weather is changing drastically and it
seems people are just adapting to climate change instead of reacting. The
way we can react though is limited. We cant simply stop using resources
like oil and coal like its nothing. An alternative to that is for all of the
population to reduce the amount of heat trapping emissions into the
atmosphere. (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014) Though having an
answer to the problem is great, it is only half the battle. People need to
follow the givin information and change the way they operate to help the
planet survive a little longer. In the end, the human race has a long and
vital battle against climate change and it has only just begun.

Earths Tipping Point

Reference List
Eric Holthaus. (2015). 2015: Climate Change Goes Past Point of No
Return Uploaded Aug2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=STLe4O_OQPo Retrieved November 21, 2015
DiMento, J. F. (2014). Climate Change : What It Means for Us, Our Children,
and Our Grandchildren. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Retrieved November 20,
2015http://site.ebrary.com.proxy.library.niagarac.on.ca:8080/lib/niagara
college/detail.action?docID=10853346
NASA (2014). Global Climate Change : Vital Signs of The Planet : NASA.
Retrieved November 18, 2015 http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
Mark C. Henderson (2010). The 21st Century Enviromental Revolutions
Second Edition. Waves of the Future. Retrieved November 19, 2015
Schwartz, M. W., Iverson, L. R., Prasad, A. M., Matthews, S. N., & O'Connor, R.
J. (2006). Predicting Extinctions as a Result of Climate
Change. Ecology, 87(7), 1611.
http://niagaracollege.summon.serialssolutions.com/search?utf8=
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Rao, P.,H., & Thamizhvanan, A. (2014). Impacts of climate
change. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and
Management, 6(4), 401. Retrieved November 22, 2015

Earths Tipping Point

Green Peace. (2015). Fighting Global Warming. Retrived November 23, 2015
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/
Union of Concerned Scientists. (2014). Smart Solutions to Reduce Emissions.
Retrieved November 22, 2015 http://www.ucsusa.org/