Paper #3 Final Draft

Position paper (#3)

November/December 2015

Eng. 101

Professor Begert

Anthropogenic Climate Disorder

Ælfhild Wiklund

Some call it Global Warming; some call it Global Climate Change: neither of those titles address the whole issue.  The chaos that is currently wrought in the climate of our planet certainly matches the “warming” and “climate change” descriptors, but it is not a complete description.  While the commonly used titles address the result they fail to consider the cause; smoke without fire.  A more accurate name for the phenomenon we are experiencing is Anthropogenic Climate Change or Anthropogenic Climate Disorder, note the important part here is the “anthropogenic.”  Anthropogenic means that humans are the cause.  Should we not then be part of the solution?  I believe that we, the members of the species Homo sapiens, should hold ourselves responsible for our actions and put forth effort to the best of our capabilities to change our active role in Anthropogenic Climate Disorder from cause, to solution.

Before you try to brush me off as just another English student who needed a topic, please, hear me out.  I am a student of science; I have taken environmental science and gotten down on my knees in the mud to plant trees.  I have done research on this topic many times throughout my years of schooling.  I am doing my best to make our world a better place.  I don't expend this effort because I want to be personally acknowledged.  I do so because I want our world to be a better place, for generations to come, if not for me.  This subject is strongly connected to my areas of interest and study.  I have watched the graphs of the arctic ice extent change; I have watched the cliffs fall; I encourage you to do your best: to save them all.  To give you an idea of my sources I suggest you check out the graphs at nsidc.org.  The 2012 Arctic sea ice extent is particularly illuminating.

I hope that none of you will refute that our climate is indeed changing.  The signs of change are everywhere.  Spring flowers such as rhododendrons and crocuses are budding and even blooming in November.  The snow-pack last year was so low that the Olympic Mountains appeared bare last summer.  Our garden's dynamics showed a trend towards hot weather plants (the sunflowers and corn grew tall).  I would like to point out that, while this increasing heat does mean that colder regions will grow plants previously confined to the tropics, the tropics in turn have no such replacements.  

The purpose of this paper is to establish the anthropogenic part of Anthropogenic Climate Disorder and to encourage my fellow sentient humans to do something about it.  On the Free Critical Thinking site the "Anthropogenic Global Warming theory" article opens with, "The UK Met Office describes the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) hypothesis as follows: 'It is now clear that man-made greenhouse gases are causing climate change.  The rate of change began as significant, has become alarming and is simply unsustainable in the long term.'"  The use of the word "alarming" emphasizes how dire the situation truly is, and as you see they too consider it anthropogenic. Another nice quote I found is by Stefan Rahmstorf in a chapter entitled Anthropogenic Climate Change: Revisiting the Facts in which anthropogenic climate change is defined in two ways, first, "anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to significant global warming"(35).  Second, "human activities already have noticeably changed global climate"(35).  In the wikipedia article on the global warming controversy it is explained that none of the national or international scientific bodies deny anthropogenic climate change and, indeed, the ones who do not agree are affiliated with mining.  The implication I find therein to be that the only bodies to refuse to acknowledge it are those who would be adversely effected by its admittance.

Now I know about the question "why," and I know that the answers, “Because I said so,” and “Because this wonderfully accredited source says so,” are not very palatable.  So while I offer yet another credible source, this time it gives you facts rather than mere opinion.  Last year I attended a series of lectures at my local library from the guest speaker, Paul Loubere, who has a PhD in oceanography and geology, and he is (or was) Presidential Research Professor in the Dept. of Geology and Environmental Geoscience.  Professor Loubere explained a number of things that indicate that Global Warming is indeed caused by humans.  The troposphere is warming while the stratosphere is cooling, since the troposphere is lower and is also the layer where the CO₂ gathers, this is quantifiable evidence that is best explained by the supposition that the CO₂ emissions of our industrial age are at fault.  Warmer night-time temperatures also point to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases, of which CO₂ is a significant member.  He specifically said that CO₂ is much better at absorbing outgoing infrared, than incoming energy.  When Paul Loubere gave the lecture considering the El Nino/La Nina patterns he actually said that the climate is no longer following the expected patterns (which he had explained to us).  He went so far as to say, “Sort of like something different is going on here,” he also called it both “intriguing” and “surprising.”  I have seen some of this information elsewhere and never have I come across anything that refutes it.

Now some of you are going to point out that it is too late to stop Global Climate Disorder, anthropogenic, or otherwise; things will keep changing, and we can't halt it now.  This is all true.  That said, I would like to point out that while we can't stop it we can certainly make it worse and are doing so by our current actions.  Every molecule of CO₂ that we add to the atmosphere increases the amount of energy trapped by the collective greenhouse gases.  Every degree the ocean warms increases the chance of some aquatic life form going extinct.  We may not be able to stop the progression of global warming or the other climatic chaos, much less counteract the damage all ready done.  However, if we reduce the amount of pollutants that we are actively contributing to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the acidity of the ocean, we can slow it down and reduce the harm that has yet to be inflicted.

I know that there is a temptation to think that one individual doesn't make that much of a powerful impact, to say: “Well it is just this once,” “Everyone else does what difference does it make if I do?” “It's not like the actions of one person make a difference.”  But the actions of one person do make a difference.  Societies, nations, and the global population, are made up of individuals, millions of “one person”(s).  Yes if only one person does something it won't make that big a difference in an isolated situation, but we are not isolated; we live in communities and spread our opinions about the internet. By taking action ourselves we can inspire others to copy us.  If every individual refuses to do something because it won't make a difference then they will full-fill their own prophecy, and nothing will happen.  However, if an individual does make a move then that action can have a ripple effect.  If every individual does something then it will certainly have an effect, but it is still a case of individuals taking action.  Taking things into their own hands.

You know the saying “You should leave things better then you found them.” well should that not apply to things on a larger scale then tidying up your work space or picking up trash, say, a global scale?  We are responsible as a species for the disorder in our climate, and we owe it to future generations to do our best to take the edge off it and not make it worse.  Do you want to be remembered as part of the age of humanity that destroyed the world as we know it?  Because that is precisely where we are headed.  I, personally, don't worry too much about reputation, but I suspect most of us would much rather that our descendants grew up knowing that we did everything in our power to make the world a better place for them to live.  Would you rather be seen as a couch potato that abandoned your duty to your world and family or as a hero that marched against the polluting trends; someone who fought: carpooling, recycling, planting trees, campaigning for awareness of truly cross species and borders issues, avoiding disposable products (reuse cups, dishes, forks, take your own carryout dish to restaurants), bicycling, walking on your own two evolved feet.  Fight the good fight, against the tyranny of indifference, self imposed ignorance, and peer pressure.  Take charge of your destiny, save the world from yourself and your fellow humans. Admit, it is Anthropogenic Climate Disorder!

Works cited:

"Anthropogenic Global Warming theory" Free Critical Thinking.  Free University. Web 19 Nov. 2015

Rahmstorf, Stefan. "Anthropogenic Climate Change: Revisiting the Facts." piks-potsdam.de Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Research Web 19 Nov. 2015

"global warming controversy" wikipedia Web 19 Nov. 2015

Loubere, Paul. "Climate Change" Jefferson County Library, WA, Port Hadlock. Feb. 2015