This blog is a complete Explanation of Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change. Anthropogenic Causes includes the human-driven causes that enhance the Impact of Climate Change. We will discuss the contribution of Power Generation, Manufacturing of Goods, Deforestation, Transportation, Food Production, Livestock Farming and Carbon Footprint in detail.
1. What do you know about Climate Change?
Climate Change is one of the most significant Environmental Problem in the present time. In the start of the Earth’s existence, the process of climate change was the slowest. It is a natural process that is continuous from the start of Earth’s existence. But as there was very less population according to the resources and Ecosystem services. And also Humans didn’t know about the Industrial processes and utilizing of Fossil Fuels on great levels, so the progress of this process was negligible. The people at that time did not know about the existence of Climate Change.
But after industrial revolution, the Humans started using bulk of Natural resources and Fossil Fuels without Restoration practices and repairing Nature. This make the Earth’s Environment Toxic and triggered the Climate Change related processes. Due to increase in population, more resources and products were needed for the population and so Industrial Practices increased with every passing year. Deforestation become very common for the accommodation of Earth’s Population.
In the present time, the Climate Change needs attention in order to Save the Earth and avoid Environmental Problems. The extreme effects of Climate Change are destroying Human health, Biodiversity, Natural Environments, and weather patterns of the World. These effects can be controlled and managed by knowing the potential Causes of Climate Change that are increasing its effects every year so we will be studying the Major Causes of Climate Change in this blog. Lets have a look on Major Causes of Climate Change to understand it better.
2. What are Anthropogenic Causes?
Anthropogenic Causes are the causes that are the result of Human-activities. These causes does not have the contribution of the Nature and are independently Human-driven.
Anthropogenic causes includes all the activities that alters, disturbs or disables any Natural process or system. These may be for the fulfilment of the fundamental needs or for any Economic purpose. In the case of Climate Change, so the Anthropogenic Causes contributes a lot as they are in bulk. These all are collectively triggering the Natural process of Climate Change and is worsening its impacts with every passing year. We will have a detailed discussion about the Effects of Climate Change in any other blog.
3. What is the List of Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change?
Following list contains Major Causes of Climate Change:
- Power Generation
- Manufacturing of Goods
- Deforestation
- Transportation
- Food Production
- Livestock Farming
- Carbon Footprint
These are some of the Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change. We will discuss all of them one by one in the following blog.
4. What is the Contribution of Power Generation in Climate Change?
Power Generation is the generation of Heat or Electricity by burning huge amounts of Fossil Fuels on Industrial level. This heat can be used for any combustion process in manufacturing, chemical synthesizing and generating huge amounts of heat in the Factories so Burning of Fossil Fuel is the most common method of producing heat on large scales. This Fossil Fuel burning adds many toxic and harmful Air Pollutants (GHGs) into the air that produce heating effect within the Earth’s atmosphere. This leads to global warming. Power generation takes account of most of the heating effects created by Human Activities on Earth.
Example of Contribution of Power Generation in Climate Change:
Power generation or Fossil Fuel Burning boosts up the Green House Effect of the Earth by adding excessive Green House Gases to the Atmosphere. etc.
5. What is the Contribution of Manufacturing of Goods in Climate Change?
Manufacturing of goods includes all the manufacturing activities at small scale or at the Industrial scale. This include all the Raw material containing Natural and Artificial resources that can be Renewable or Non-renewable in nature so as these resources are used non-sustainably for meeting the needs of the population. The manufacturing processes produce a huge amount of waste and also use fossil fuel burning. This adds Land pollution, Air Pollution and Water pollution that ends up into the atmosphere through Evaporation or Emissions into the Air. This takes a huge count in boosting the Climate Change on Earth. Manufacturing of goods uses many Renewable and Non-renewable resources and so are one of the biggest Anthropogenic Cause of Climate Change.
Example of Contribution of Manufacturing of Goods in Climate Change:
Manufacturing of Iron, Steel and Cement needs extreme heat in their manufacturing processes, so fossil fuels are used in their manufacture. This contributes in Green House Gases emissions into the atmosphere etc.
6. What is the Contribution of Deforestation in Climate Change?
Deforestation is the process of cutting the trees for Anthropogenic Activities and Human needs. Forests are the Natural cleaners and purifiers for the Environment. Forests takes up CO2 and converts it into the Oxygen and returns it to the atmosphere. When a large amount of trees are cut for any Anthropogenic purpose, the oxygen levels lowers, CO2 concentration increases and the cooling effect of trees turns into Global Warming because temperature is raised. So, Deforestation is one of the major contributor of Climate Change because it warms up the Earth and makes weather patterns more extreme. That is why, it is one of the Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change.
Example of Contribution of Deforestation in Climate Change:
The tropical deforestation contributes to the temperature increase of 1 Degree Centigrade (1.8 degree Fahrenheit) in annual local average temperature etc.
7. What is the Contribution of Transportation in Climate Change?
Transportation means the use of vehicles for travelling from one place to another. Most of the population of the world uses Fuel-driven vehicles that consume Patrol, Gasoline or Diesel fuels to work. These fuels emits harmful and toxic gases into the atmosphere. Specifically these gases are Green House Gases. They produce heating effect into the atmosphere and gases like SO2 enhance the Photochemical Activities into the atmosphere that leads to storms, lightening, heavy rainfalls etc. so this is the reason why Transportation is one of the major Anthropogenic Sources of Climate Change.
Example about Contribution of Transportation in Climate Change:
Most of the Air pollution declined in the year of Quarantine for COVID-19. It happened because most of the people stayed at home and most of the vehicles remain unused for few months. This shows the contribution of Transportation in Climate Change. etc.
8. What is the Contribution of Food Production in Climate Change?
Larger population demands huge consumption of food. So, for the fulfilment of this need, non-sustainable Agricultural and Farming Practices are practiced throughout the globe. These practices includes Intensive Farming, Land-use change, etc. These harmful practices uses Fertilizers and Pesticides in order to grow large amounts of Food for the population. The fertilizers and pesticides adds harmful and toxic gases i.e. NO2, SO2 etc. These are major Air Pollutants and adds warming potential to the Earth. That is why it is one of the major Anthropogenic Cause of Climate Change.
Example of Contribution of Food Production in Climate Change:
Global Food system contributes 31% in the Human made Green House Gases production and equating about 17 Billion metric tons of Carbon dioxide equivalent etc.
9. What is the Contribution of Livestock Farming in Climate Change?
Livestock farming includes the brought up of livestock and all processes related to it. Livestock farming is very important as humans use livestock as food and for making goods, products and for many other uses. But unfortunately Livestock takes up a large amount of resources such as food, water, etc. It also contributes in the production of harmful air pollutants such as Methane. Methane is directly emitted by the animals at the farm and their wastes also emit Methane. This gas has much more warming potential than that of CO2. In this way, Livestock Farming is one of the Major Anthropogenic Cause of Climate Change as it intensifies its Impacts.
Example of Contribution of Livestock Farming in Climate Change:
The land-use changes because of the raising of Livestock adds many harmful gases and pollutants into the Environment such as Nitrous oxide and Methane etc.
10. What is the Contribution of Carbon Footprint on Climate Change?
Carbon footprint is the concept of CO2 emissions by one person. It relates that everything we use in our daily life involves CO2 emissions during their production. So, the more products and non-sustainable things we will use, the higher our Carbon Footprint will be. The use of electricity, using different products and driving your personal vehicles throughout the day. If we do not work on our Carbon Footprint, it will grow keep enhancing through years. The most reliable solution for decreasing and also helps in minimizing your Carbon Footprint is to adopt Eco-friendly products and implement Sustainable Living. Carbon Footprint involves great account of CO2 emissions, so it is also a Major Anthropogenic Cause of Climate Change.
Example contribution of Carbon Footprint in Climate Change:
Your own personal vehicle adds an average of 2.4 tons of CO2 equivalent to your yearly footprint, and manufacturing factories add billion tons of Air Pollutants into the Environment etc.
11. What is the Contribution of Non-sustainable Lifestyle in Climate Change?
In the today’s world, it is a trend to have collection of products and goods at our homes. It is also a trend to shop every single week while having lots of useful goods and products in use. These all concepts are against Sustainable Living. This lifestyle adds a lot of Green House Gases into the atmosphere and contributes in increasing the wastes on Earth. By controlling our consumption, we can get rid of this non-sustainable lifestyle. This contributes a lot in many of the Environmental Problems on Earth. So, as it is responsible for many of the GHGs emissions, so it is a Major Anthropogenic Cause of Climate Change on Earth.
Example of Contribution of Non-sustainable Lifestyle in Climate Change:
When we eat Meat and Dairy Products, we contributes in wastage of many Environmental Resources ads well as if we have products more than our needs, it is also counted as Non-sustainable use of Products etc.
12. Conclusion:
Climate Change has been a very dangerous Environmental Problem in the past few years and in present time as well. There are many Anthropogenic and Natural Causes of Climate Change. This blog contains detail about Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change. So as Anthropogenic Causes are completely dependent on Humans and Nature does not involves in these causes. The major Anthropogenic Causes includes Power Generation, Deforestation, Livestock Farming, Carbon Footprint, Non-sustainable Lifestyle, Transportation, etc. so all these are major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change.
We can control all these by altering our Lifestyle and convert it into Sustainable living. This lifestyle is very suitable as it guides us to use Minimum resources and does not harm the environment. If we will adopt this lifestyle, we can control the Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change because all of the mentioned causes are under our control. We can control the Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change with our little changes in our Lifestyle. This blog is a complete description of Major Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change. We will discuss the Sustainable Strategies to fight with Climate Change in another blog very soon.
To learn about more topics, Click the links below:
Introduction to Environmental Problems
Major Environmental Problems of our Time
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