Ecosystem Toxic Chemical Threat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ecosystem Toxic Chemical Threat - Essay Example As such, human activities drive the greenhouse gas-mediated environmental effects, and only human activities can prevent the worsening of earth degradation due to these gases. Another reason why greenhouse gases should be discussed is the still ongoing debate on whether greenhouse gases caused global warming and climate change. Apparently, not all people agree that humans caused the apparent changes happening in the environment. In a website called greatglobalwarming.com, articles that disagree with either the increased global temperature or its man-made nature are collated. It discusses that unlike the findings of global warming advocates, polar bears are increasing in number, Himalayan glaciers are not melting, and global warming and climate change are actually inevitable natural occurrences. Some articles in the website even said that the government and environmental organizations only publicize an apparent human-made global warming to get more funding (â€Å"Great Global Warming : News and Truth about Global Warming†). Section Two: Address the vulnerability of the environment - ecosystem to the specific Chemical Threat 1. Is this an acute or chronic environmental threat? Greenhouse gases are chronic environmental threat. ... 2. Is this a systemic or targeted species threat? Since it affects temperature, it influences all life forms, from microorganisms to plants and animals, which exist on a specific range of temperature. This makes greenhouse gases systemic environmental threats. 3. How likely is it that the chemical will be released in sufficient amounts to do serious harm? The naturally-occurring gases contribute to climate change because the mechanisms that regulate their amounts in the atmosphere become less efficient. Although the temperature in earth started increasing since the 1800, the most rapid increase has been observed in the recent decades, most possibly due to human activity (Environmental Protection Agency). In the case of carbon dioxide, it is regulated by the carbon cycle. Despite the production of carbon dioxide by animals, the atmospheric carbon dioxide remained constant at 280 parts per million (ppm) 10, 000 years before the start of the industrial era. However, its increasing level in the atmosphere is partly attributed to industrialization that started 150 years ago, which emit the gas by biogas burning to power the machineries At that time, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by almost 40% to 389 ppm. Since then, it continuously increases by 1.5 ppm during the 1990s, by 2.0 ppm during 2000s, and currently by 2.3 ppm, due to the increased electricity and transportation use, as well as continuing deforestation. It now causes 64% of global warming (World Meteorological Organization). Methane from landfills, coal mines, oil and gas operations, and agriculture is the second most important greenhouse gas, contributing 18% to total global warming. Similar to carbon dioxide, the industrial era marked the