The Relationship between Human Nature and Global Warming Essay

The Relationship between Human Nature and Global Warming According to the National Academy of Sciences, global warming over the past century has caused a rise in Earth's surface temperature of about 1 degree Fahrenheit. There is evidence to substantiate attribution of the increased rate of this warming phenomenon over the past 50 years to human activities. Human activities have altered the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases, chiefly carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide (Internet 0). This paper will explore modern human nature, the technology that it demands, and the effects, both positive and negative, that these factors have had on the environment. The advent of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s brought with it unprecedented improvements in the quality of human life. Individual freedom, technology, industry, and economic growth became symbols of success and happiness, and society molded itself around these new technologies to the point where they were necessary for survival. New applications of energy developed by the Industrial Revolution provided energy-intensive agricultural methods that caused death rates to fall sharply and population density to increase significantly (Internet 1). Over time, improvements to human life increased as industry developed. Industry is now a worldwide, powerful and booming establishment. It is impossible even to imagine all the aspects of modern life that exist as a direct result of industry, and few would disagree with the statement that industry has afforded humans life improvements on an unprecedented scale. Yet this success has come at a great cost to our environment. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revoluti... ...bal Warming Information, http://www.globalwarming.org/index.htm Internet 4 United States Environmental Protection Agency, yosemite.epa.gov /oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/emissions.html Internet 5 United States Environmental Protection Agency, yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/ content/emissions.html Internet 6 United States Environmental Protection Agency, yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming. nsf/content/emissions.html Internet 7 The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability, http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/uniqueKeyLookup/SHSU5BPJWH/$file/chaptsum.pdf?OpenElement Internet 8 United States Environmental Protection Agency, yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/emissions.html Internet 9 United States Environmental Protection Agency, yosemite.epa.gov/oar/ globalwarming.nsf/content/emissions.html