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Most people, when asked about the impact of mankind on climate change, would assume that this is a relatively recent phenomenon caused by the steady increase in recent decades of carbon dioxide emissions due to such things as air travel and motor vehicles, as well as heavy industry.
However, the evidence suggests that human-induced climate change began as long ago as the early decades of the 19th century, not long after the Industrial Revolution led to fossil fuels (notably coal) being burned in large quantities.
Ocean evidence
The evidence comes from data gathered by examining ocean corals and other marine organisms. This source of data is vital because the oceans have absorbed more than 90% of the warming caused by climate change, and corals can provide temperature data going back at least 500 years.
<a href="https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/qrb/2010_06/article_13.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a>
(Bleached coral)
Effect of volcanoes
Evidence of global warming in earlier decades would have been difficult to spot if only land-based measurements were relied upon. This is in part because the early 19th century experienced several massive volcanic eruptions, most notably that of Mount Tambora in 1815, that had an overall cooling effect on global temperatures and masked any rises due to other causes. Any mid-century rise would be seen as a natural recovery from the earlier cooling as the atmospheric dust clouds dispersed.
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/is-this-the-end-of-the-holocene-period-anthropocene-geological-periods-epoch-a7240931.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a>
(Mount Tambora)
However, computer simulations that remove the effect of volcanic eruptions from the data show very clearly that there was a notable rise in temperatures from the 1830s that can only have industrial emissions as the cause.
Steady rise
These models are in line with the evidence from ocean corals and show very clearly that climate change from human causes dates from the mid-19th century and has been increasing ever since.
The contributions of human activities to global warming can not be over emphasized.From green house emissions to automobiles and industrial emissions.Human careless emission of carbon oxides,methane has always affect the environment negatively by depleting the ozone layer which increases the amount heat that enters our territory.
One thing that everyone needs to take on board is that climate science is extremely complicated and there are no easy answers to anything! That means both causes and solutions, and that also means that we need to pay very close attention to what the real experts are saying – by which I exclude everyone who says what they do because they are being paid to say it by a politician or special interest group.
Human beings have a very limited effect on the climate and what they do have is localized. The fact is that the temperature has been higher than it is now (from 900 to about 1200 AD, for example) and it has also been cooler (1500 to 1880). The alarmism perpetrated by people like Al Gore is fraudulent. It’s also counterproductive because it diverts money and other resources from efforts that would actually save some lives.
Gary, You are missing a very important point. It is true that overall global temperatures have been warmer in the past, but whenever these have happened there have been clear indications as to the reasons why, based on natural phenomena. The current warming cannot be explained by the same reasoning – the only possible explanation is human interference with atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases.
This is not alarmism – it is pure science, based on many thousands of observations conducted under rigorous scientific conditions and interpreted by professional scientists – not the motley crew that the deniers keep trotting out.
It is these people – most of whom are in pockets of the oils and coal industries – who are committing appalling frauds. Unfortunately, they are being believed by that ignorant idiot who currently holds office in the White House.
Sadly, the impact is huge. Great article!
Nice pictures! Nice post!
The reality is that the impact of humans on the environment has been huge. Thanks for sharing this very well done article!!!
The impact it’s very huge! Thanks??