Climatic Change and Human Strategy
Write
brief answers for the following questions:
1) What do human beings often tend to forget
when engaging in large-scale developmental activities?
A: - E.K. Federov (1910-1981) was a Russian Citizen. He wrote number of books and articles
on Environmental protection and ecology and Meteorology etc.
In
this lesson, Federov says that Human beings often tend to forget the damage
they cause to nature. The current scientific and technological progress seems
to be making mankind less controlled by natural environment. The construction
industry, which was highly seasonal in the past, now, we make it active all the
year round. We, with this large-scale construction, only bother the development
and we tend to forget huge burden we impose on earth. We often make holes on
the earth to extract huge amount of mineral resources (e.g.:- petroleum, coal,
natural gas, stone etc.). While we do so, we often forget the consequences of
these actions. We, for the sake of power generation, use all types of energy
resources like water, coal etc. to the maximum extent. People don't bother the
direct release of huge amount of heat that prevails (spread) in the atmosphere.
It is possible that with the advancement of technology we can even transform
desert areas into vast agriculture fields. In this way we tend to do anything
for our development. While, we don't consider our dangerous activities that
effect on the composition of atmosphere and hydrosphere. The present humanity
as measured both by its size and by the duration over which it has taken place,
has increased so much that it can almost be compared with the natural phenomena
of nature. Now-a-days we cannot consider nature self-balanced, self-controlled.
We cannot also consider nature's resources inexhaustible
Moreover, many of our actions, such as construction, or land reclamation are
deliberately intended to continue for long periods of time.
2. What
are the parameters responsible for the overall stability of climate in
different parts of the world?
A: - Climate is a
consequence of the workings of complex processes in the atmosphere, in the
oceans and on land. In other words, the sum of stable characteristics of mean
and extreme temperatures, precipitation amount, and seasonal river discharge is
called climate.
As a result of unequal heating of the Earth's surface by the sun, an
atmospheric circulation pattern is developed and maintained. Theoretically,
this circulation is very straightforward. It is a system in which air is warmed
at low levels in the equatorial region, ascends, and flows to pole ward. It is
then cooled, descends and flows back towards the equator. The main features of
this general atmospheric circulation in the average time span of some years or
decades, do exhibit some continuity and permanence. This relative stability of
overall pattern is due to the general constancy of several atmospheric and
oceanic parameters, even though the values of these parameters differ from one
part of the planet to another. These parameters include, less and extreme
temperatures, balanced precipitation amount and seasonal discharges etc.
3. Have
there always been noticeable differences in climate in the history of the
earth?
A: - No. There
haven't always been noticeable differences in climate in the history of the
earth. There is a good reason to believe that during the last several hundreds
of million years, the normal climate of the earth as a whole was almost similar
than it is at present. There were very less pronounced differences in climate
between different latitudes, which we experience today.
However, several tens of millions years ago, this situation began to change,
and the temperatures of high latitudes fell gradually. About two million years
ago this process accelerated and Arctic region
temperatures dropped sharply. A glacial period resulted, in which repeated
advances of ice sometimes reached mid latitudes with intervening periods when
the ice moved back.
From the recent one thousand years, less marked climatic changes have taken
place. The temperature of North Polar Region was higher than it is today and
the limit of sea ice was further less than it is at present.
4. What
are the two kinds of factors that cause the climate to change over long periods
of time? Give two examples of each kind.
A: - There are two
kinds of factors that cause the climate to change over long periods of time.
They are: external factors and internal factors.
External factors include variations in the quantity of radiation emitted by the
sun and the changes in the earth's orbit around the sun. The average
temperature of a region varies by depending on the amount of radiation it
receives from the sun. When an area receives huge amount of radiation, its
temperature levels will increase. If a region receives less amount of
radiation, its temperature levels will decrease. Likewise, the variations in
the average distance between the sun and earth may result in the variations in
temperature of a region.
Internal factors include the formation and movement of continental areas, the
growth of mountain ranges and the volcanic activity of various kinds that
produces dust and gases which may change the visibility and other
characteristics of the Earth's atmosphere.
5. What
are the main ways in which human development has affected climate patterns on
the earth?
A: - Human
beings are mainly responsible for climatic changes. Human existence necessarily
has its effects on nature. Human development could not have taken place as it
transformed various elements of the natural environment. Some of the impacts
that are of the most relevance to the subject of climatic changes are;
→ Transformation of land surface of the planet by deforestation, by ploughing up of
the Steppes (grasslands) and the Great Plains, the
construction of huge man-made lakes and reservoirs, the conversion of large
areas to a built-up environment etc. These transformations alter the
reflectivity of earth's surface and this, in turn causes changes in the energy
balance and in local atmosphere circulation patterns.
→ Changes
in the water balance i.e. a great quantity of river discharge is used for
irrigation or to meet industrial needs. Evaporation over land areas
consequently tends to increase, and run off into oceans decreases. It is
probable that the entire discharge may ultimately be utilized in this way. This
will not change the general hydrological cycle on the planet, but it will lead
to a different relationship between the various elements of the cycle in
different geographical regions.
→ Changes
in the energy balance. The earth-atmosphere heat balance can be changed
both by alterations in the transparency(visibility) of the atmosphere (due
mainly to carbon dioxide released by combustion of fossil fuels) and by direct
release of huge amount of heat as a result of power generation and the use of
all types of energy.
The problem, now, with this kind of human activity is, if energy production
were to increase repeatedly (which is quite possible during the next 100 to 200
years), the climate would begin to change on a regional and possibly on a
global scale as well.
6. Two
elements of the strategy mentioned in the essay are the assessments of the
meteorological parameters of climate change and its relation to socioeconomic
development. What is the third part of the strategy the writer recommends?
A: - E.K. Federov recommended three
strategies to stop irreversible climatic changes.
The first one is the appropriate assessments (understanding) of the
meteorological parameters of climate change. The second one is the impacts of
climatic change on socioeconomic development and vice versa.
The third element of the strategy is to make recommendations to all the people
on how to avoid the adverse results of climatic change, or if possible to avoid
such change altogether. It is, for example, often suggested that fuel and
energy use should be reduced to prevent the percentage of Co2 content of the
atmosphere. Restriction of energy use is also recommended in order to preserve
the planetary balance.
The majority of these kinds of recommendations are aimed at the preservation of
present climate. While international cooperation, peace and disarmament are
also very essential to achieve these strategies.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete