What are the possible human causes of climate change?
Arguably, the primary anthropogenic cause of climate change is the use of fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases. These gases can act negatively in the atmosphere by creating a 'blanket Earth' where radiation is less able to dissipate back into space, thus warming the Earth's surface. Moreover, the increasing use of agriculture, alongside a growing demand of food from a growing population, is thought to be a cause towards climate change. Methane, produced from cow dung, is a greenhouse gas thus enhancing the greenhouse effect, as outlined previously. Deforestation may also be a human cause of climate change, where trees that are cut down, releasing their stores of carbon dioxide. This raises the level of atmospheric CO2, further causing global warming. In the Amazon, deforestation has occurred at a rate of 19,300 km2, per year since 1978, contributing significantly to the global rise in temperatures. These three primary human factors all cause climate change, through the process of global warming, which has seen a rapid rise of temperatures on a global scale.
