Jake Cameron

English 2010
Dr. Ashley Argyle
07/22/2014
Position What influences climate change?
Within the last decade climate change and global warming have become a hot topic.
From activists to politicians to the average citizen everyone is getting involved and seems to
have an opinion. Two of the most popular opinions happen to be the most polarized. Many
climate change enthusiasts believe strongly that manmade CO2 emissions are the primary cause
of recent climate change and their counterparts believe that CO2has no effect at all. For the last
decade the two opposing sides have been involved in a tiresome debate that shows no signs of
stopping. Having done some extensive research on the topic I have found that neither side is
entirely correct, though they are not entirely wrong. The problem with these two generally
accepted points of view is that they are incomplete, because they do not take into account all of
the research available.
One side of the climate change debate says that man is the primary cause of recent
climate change. The claim is based on the fact that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and
greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the climate. The idea is that the ever increasing
amount of manmade CO2 is causing the climate to warm. Since the industrial revolution,
mankind has been producing copious amounts of CO2 and its production dramatically increased
during the first half of the twentieth century. Because of this, warming trends beginning in the
1970s has been determined to be caused by CO2 produced by people. The popular opinion is
that CO2 currently has the biggest impact on our climate.

Recent trends support this claim. There is an ever increasing amount of CO2 in the
atmosphere. A major byproduct in the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil products is CO2.
About seventy percent of all energy produced in the United States is produced by the burning of
fossil fuels (TEDx). When these types of fuels are used, they send a significant amount of CO2
into the atmosphere. This dramatic increase in atmospheric CO2 and is causing our planet to
warm. The warming of our planet could cause many things to happen that would have
devastating effects on our planet and could be disastrous for our civilization.
The problem with this position is that there is very little evidence to support it. There are
many who say that atmospheric CO2 is the predominant factor in determining climate change,
and they have worked very hard to prove the link between the two. They have found a lot of
evidence that atmospheric CO2 is a relevant factor but they have little supporting evidence that it
is the main cause.
Consider the research performed by Dr. Don Easterbrook, professor emeritus of Geology
at Western Washington University. According to his research, CO2 has not been a significant
factor in determining the climate, and the reason is in part because of the nature of CO2. He says
that the greenhouse effect from CO2 is only about 3.6% [of the total greenhouse effect]. The
greenhouse effect of CO2 decreases exponentially, so the rise in atmospheric CO2 from about
1950 to2008 could have caused warming of only about 0.1 C (EasterBrook). He says that
because of its nature CO2 could not have the effect that some say it has. He also points out that
just because both CO2 levels and temperatures are rising does not prove they have a cause-effect
relationship. If this is true then this means that CO2 is not the primary cause of warming and any
catastrophic changes made to our climate were likely caused by other factors.

The other side of the argument is that we have absolutely no impact on the climate. They
state that we humans are overestimating the impact that we have on the environment and see no
need for change. Their argument is that the global climate has been changing since the earth was
formed. There have been periods that the temperature has dropped dramatically resulting in most
of the earth being covered in ice. There have also been times that temperatures have been so high
that ice does not even appear on the poles (TEDx).
Their argument is valid too. There have been many times that the climate has changed.
Even in recent geologic times there are well documented occurrences of warming and cooling
that occurred before any industrialization. The most well know of these is the Medieval Warming
Period that lasted from about the tenth to the thirteenth centuries AD and the Little Ice Age that
occurred shortly after and likely ended in the later part of the nineteenth century. During these
times there is a distinguishable difference in the average temperatures of the earth, the first being
much warmer and the latter being much cooler. Because these periods of climate change exist
without manmade CO2 pouring into the atmosphere, climate change itself is most likely
unrelated to our own production of this greenhouse gas.
The problem with the claim is it relies solely on data from the northern hemisphere.
According to SkepticalScience.com evidence suggests that the Medieval Warm Period may
have been warmer than today in many parts of the globe such as in the North Atlantic
However, evidence also suggests that some places were very much cooler than today including
the tropical pacific ("How does the Medieval Warm Period compare to current global
temperatures?"). Much of this argument lies heavily on data obtained in the northern hemisphere.
In fact, the majority of all of the data collected on climate research takes place in the northern
hemisphere. There are actually very few published works about the climate in the southern

hemisphere. Because of this is, it becomes hard to say if the change in climate in that part of the
world accurately represents the change in climate for the rest of the planet.
The problem with both mainstream arguments is they fail to take into account all of the
forces that influence climate. There are many forces at work in this world and we are only
beginning to understand them. Climate change research is only in its infancy. We are only
starting to learn about the influences of solar irradiance, volcanic activity, deep ocean
temperatures, oceanic currents, and other geologic activity. We know there are many forces at
work in climate change, but we dont know how much of an effect these variables have. Since
we dont fully understand the big picture, its foolish for us to state outright that one of these is
the main source for that change.
For example, solar irradiance likely has a large effect on climate change. Research done
by Joseph DAleo, a former chairman of the American Meteorological Societys Committee on
Weather Analysis and Forecasting, says that the sun has a greater impact on the climate than
some are willing to accept. In his research he points out that the sun goes through cycles. At one
point in the suns cycle it will emit more energy than it will in another part of its cylce. This
change in energy on the sun translates into changing temperatures on earth. Sun spots, solar
winds, geomagnetic storms, and ultraviolet effects through ozone chemistry all effect our
weather and climate. He says that regardless of how much you think the sun affects us, it would
be silly to rule out the thing that provides nearly all of Earths energy.
Ocean currents have a large effect as well. A good example of the effects ocean currents
have on climate is to compare the climates of Portugal and Spain to the climate of New England
in the United States. Both of these places are located at relatively the same latitude. You would
expect places that are similar distances to the equator to have a similar climate. Portugal and

Spain however share a much warmer climate that New England does. The reason this is, is
because of ocean currents. A warm current that originates around the Mediterranean shoots up
the coast of Western Europe and as a result has a warming effect on the countries that lie adjacent
to it including Portugal and Spain. The eastern coast of the United States however is influenced
by a cold current that rushed down from the artic cooling the surrounding area and cooling the
climate.
These currents are driven by deep ocean temperatures. Some have suggested that deep
ocean temperatures are effected due to the rising atmospheric CO2, but evidence suggests
otherwise. In the IPCCs Fifth Assessment Report they state that this relationship between
global warmth and high CO2 is complicated by factors such as tectonics and the evolution of
biological systems, which play an important role in the carbon cycle. Although new
reconstructions of deep-ocean temperatures have been compiled since [the Fourth Assessment
Report], low confidence remains in the precise relationship between CO2 and deep-ocean
temperature (United Nations). They imply that a change in deep ocean temperatures are likely a
result of geologic and biologic forces, and DAleo suggest that it may also be affected by sun
activity.
In closing, we do not know enough about our climate at this time to determine how much
something affects it and how much something else may not. It is hard for me to accept that we
know what the climate will be like years in the future when we cannot accurately predict what
the weather will be like a month from now. Our climate and its systems are intricate and
complex. Those who wish to be involved in this important debate should seek to understand the
different factors that influence climate change, especially when it can effect so many people. It is

only when we consider all of the variables that we will fully understand how our climate will
change and why.
Works Cited
D'Aleo, Joseph. Solar Changes and the Climate: in Evidence-Based Climate Science. p 253276. Netherlands: Elsevier Inc. 2011. Web.
Easterbrook, Don. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. Western Washington University: Don J.
Easterbrook Homepage. Don J. Easterbrook. n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.
United Nations. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2013: The
Physical Science Basis. Geneva: IPCC, 2013. Web.
"How does the Medieval Warm Period compare to current global temperatures?" Skeptical
Science. John Cook, n.d. Web. 21 July. 2014.
TEDxVancouver YouTube. TEDx Talks. 28 Jan 2010. Web. 21 July 2014.