Name: M.

Raydito Mastura
NIM: 2193220002
Class: English Literature 19 C

THE CHANGING CLIMATE

Climate Change is a statistical shift or long-term average of the

weather. Climate change itself is influenced by various factors.
According to some experts, climate change is a long-term change in
the distribution of weather patterns statistically over a period of
time from decades to millions of years. This term can also mean
changes in average weather conditions or changes in the
distribution of average weather events, for example, the number of
extreme or fewer extreme weather events.

The first factor is natural variability. The second factor is human-

induced factor or human factors. Natural factors are factors in
nature that affect one another. Components of natural factors
consist of the atmosphere (temperature, elements in the air, water
vapor, etc.), land (soil absorption, volcanic activity, elements on the
ground, etc.), sea (wave height, etc.) and solar radiation. The
United Nations (UN) defines climate change as a symptom caused
either directly or indirectly by human activity. This also changes the
composition of the global atmosphere and natural climate
variability over comparable time periods. The composition of the
global atmosphere in question is the composition of the earth's
atmospheric material in the form of Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
which, among others, consists of Carbon Dioxide, Methane,
Nitrogen, and so on.
 During the past century, human activities have released large
amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere. Most of the gases come from burning fossil fuels to
produce energy. Greenhouse gases are like a blanket around the
Earth, trapping energy in the atmosphere and causing it to warm.
This is called the greenhouse effect and it is natural and necessary
to support life on earth. However, while greenhouse gases buildup,
the climate changes and result in dangerous effects to human
health and ecosystems. People have adapted to the stable climate
we have enjoyed since the last ice age which ended several
thousand years ago. A warmer climate can bring changes that can
affect our water supplies, agriculture, power and transportation
systems, the natural environment, and even our own health and
safety. There are some climate changes that are unavoidable and
nothing can be done about it. For example, carbon dioxide can stay
in the atmosphere for nearly a century, so Earth will continue to
warm in the future. Human factors are factors that originate from
humans themselves because their actions affect nature. Climate
change is limited to a certain region or can occur in all regions of
the Earth. In its current use, especially in environmental policies,
climate change refers to modern climate change. These changes
can be classified as anthropogenic climate change or more
commonly known as global warming or anthropogenic global
warming.
 Global warming has really taken effect in the world over the last
century. It is the unusually rapid increase in the Earth’s average
surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the
greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels. Global
warming is due to the enhancing greenhouse gases emission and
build-up in the Earth’s environment. The gases that have an
influence on the atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide,
dinitrogen-oxide, and methane. Almost 30 percent of incoming
sunlight is reflected back into space by bright surfaces like clouds
and ice. In the other 70 percent, most is absorbed by the land and
ocean, and the rest is absorbed by the atmosphere. The absorbed
solar energy heats our planet. This absorption and radiation of heat
by the atmosphere is beneficial for life on Earth. Today, the
atmosphere contains more greenhouse gas molecules, so more of
the infrared energy emitted by the surface ends up being absorbed
by the atmosphere. By increasing the concentration of greenhouse
gases, we are making Earth’s atmosphere a more efficient
greenhouse. Climate change occurs when changes in the Earth's
climate system produce new weather patterns that last for at least
several decades, and perhaps for millions of years. The climate
system consists of five interacting parts, the atmosphere (air),
hydrosphere (water), cryosphere (ice and permafrost), biosphere
(living things), and lithosphere (earth's crust and upper mantle).
The climate system receives almost all of its energy from the sun,
with a relatively small amount from the Earth's interior. The
climate system also provides energy into space. The balance of
energy entering and leaving, and energy traveling through the
climate system, determines the Earth's energy budget. When the
incoming energy is greater than the outgoing energy, the earth's
energy budget is positive and the climate system heats up.
 In conclusion, we need to take part and try to stop global warming
and other effects on climate change. If the earth’s temperatures
continue to rise in the future, living things on earth would become
extinct due to the high temperatures. If humans contribute to
control global warming, this world would be cooler and the high
temperatures we currently have would decrease. If everybody as
one take stand and try to end most of the climate changes that are
occurring, this world would be a safer place to live on.