“Human activity has led to irreversible changes to the carbon cycle, causing negative impacts for life on earth”
To what extent do you agree with this statement? (20 marks)
One of the biggest human contributions to the carbon cycle is the combustion of fossil fuels meets our energy needs, which accounts for approximately 80% of total carbon emissions. In the last 100 years, since the industrial revolution, the pattern for the combustion of fossil fuels has increased, leading to an increase in the magnitude of C O2 in the atmosphere. Therefore, leading to higher temperatures, which has led to an increase in the melting of the polar ice caps and tundra. Thus, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Therefore, creating a positive feedback loop melting of the ice caps will accelerate into the long term. As a result, there has been a huge increase in the transfer of water into global oceans, leading to a eustatic sea level rise of two millimetres a year. As a result, this puts low lying islands at risk of being inundated like Kiribati. For instance, sea levels are rising approximately 9 millimetres a year which has led to a total evacuation date set for 2050. Therefore, producing some of the first refugees to be lost to climate change.
However, there has been a shift in energy production to renewable sources, which reduces our reliance on fossil fuels like solar panels and wind farms. Although, this transition is not happening fast enough or wide enough on a global scale to be able to reverse or at the very least reduce our impacts on the carbon cycle.
Secondly, another human activity is farming practises. One-way arable farming is led to reversible changes in the common cycle on a local scale is the sequestration of carbon. When the crops are planted, this increases the size of the vegetation cover, leading to an increase in the rate of sequestration via photosynthesis. Therefore, reducing the magnitude of CO2 in the atmosphere will lead to a decrease in their melting of polar ice and the inundation it leads to.
Conversely, it can be argued that arable farming is in fact a carbon source. When the fields are ploughed, the soil is turned over which exposes the decomposers. Therefore, assuming that there are moist conditions, will lead to an increase in decomposition. Thus, an increase in the transfer of C O2 into the atmosphere via a respiration. In addition, there are high levels of deforestation taking place to clear Greenland to make it ideal for farming. Another human activity, which reduces the rate of photosynthesis, hence an important carbon sink.
Overall, I believe to a great extent that human activity has led to irreversible changes. This is because their natural variations like the natural warming, is being exacerbated by human activity like combustion of fossil fuels. As a result, we will see many occupied land masses is at risk of being flooded.