Other forms of pollution also effect the planet and its climate
It's not just CO2 that's effecting the planet. All forms of pollution impact the planets overall health and climate. Deforestation, trash dumping in the ocean, and more are all things that contribute to climate change. The pollution and the efforts to counteract it are both because of humans.
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The Argument
CO2 emissions aren’t the only thing impacting the overall health of the planet and its climate. Global warming is generally used interchangeably with climate change due to global warming being a direct effect of climate change.
The increase in temperature has been causing the polar icecaps to melt. Not only does change the land but also the plants and animals. Sea levels are also rising due to this. The greatest concern is what’ll happen to the planet when the temperature only continues to increase.
The last time the earth saw such an occurrence was 55.5 million years ago in something called the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum.[1] This event caused the global climate to change by by 7-8 degrees Celsius, a 12 to 15 degree increase in Fahrenheit.
In comparison, earth's current change of about 2 degrees doesn't seem like much but the problem is the pace at which the change is happening. the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum took 20,000-50,00 years to happen. The current change has only taken about 100 years. At this rate of change the planet will match the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum in 700-800 years or less.[2]
It might not seem like much but it’s 28-62 times faster than the PETM, a naturally occurring event. It took the PETM 150,000-200,000 years to cool back down into normal temperatures. Even if people could speed up the process in comparison it would still take 3,225–5,357 years.[3] The current changes are in response to the pollution effecting the planet. Pollution like trash, chemicals, deforestation, things which are all generated by humans.
Counter arguments
People seem to focus on the bad rather than the good that occurs in the world. With the heavy focus on climate change and pollution people forget that there are others constantly and actively working against these problems. While outshone the complaints and worries it's still the reality.
Work to circumvent climate change has been going on ever since its discovery in 1896 and it's never stopped. While humans are usually blamed for the major changes it's because they are looking for something physical to blame. Mother Nature is a force, not a being. Not all these problems are caused by humans though.[4] Having gone through an ice age only 11,700 years ago, another, the climate going cold or the climate going warm, is just another cycle.
It seems unfair because it’s not possible to control mother nature and that leaves people scared. All they can do is react, all we can do is react to it, take it one step at a time and try to improve things. Are humans to blame? That’s complicated because for every human who might be, there are those trying to fix it.
Proponents
Premises
[P1] Climate change has happened before but not at the speed seen today
[P2] It's a natural occurrence but one that takes millions of years, not hundreds
Rejecting the premises
[RP1] As a natural occurrence, Mother Nature is also to blame for the current changes in climate
References
- https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth103/node/639
- https://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150914-when-global-warming-made-our-world-super-hot
- https://www.palaeontologyonline.com/articles/2011/the-paleocene-eocene-thermal-maximum/?doing_wp_cron=1602995927.5284581184387207031250
- https://web.richmond.k12.va.us/Portals/47/assets/pdfs/naturalevents310.pdf