Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Globalization - Essay Example Only on the first issue can one reasonably argue that the purported center of economic representations - mainstream academic economics - plays a leading role in the debate. And, even then, the free trade, pro-globalisation orthodoxy that, with few exceptions, has predominated within mainstream economics for generations has been contested in all three areas: within the discipline of economics, in other academic disciplines, and outside the academy. Another important question is how abrupt the future changes will be. Abrupt climate change generally refers to a large shift of climate that takes place so rapidly and unexpectedly that human and/or natural ecosystems have difficulty to adapt. Globalisation has increased migration, which resulted in deforestation and global warming. Since 1850 A.D. the climate is dominated by a clear steady warming trend, which has become known as global warming. This warming is particularly noteworthy because the rate of temperature increase is enormously high. In addition, the recent 50-100 years have been the time of unprecedented growth of human activities, accompanied by industrialisation, massive deforestation, and other human interferences with the nature with a thoughtful (harmful) effect on the environment. The natural agents, exerting their influence upon climate has been thus recruiting with a new powerful mean to produce sizeable changes in the climate. One of the essential problems of the present days is to answer the question to what degree the mankind may be responsible for the present-day climate warming. Is the observed global warming just of natural origin, or does it have certain anthropogenic component Is the fact that the climate is getting warmer the result of human insensitive approach to its habitat Is this warming to continue in the future and how serious are the potential environmental consequences If so, the problem of the worldwide increasing air temperature comes to an end as the strictly scientific discipline, but became the uneasy task for everybody on this planet. For about the last decade, there has been an ongoing debate on the contribution of human activities to the global warming of the past century and especially on how anthropogenic activity will contribute to further warming that may occur during the twenty-first century. What is the physical basis for the fear of human-induced changes Similarly to other living organisms in all epochs, the mankind has influenced surrounding environment. However, an impact of human activities has drastically increased after the Industrial Revolution that began in the mid-eighteenth century in the UK and at the present time embraces the continental and/or global scales. The industrial revolution began with the invention of the steam engine. The most important human activities at present that may have an impact on both regional and global climate are connected with: 1. the combustion of fossil fuels and the biomass burning that produce GHG, 2. the

Climate Change and Soil Formation in Southern England Essay

Climate Change and Soil Formation in Southern England - Essay Example At the same time there has also been an increase in the population, and a change in the way individuals make a living and support themselves and their families. The first people to live in southern England were hunters and gatherers, but they slowly evolved into farmers as more people inhabited the area and methods of farming improved. Later, another change occurred with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, which changed farmers into industrial workers. These changes, along with climate changes have had an impact on the soil in southern England (Jarvis, 1984, 12). The start of climate change and its effect on soil began in southern England with the ice age. Approximately one-third of the earth was covered in snow and ice, and due to its location in the northern hemisphere, England was affected. While much of the country was covered year round with ice and snow, the southern parts occasionally had periods where the temperature would raise enough to melt some of the snow and ice and provide precipitation for the soil underneath (Bridges, 1997, 36). However, due to the cold temperatures, the ice age slowed the process of soil formation and change, essentially slowing the rate soil was able to intake precipitation. It also slowed the speed at which organic matter decomposed and the rate of plant and vegetation growth. This in return slowed the rate at which the soil could consume needed nutrients and organic matter, which slowed the entire process of formation and change. The ice age made an important contribution to the soil of southern England by bringing in new soil. The ice and snow that covered the area was brought from the north, and with it came a large amount of debris that included fine particles, small rocks, and even huge boulders (Bridges, 1997, 36). When the ice melted, the debris remained and became embedded in the soil. This provided the ground with a large amount of parent material in which young soil was able to begin formation and maturation. In certain areas, the effects of the ice age on soil and landscape can still be seen today. After the ice age passed and the climate changed to warmer weather, people started migrating from other parts of Europe into England. This was considered the Neolithic period and started around 4500 B.C. This period of time was essentially similar to the Stone Age, when houses, buildings, fences, etc. where all constructed out of rocks and stones. Many of these structures still exist, while others have been torn down or broken apart. This had an impact on the soil in southern England, due to the fact that remnants of this period, in the form of small rocks can be found embedded in the soil in certain areas. In addition, during this time and even into the Bronze Age, individuals moving to England were beginning to develop agriculture fields. These early farmers impacted the soil on their land by using domestic waste as fertilizer to provide extra nutrients and organic materials to the soil and the crops they were trying to grow. In addition to using fertilize during the Bronze Age to change the soil, tools, such as the plow, were introduced that assisted individuals in developing fields for agriculture. This led to farmers having the ability to grow a crop, plow the ground, and immediately replant a new crop. The constant presence of plant growth on