Not everyone yet agrees that the Earth’s global warming and climate change have been affected by human activity. Science has taught us that the Earth naturally passes through warming and cooling cycles, and that the most recent warming cycle began 15-20,000 years ago. Many people – mostly of “conservative” political views – reject the idea that industrial activity contributing to air and water pollution have had any impact on the Earth’s climate cycle.
Global warming occurs naturally as a part of climate change. But science has proven that human activity has speeded the process over the past few hundred years. Here are 5 amazing details about human awareness over our impact on the environment from the past 2,000 years.
While science has collected an immense amount of evidence showing that human activity has increased the volume of “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere, as well as changed the land’s ability to reflect sunlight across vast swathes of the planet’s surface, the evidence isn’t convincing to people who either choose not to look at it or who don’t understand the significance of the cumulative effects of many changes.
Even so, people have not been totally ignorant about the dangers of a warming environment. Even the most ardent anti-Climate Change points of view acknowledge there are changes in weather patterns, rising seas, and other environmental changes.
Politically conservative Arnold Schwarzenegger argues for returning the conversation to “pollution” to help sway his fellow conservatives to join the fight against climate change. By talking about issues that matter to many conservatives, and not dwelling on issues that upset them, Schwarzenegger hopes to recruit an army of willing conservatives to help change how we manage our economies and our environment.
And what’s interesting about Governor Schwarzenegger’s strategy is that history may be on his side. Here are 5 interesting facts about the history of human activity and the changing environment.
1 – The Book of Revelation Described Global Warming’s Effects
Although the Book of Revelation is often described as “symbolic” and “metaphorical”, it contains some very explicit predictions about what will happen to the Earth. In Chapter 8, seven angels begin blowing trumpets as a series of warnings to the people on Earth.
The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
All of these events eerily match what has been happening in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Fires have consumed huge forests and grasslands in Siberia, Canada, the western United States, Australia, and Africa.
But it gets even worse in chapter 16.
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire.
Although people have debated the meaning and significance of the Book of Revelation for nearly 2,000 years, the vivid descriptions of how the Earth suffers from the effects of heat and pollution resonate well with how humanity has treated the environment for the past few hundred years.
2 – Scientists Have Warned about Climate Change Since 1856
Scientists have been studying the Earth’s environment and how human activity affects it for nearly 200 years.
In 1856, Eunice Foote presented a scientific paper at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Albany, New York. Her paper was titled “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays” and focused on experiments involving the absorption of radiant heat by various gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor. She observed that different gases had different capacities to absorb heat, with CO2 and water vapor showing a particularly strong ability to trap heat. Foote’s research indicated that changes in the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere could influence the Earth’s temperature.
In 1896, Svante Arrhenius published a paper titled “On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground,” in which he suggested that the burning of fossil fuels (such as coal) could increase the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. He hypothesized that this increase in CO2 could lead to a gradual warming of the Earth’s surface temperature. Arrhenius recognized that this process could take thousands of years but was one of the early scientists to propose the idea of human-induced climate change.
We can’t say we weren’t warned, either by the Bible or by scientists.
3 – The First Law against Air Pollution Was Passed in 1881
The first anti-pollution law in the United States was the Smoke Abatement Act of 1881, also known as the “Fog-Smoke Act.” This law was enacted in Chicago, Illinois, and was one of the earliest attempts in the U.S. to regulate industrial air pollution, particularly emissions from coal-burning factories and homes.
The Smoke Abatement Act of 1881 aimed to reduce air pollution caused by the widespread use of coal for heating and industrial processes. It prohibited the emission of dense black smoke from chimneys within the city limits during certain hours of the day, primarily during the daytime. Violators could face fines for emitting excessive smoke.
4 – The First Law against Water Pollution Was Passed in 1899
The first law against water pollution in the United States was the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, also known as the Refuse Act. While this legislation primarily focused on protecting navigable waters from obstructions and debris, it also included provisions to prevent the dumping of refuse and pollutants into the nation’s waterways.
The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 made it illegal to discharge refuse matter or pollutants into navigable waters without proper authorization. It aimed to maintain the navigability of rivers and protect water quality by preventing the dumping of waste and pollutants that could harm the environment and human health.
5 – The Ancient Romans Passed Laws against Pollution
Although we can’t say that the Romans understood or recognized the dangers of climate change, they did recognize the importance to human health of respecting the environment in which they lived. The Roman Empire had regulations in place to address air pollution caused by the emissions from various industrial processes, particularly those related to metalworking.
The earliest recorded air quality regulations in ancient Rome were established around the 1st century BC during the reign of Emperor Augustus. These regulations, known as the Lex Irnitana (the “Irnite Law”), applied to the town of Osuna in what is now Spain. The Lex Irnitana contained provisions that limited the emissions of smoke and noxious fumes from furnaces and industrial operations. Violations of these regulations could result in fines.
While this ancient law is one of the earliest examples of air quality regulation, it was relatively localized in scope. However, it demonstrates an early recognition of the negative impacts of industrial emissions on air quality and public health.
Conclusion
We can’t change how the Earth and the Sun interact with each other. But we can change how we affect the environment around us by reducing pollution and finding more environmentally-friendly ways to live.
Climate change is a reality that everyone, including the plants and animals of the Earth, must contend with. It has always happened for as long as there has been life on Earth. We’ve lost sight of the fact that how it happens isn’t nearly as important as what we should do to ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit an Earth where they can live peacefully with Mother Nature.