The Climate Change United Kingdom does, however, have a temperate climate with seasons that change from one to another, hence relevant. It must be cited that the transition of the climate in the UK takes place with the increasing sea levels, unpredictable weather, and increase in temperature. Unquestionably, although human activity has become the main driving force of today’s climate change, the search for those natural processes that determined the shape of Earth’s climate through the years must still be sought.
Sun’s Influence: Our Star’s Fickle Nature The energy given off by the sun produces heat on the Earth. Nevertheless, this emission of energy is not stable. The sun’s activity is variable, and among the visible changes to indicate it is sunspots.
On the other hand, during high activities of sunspots, the sun releases high amounts of energy, thus being warm. Contrary to that, low-activity sunspots can serve to trigger a cooler climate.
These solar cycles have a subtle effect on the Earth’s climate and could not be felt in the present after a year or two. While that certainly remains a consideration, to be sure, scientists are of the opinion that the rate of warming currently observed far overshadows that which could be explained by natural solar variations. Volcanic Woes: Temporary Cooling with Long-Term Consequences The UK is fortunate in that it is a long way from the main belts of volcanic activity. Nevertheless, some eruptions affect the world climate. Volcanoes eject ash, dust, and sulfur dioxide into the high atmosphere. These aerosols act like a giant shade, reflecting sunlight into space and causing a temporary cooling effect.
Perhaps the most celebrated example is the 1816 explosion in Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which plunged the entirety of Europe into a so-called “year without a summer.” That, however, is but a temporal cycle. After some time, the volcanic aerosols settle from the atmosphere, and the greenhouse warming effect starts to take over again. There are also volcanic eruptions that emit carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, which can also contribute to long-term warming. Earth’s Orbital Dance: The Milankovitch Cycles Our planet’s orbit around the sun isn’t perfectly circular, and the Earth’s axis is tilted.
Such variations, termed Milankovitch cycles, are thought to be responsible for the amount of incoming solar radiation to different parts of the Earth and to change at a periodicity on the order of tens to hundreds of thousands of years.
These are the cycles responsible for natural glacial ice ages, with warm periods that Earth’s history has experienced. For instance, the United Kingdom was entirely enveloped with ice sheets during glacial times. The Earth is now, at this very moment, in an interglacial time, relatively stabilizing our climate. However, the Milankovitch Cycles are slowly leading our climate system into another ice age in the distant future.
Continental Drift: A Slow-Moving Force Tectonic plates on the Earth’s crust are moving very slowly through millions of years. Continental drift on the Earth’s crust is one of the radical movements and is one of the key causes of geography and Earth’s climatic changes. The first one is based on the fact that oceanic currents depend on the shape of the ocean basins, which, in turn, is determined by the position of the continents, the distribution of winds, and hence, regional climates.
For example, the current geographic arrangement of the continents is considered one of the major factors in the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current forming part of the UK and bringing mild winters to this part of Europe. If the relative position of North America to Europe were to change, then the net result could be very cooling for the UK climate if this were to take place to a marked extent as a consequence of continental drift. These are over geologic time scales and are much slower than the present rate of climate change.
Natural Causes vs. Human Influence: Understanding the Difference
All these natural processes reviewed above have played their role in forming the climate of the Earth over vast periods. Still, it must be admitted that the difference from all these natural fluctuations has, at the current moment, a rapid warming, which is taking place. The Rate of Change: Natural climate changes do occur at a very slow rate, probably over thousands or even millions of years. The warming trend, however, is currently moving at a rate never experienced before because of human activities that release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
These are, in fact, the scopes of changes: local or regional differences in climate, which naturally will take place through the connected balance of natural processes. The point here is that in the background of this global trend in warming, the actual prevailing trend is a global issue for the whole planet.
The UK in a Warming World The UK is already feeling the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels raise the risk of flooding to communities from the coast due to changes in rainfall patterns causing more frequent floods, while changes in precipitation patterns may also result in drought. Milder winters unset traditional weather patterns and ecosystems. Understanding the causes of climate change in nature is to understand and appreciate the earth’s complex climate system. However, today it is obvious that the present world is subjected to human activities in the causes and driving forces of climate change. As a nation of long and venerable history, the UK has an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
