During the 2016 presidential election a big topic which sparked debate and protests was climate change. Most people believe that humans are the only cause to climate change. However this is not true. There are also natural causes as well. Many people use this argument to say that humans are not causing global warming. However people and nature are working together in the warming of our planet.  For instance the sun heats up the Earth with its powerful solar rays. Volcanoes contribute to the effects of global warming by emitting co2 into the atmosphere and the pole shift weakens  the magnetic shield protecting Earth allowing the sun to have powerful effects on the Earth’s surface. 

The sun causes global warming. This is because the sun goes through cycles where it throws off more solar flares. Solar flares happen when the sun’s surface is hotter than than usual so the sun throws bursts of energy. In previous years the sun has been throwing off more solar flares which in turn is heating the Earth,“The sun is burning hotter than usual, offering a possible explanation for global warming that needs to be weighed when proceeding with expensive efforts to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, Swiss and German scientists say.”(Hotter-Burning Sun Warming the Planet.) If we factor the sun into the warming of the planet than countries can save money on huge emission cutting bills and put the money towards research for new and more efficient things like cars or put it toward solar and wind farms.  

Despite what Science says, people still deny the fact that the sun is warming our planet. This is because the sun goes through cycles where the sun is throwing off more heat and when it’s not. The sun is beginning to cool off, yet the planet is still warming. This is because the effects of the sun heating the planet can last years before the planet starts to cool and by the time the that starts to happen the sun has gone through its cool phase and has begun to throw off more heat.

Another natural cause to global warming is volcanoes. When volcanoes erupt they create an ash cloud. During the eruption the ash cloud is thrown miles into the sky and releases particles and carbon dioxide,“volcanic eruptions produce about 110 million tons of CO2 each year.”(What Do Volcanic Eruptions Mean for the Climate.)  The particles in the ash cloud cause erosion of the ozone layer allowing more solar radiation to reach Earth’s surface. When volcanoes erupt they cause earthquakes. These earthquakes can shift the axis by a few centimeters, however this slight shift can cause the sun to shine on areas longer than normal which can change the climate in that area.

People deny the fact that volcanoes are causing global warming because they produce a hundredth of green houses gases that burning fossil fuels create. Also when volcanoes erupt they can throw off ash which can cool the Earth if it reaches high enough into the atmosphere.   

The shifting of the magnetic poles are another cause to global warming. As the poles begin to reverse than the magnetic shield protecting Earth weakens, “it alters the direction of the enormous current flow through the Earth, theoretically causing magnetic chaos in the Earth’s core, which in turn weakens the Earth’s magnetic shield that protects the planet from damaging solar particles.”(A Shift in Earth’s Magnetic Poles May Hold the Secret to Climate Change.) These solar particles come from solar radiation that warms Earth’s surface. Solar radiation is a form of energy that is formed from the burning of the sun that is thrown off violently into space. The pole shift is a natural event that happens every 700 to 800 thousand years. During this time the Magnetic poles weaken which in turn weakens the magnetic shield. Which  means that during this time period the Earth’s temperature will rise. This is another natural cause to global warming.

People say that the pole shift is not part of global warming because the poles started shifting at a faster due to the amount of co2 in the atmosphere the poles are being unbalanced and are shifting. However scientists have found, “What currently has geophysicists like us abuzz is the realization that the strength of Earth’s magnetic field has been decreasing for the last 160 years at an alarming rate” (Magnetic Pole Reversal Ahead?). This evidence states that man is not the cause of the pole shift because during this time it was the beginning of the industrial revolution so there were little greenhouse gas emissions.  

Humans and nature work together to warm up our planet. The sun contributes by burning hotter and throwing off powerful solar rays. Volcanic eruptions contribute to global warming by throwing off an ash cloud that has tons of co2, and the pole shift weakens our magnetic shield allowing more of the sun’s harsh rays to reach the Earth’s surface. These natural causes should be factored into the decision while countries spend billions of dollars to try to cut the co2 emissions. 

Works Cited
“Global Warming : Feature Articles.” NASA, NASA.

“Hotter-Burning Sun Warming the Planet.” The Washington Times, The Washington Times, 18 July 2004.

“How Do Volcanoes Affect World Climate?” Scientific American.

“What Do Volcanic Eruptions Mean for the Climate?” Carbon Brief, 17 Aug. 2017.

“A Shift in Earth’s Magnetic Poles May Hold the Secret to Climate Change.” A Shift in Earth’s Magnetic Poles May Hold the Secret to Climate Change | February 17, 2016 | Sonoran News.
“Magnetic Pole Reversal Ahead?” EarthSky.