The Lion's Pride , Vol. 5 (Feb. 2016) | Page 97

variability will continue to influence climate over a short-term period, but within these natural fluctuations there will be an overall long-term trend of global warming. Contributing factors for climate change intensification include the enhancement of global warming through increasing levels of greenhouse gases, atmospheric aerosols, and land use (increase deforestation and desertification). It is this long-term global warming trend that will have dire consequences on our marine climate. There are those who dispute evidence supporting climate change and its harmful impact on marine environment. Many of the climate change deniers try to discredit evidence supporting increases in global warming due to humans’ influence by referring to the Earth’s natural cycle tendencies and stating that there have been no significant increases in warming over the past few decades. Although the climate undergoes varying cyclic changes, overwhelming evidence points to dramatic increases in global warming from fossil fuels, industrial and agricultural emissions, that change atmospheric elements resulting in long-term climate change. Human influence on climate change through the