Global Warming
By: Erik Manarino
I am doing my report on Global Warming. I am going to talk about the effects of Global Warming and some possible solutions that we can do to help prevent or slow down the effects of global warming on the earth. Global warming has been going on ever since humans have inhabited this earth. Lately, the earth’s temperature is rising about twice as fast as had been in the past. This is do to several different factors that affect global warming. As you can see global warming is a very serious problem that not only affects human beings but also affects all animal and plant life around the world, if it is not taken care of this could take a toll on all life.
As I stated earlier the earth’s
temperature has risen about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last century. (http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming) Scientists predicted that global warming
started about 10,000 thousand years ago which was the last Ice Age.( http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html)
When the earth’s temperature begin to rise the ice and glaciers around the
earth begin to melt. This caused the sea
level to rise about 300 feet. Due to the
rising sea level the straits around the world were gone. For example, the
Scientists and many professionals credit the global warming to several factors. One of the factors is the greenhouse affect. The greenhouse affect is when certain gases(water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap the suns energy.( http://www.science.gmu.edu/~zli/ghe.html) The heat from the sun is absorbed by these gases and instead of the heat being released back into outer space they are trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This is just one of the many ways global warming occurs.
The second way global warming occurs is from the cargo ships. Over the past 15 years, as international trade has exploded and shipping capacity has grown by 50%, cargo ships have become one of the nations leading sources of air pollution, threatening the health of millions of people living in port cities. [New York Times; Long, Russel] These ships have no regulations on them, but they use the worst fuel, it is a disgrace for these ships to be able to pollute the atmosphere and the oceans so much, but not have any regulations. They release as much pollution as 350,000 cars do in an hour, just coming into harbor. [New York Times, Long, Russel].
Also another reason is from the fossil fuels that the earth uses. If you think about it pretty much everything we use is run on fossil fuel. Fossil fuel is responsible for about 98% of U.S Carbon Dioxide emissions, 24% of Methane emissions, and 18% of Nitrous oxide emissions. [U.S EPA] Carbon Dioxide is the main gas in the greenhouse gasses, which causes global warming. Chemists have also affected global warming because they have altered chemicals which affect global warming. If we continue to do these things and increase global warming this will cause many unwanted problems to occur to the earth.
Some of these problems are the continuous burning of harmful gases. This gas which is usually carbon dioxide has gone considerably up in the last decade. . [ NY Times, CO2 Reaches Record Levels] Scientists can only predict what will happen if these carbon dioxide gases continue to be produced and let into are atmosphere. Some say that the polar ice caps will melt and the ocean levels will rise.
As
I said earlier the polar ice will completely melt but new studies have shown
that the polar ice caps have already begin to melt. In the last decade the ice has melted by 9%. (NASA: RECENT WARMING OF
Also
with the global warming we are heating up the oceans. By heating up the oceans we are making the
oceans release CO2 into the air. Co2 is
also one of the major components to global warming. Although this is a natural affect scientists
say that we are mostly responsible for global arming and we are helping the
oceans release there CO2.
With
the continuing rising of the temperature we are not only making the earth
hotter but we are also killing many animals and plants. Global warming is causing many animals and plants
to be extinct and die out. We are
killing all the beauty and great things that the world has provided for
us. Not only are we killing the plants
and animals but also ourselves. Many
people are not thinking about the future and will not do anything before it is
too late.
I believe that humans are completely responsible for global warming. I would say that 90% of global warming is due to humans and the other 10% is due to natural occurrences. Humans have made previous attempts to solve the problem of global warming, but no one seems to be enthusiastic about giving up all of the luxuries people are used to now a days. The main cause of pollution in our world is the use of fossil fuels, these fuels bring in so much revenue for the government that they are willing to turn their heads and let the world be poisoned. For a while when the pollution had reached high points, and the world was put into a panic, cars became smaller and more gas efficient, but then the ozone began to repair itself and people became unconcerned with the pollution crisis. Today SUVs have overrun our streets and are polluting our air, but nobody seems to care that a more fuel-efficient smaller car would be more environment safe.
I am encouraged that we have made efforts to
fix this problem. Many world councils
have taken place to make a plan about the reduction and later the elimination
of pollutants in the air, and to prevent them in the future. However, none have
been successful. Even one that took place
I
believe that we have many different solutions to this problem. First, we can stop the burning of
fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, and deforestation. To reduce the release
of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides, we can
cancel our consumption of fossil fuels, use technologies that reduce the amount
of emissions wherever possible, and protect the world’s forests. For
example, we can use electric power cars.
Even though we tried to do this before we did not try very hard and many
car companies did not sell these kind of cars. If we want these kind
of cars to be more attractive to the people the government and car companies
have to spend some money to improve these cars. We can also put restrictions on
various companies that use a lot of fossil fuels. For example, the cargo ships that I talked about
earlier.
I
also believe that if we can use more solar power to run are machines and
factories. If we were to use more solar
energy this would reduce considerably the amount of gases into air. We could also make little filters that could
go underneath all cars which would help reduce but not completely eliminate all
gases. The least we can do is to at
least use smaller cars that use less gas.
You can also personally try to stop or prevent global warming. You can spread the word and talk about it
with all your friends and family. You can
also buy smaller cars that release fewer gases into the air. This is just a few of the solution that the
earth as a whole can do and personally what you can do.
I predict that if we as a world do
not do anything soon we will pay a terrible price. If we do not act soon not be a able to fix the problem because it will be to late. If we do not act soon some terrible things
will happen.
Some things that will happen is the polar ice caps will completely melt. This will cause oceans to warm and oceans to rise. This will cause many animals and fish to die. Another thing that could happen is that the world will soon be a vast desert if these harmful gases are not stopped from being released into the air. The world we will live in will be one plagued with drought and wildfire. [NRDC- Consequences of Global Warming] Not only will there be less rainfall, but also when there is rainfall the storms will be more intense. Warmer temperatures increase the energy of the climatic system and lead to more intense rainfall at some times in some areas. [NRDC- Consequences of Global Warming]
Another problem that could happen is that more frequent and intensive heat waves could result in more heat related deaths, and as the heat waves spread, there will be a more wide spread of tropical diseases. As the heat wave spread, mosquitoes, would now be able to spread to more places, and affect more people with the viruses they carry. [NRDC- Consequences of Global Warming]
The last problem I could see happening is the killing of all are wildlife and plants. All are forests will disappear and are world will be barren. We would extinct many animals because they would be unable to live in these hot conditions. Not only animals but sea life as well will be affected. With the ocean temperature rising many fish would die due to the heat. As you can see global warming is a very serious problem that not only affects human beings but also affects all animal and plant life around the world, if it is not taken care of this could take a toll on all life.
Works
Cited
1) http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming
2)
( http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html)
3)
(http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html
4)
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_3_86/ai_74223224)
5)
[New York Times; Long, Russel
6)
. [U.S EPA]
7)
NY Times, CO2 Reaches Record Levels]
8)
(NASA: RECENT WARMING OF
9) CNN; No deal on global warming as climate talks collapse]
10) NRDC- Consequences of Global Warming]