The+Issues





As carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are released more radiant energy from the sun is trapped in the atmosphere. We need these gases to keep heat inside the earth, however with increased industrialization and gas emissions; there are excess greenhouse gasses and more heat. This contributes to global warming. Day to day temperatures rise and fall naturally, but global warming is a general increase of temperature over a long period of time. Over the past 50 years we have experienced the greatest increase in temperature ever. The 10 hottest years on record have all been since 1990. These emissions are due to burning fossil fuels such as coal burning power plants, cars, and pollution from factories. http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp



As temperatures increase from global warming, this causes drying up of lakes, ponds, soil, etc. When soil evaporates, particularly in forests, this causes forest fires because the soil and vegetation is so dry. This results to burning down trees as well as many animals homes. Not only does it affect animals and our environment, but also causes droughts affecting populations. Droughts are causes over time due to the lack of rainfall in a particular area and the evaporation of water from the soil. Droughts can be long term or short term, however, either way it causes much destruction. Vegetation dries up, increasing food shortages. Some populations of people depend on lakes or ponds as their source of water. When lakes or ponds dry up this obviously results in no water for the people. In the 1970’s about 10% of lands were considered severe drought conditions. Although that seems like a lot, in 2002 the percentage rose to about 30%. As the concentration of greenhouse gases rise in the atmosphere, these drying conditions will continue to increase. Gilman, Larry."Evaporation." //Climate Change//. 551.6st ed. Vol. 1. Gale: Cengage Learning, 2008. 276. Print.

Hurricanes and typhoons pick up in warmer water, making them stronger and more powerful. This is because warm water vapor fuels these tropical storms. So as the water warms due to global warming, hurricanes get more powerful. Since 1970 the average sea temperature near the tropics has risen nearly one degree Fahrenheit. This does not only mean there are stronger storms, but more of them. There were 9 more category 4 or 5 hurricanes between 1990-2004 than 1975-1989 in the Atlantic ,Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The numbers increased from 23 to 50 in the south Indian Ocean, and 85 to 116 in the western Pacific. Kerry Emanuel, a climatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had stated that the duration and intensity has also increased. For example, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Andrew we some of the most devastating storms so far. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2005-09-15-globalwarming-hurricanes_x.htm

When you hear the word “extinct” you may think something along the lines of another animal that has a shortage of its species. But in reality animals are becoming more and more extinct each year, which is actually a big deal. Just as populations of people are moving due to their loss in homelands along the coasts, animals are now relocating and dying off. Polar bears, frogs, ticks, cod, and corals are just few of the many animals in danger. Polar bears are expected to be extinct in the next 40 years! Scientists have seen a relocation of polar bears either North or South from the Polar ice cap. The Polar ice cap has melted 40 percent since 1979, which has resulted in a loss of the Polar bear’s home. What happens when the bear has no dependence on the ice for survival? They simply die of starvation or drowning. Frogs are another species dying off. In particular the populations of frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus, found in Central and South America. Rafael Joglar states the loss of species, “It was as if a small orchestra had lost key players.” When you are used to a great variety of sounds in a rainforest and all of a sudden they disappear, you may get worried. Just as Joglar did, he did research and found that from 1970-2000, the temperature has risen 2 degrees in this particular Puerto Rican rainforest. As the temperatures rise, the frogs have more of a chance of getting a devastating fungus which leads them to die off. However, not only does that affect the frog populations, but their predators such as birds who rely on the frogs as their food, disturbing the ecosystem’s pattern. Ticks are not really wanted for obvious reasons; however, they have begun to show an increase in population in recent decades mostly in Sweden. Not only is there an increase in population, but sightings of them near Scandinavian’s shorelines sooner in the year, infecting pets and humans. Due to the warming oceans, Cod are smaller and less likely to mate and reproduce. Scientist’s state that increased temperatures higher a Cod’s metabolism. Not only is the ocean’s rise in temperature affecting polar bears and cod, but also coral reefs. The oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide which is increasing the acidity and decreasing the ability to build reef skeletons. The coral is also bleaching. Coral bleaching is due to the spewing out of algae when coral are stressed, that gives the coral its color. Although these animal extinctions may not directly affect you, it still indirectly does. To those who live near Australia’s Northeast Coast and may have a job entertaining tourists who come to see the beautiful Great Barrier Reef may lose quite a lot of money. Four billion dollars a year is produced from tourist revenues to see the reef. In the next 50 years, this great natural wonder may become totally bleached, losing almost all tourists. []

Although the whole world is being affected by the great increase in temperature, the Arctic’s average temperature is rising twice as fast as the rest of the world. Throughout the past 50 years the Arctic’s average temperature has raised 7 degrees! If this continues to stay at a steady rate, by the next 100 years it will have risen 13 degrees. This temperature has caused an area the size of Arizona and Texas combined to melt away in the past 30 years. That doesn’t sound like much, right? Well, by the year 2020 the entire Arctic sea ice will be completely melted. What happens when all of these ice caps melt? It causes major destruction. Scientists state that if the Greenland ice cap were to completely melt away it would raise the sea by approximately 21 feet! This would cause a vast amount of flooding towards coast lines. [] Gilman, Larry. "Arctic Melting: Geenland Ice Cap." //Climate Change//. 551.6st ed. Vol. 1. Gale: Cengage Learning, 2008. 62. Print.

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According to the Journal Science, the seas will rise three feet higher than they are today. Although the sea level rising will only affect the ocean’s top 2,300 ft, it will continue to rise at the rate of about 0.12 inches per year. To most people this amount may seem small, but over the past 207 years the sea- level has only increased by .05 inches per year. As every action has a reaction, if the sea level continues to rise at this alarming rate, it will cause many people around the coastlines to relocate to a new hometown. This will gradually displace millions of residents along the coastline, causing inner cities to become overpopulated. []

However the sea is not only rising, it is getting warmer. This in turn causes the ice to melt faster, increasing the rate of how fast the arctic ice cap is melting and thus making the seas rise more.

Considering all the issues due to global warming, most people wouldn’t think that population is a key factor; however it is. As land becomes taken over by rising sea levels where do people go? Their homes are washed away and destroyed, but in order to stay alive they need their basic resources; food and shelter. Everyone //wants// more than they //need,// right? However, if everyone lived as if Americans do, our planet would no longer be able to function. According to Anup Shah, technically our planet could support a population ranging from two billion to one hundred forty-seven billion people. That is, if we take in to consideration how efficiently and sparingly we use our resources. We also have to consider the developing countries, who are trying to become industrialized as the developing world is. Consider this: In the USA there are 800 vehicles for every 1,000 people. However, in India there are 8 vehicles for every 1,000 people. The United States has 5% of the world's population but uses up 30% of its resources. If everyone lived like Americans, we would need 3 to 5 planets to function. If global warming is human caused, by using our resources more wisely we could help to prevent it. However another issue is that we have so many people on this planet, it is hard to come together as one to fight this worldwide problem. []



 Getting sick because of climate change? There’s no way! Actually, there is. 150,000 deaths are responsible by climate change each year; this will double by the year 2030 according to The World Health Organization. When the temperatures rise, mosquitoes population rise. The mosquitoes then start carrying diseases such as, malaria from person to person. When the ozone levels rise death rates from lung and heart ailments rise. There are higher levels of Carbon Dioxide too, which raise the growth of ragweed and pollen over plants resulting in allergy attacks. Water is another health issue. According to Cindy Parker, “13 of the 20 largest cities in the world happen to be located at sea level.” When floods occur along these cities, drowning may occur. However that is not a major problem. The major problem is the water quality. Although doctors can not particularly state that climate change is the only factor resulting in these deaths, they can say it has played and will continue to play a major toll on human’s health. []

 The economy is a big issue when it comes to stopping global warming. Many countries are already in a lot of debt, and it takes a lot of money to prevent global warming. This is a big setback. Many citizens are skeptical of supporting global warming prevention actions due to the fact that they do not want taxes raised. Especially in America, where there is a current recession, citizens are skeptical of taking action, and they are the ones who need to due to their high CO2 emissions. Money is the key to helping solve these issues. We need to reduce carbon dioxide emission with green energy, hybrid cars and other objects. However all of these are extremely expensive. Also, by having greener cars reduces the demand for gas, and other fossil fuels. This means the prices will skyrocket; again having a negative effect on our economy. All in all, money is a main issue when trying to solve global warming.

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 Every year an area of the Amazon Rainforest bigger than Massachusetts is being destroyed. This does not only cause the emission of more greenhouse gasses, but taking less carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere due to the cut down of trees. However because there are less trees, runoff from rain flows directly into the rivers, instead of being absorbed by vegetation. This means there is less transpiration, resulting in less moisture and rain and more drought. Scientist predict that that the rainforest, “will shift from its current state as a carbon sink to a carbon source by the middle of the century.” As the ice melts, the water is also warming. This also has negative effects. Fish are moving away from shallow waters because of their high temperature; however coral reefs have nowhere to go. This results in the bleaching, and death of coral around the coasts of Australia and around the world. Global warming is causing more droughts, warmer waters, melting of glaciers and permafrost; all effecting the environment in grave ways.  http://globalwarming.house.gov/



One major problem is getting everyone in the world to work together to fight global warming. Sadly, there are many obstacles preventing us from doing this. A major factor is undeveloped countries, and ones who are going through an industrialization period. Global warming is taking effect in china, creating droughts in the north and flooding in the south, causing the agricultural output to suffer. Nevertheless, China’s economy is booming. This is due to its industrialization. It has built over 550 new coal power plants; around 2 new ones every week. These power plants are a main source of CO2 pollution. On the other hand, citizens of China only emit about one fourth of the carbon dioxide Americans do. Other countries have been warning china to back down because of greenhouse gas emissions, but China’s view is that it’s their time to become modernized. However they have started cooperating and have made recent plans on addressing global warming. Other already modernized countries, such as America, are also having issues to reduce their emissions because they have to reduce their lifestyle. []

Coal generated power is the most common form of electricity, and also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. However burning coal does not only release CO2, it releases toxins into the air which can harm the environment and human health. When the fossil fuel is mined, it also destroys the environment and risks human lives. We are using up our resources faster than they are being supplied, especially fossil fuels. These resources are non-renewable and are not only running out, but are harming the environment and creating global warming. This needs to be stopped and we need to start using renewable energy, however this also has its setbacks. Energy sources such as wind, hydroelectric and tidal cannot be used in all areas and are limited to specific regions where there are extreme tides or enough wind. We need to have green energy, but it has to be efficient enough to take the place of coal, gas or oil. http://www.earthjustice.org/our_work/issues/global-warming/index.html

One main reason America is the top contributor to global warming is because its economy is based around consumer products and shopping. Products are actually made to break and go out of style so people have to buy new ones. This is called planned and perceived obsolescence, and these tactics to get people to buy more stuff is harming our planet. We throw away 4 and half pounds of garbage a day, and factories used 70 garbage cans of waste just to make that four and a half pounds. Our environment and resources are being used up quicker than they are being replaced. Factories are emitting CO2 and toxins into the atmosphere and into our bodies. But when we get rid of this waste, we bury it in the ground, or burn it and then bury the ashes. Both pollute the soil and the air. Ultimately all these useless items are ruining our planet. If we re-used our products and demanded them to not break so easily, we would not only have less waste, but be saving energy and stopping pollution that is emitted when they make these products over and over, and resources that are destroyed just to have that fancy new laptop or a new coat because your other one was cheaply made. [|www.storyofstuff.com]

Many people are very confused about global warming. What has started it? Who has a great affect on it? And also, what are the accurate statistics of the climate change over time? There is such a wide variety of sources that talk about global warming that who really knows what is true and false. This affects the people who want to make a difference in the world. There has been a lot of recent information in the news talking about all the fake information about climate change. To take action they must know the correct information, however, with all of the stretched truths and false information no one knows exactly how to attack the situation. People are uneducated and confused on this topic, and if they knew what the real issues were, we would take more action.



When proposing a plan to help prevent global warming, some citizens will oppose it. This is usually due to the costs of these proposals, and the fact of where the money is coming from. Taxpayers' money will usually go to a proposal like this, and it will most likely also mean that taxes will be raised. Many people will oppose this due to our economic state and the fact that people do not want to pay for extra things. Another thing that will affect a person’s viewpoints on global warming is their job. If someone is a coal miner or works at a power plant they will oppose global warming for the sake of becoming unemployed. On the contrary, people who work with green energy companies or for manufacturers producing green projects will say global warming is human caused for the same reason.