There is a word lurking into our heavens at this very moment. That word is “trouble.” A potentially dangerous situation is evolving in the atmosphere that people call global warming. This phenomenon is affecting not only our ozone layer, but the ground we walk on as well. The Earth’s crust is heating up due to fossil fuels, car exhaust, and factory smoke being emitted into the air. This causes the atmosphere to soak up the particles and then throw them back down to Earth like an intense fastball. Global warming is causing temperatures to rise, but how and why? What are the consequences? What can we do to stop this from destroying our planet? What are some arguments against global warming? Could global warming prove to be beneficial?
The recipe is simple. Release gases, exhaust, fossil fuels, and coal into the atmosphere and mix them with the natural gases already present, cook on high for a couple hundred years, then serve to generations of suffering lungs for a distasteful experience. Greenhouse gas levels have risen dramatically not only in the United States, but also in places such as China, mainly because of high populations. The higher population a country has, the more pollutants will be emitted into the air (Iqbal and Goheer). More countries are adding to this list every day as going from cool to warm relatively quickly.
Since the dawn of industrialization, the atmosphere has acted like a vacuum, sucking all carbon dioxide related gases into a vacuole, then in a sense the vacuole explodes and spews out harmful gases to create an umbrella that covers the Earth. The umbrella is unrelenting so excess heat is trapped with only one place to go, down to Earth. Bingo! This is why temperatures are rising.
The release of these chemicals is increasing carbon dioxide levels. In addition, due to all the waste that is being dumped into the oceans, the oceans are storing up to sixty times the amount of heat compared to the atmosphere (“Temperature Change”). Our ocean levels are rising, and with rising water levels, sheets of ice cannot survive at our poles, hence our glaciers are melting. We are around 30,000 years away from having another Ice Age, so once the ice is gone, it is gone (Everett).
Humans are not the only factors in temperature change. The sun also plays a role according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, an organization dedicated to studying Global Warming. The sun releases solar output that surrounds the Earth and affects the rate of solar heating (“How Does the Sun”). The more heat the sun emits the hotter the surface of the Earth becomes. Thus solar heating changes temperature on Earth’s crust.
Throughout this decade in America, the recording of highs has greatly exceeded the lows by a large margin. It has been the warmest ten years on record (Fitzpatrick). The temperature will continue to rise in most places globally. As of current measurements, the average temperature has risen more than one degree Fahrenheit, according to Climate Science Update, a branch off of the Union of Concerned Scientists (Fitzpatrick). If this rate continues, our children and grandchildren will be in serious danger. In the decades to come the temperature will continue to rise around two to four degrees Fahrenheit, which has alarmed scientists (Fitzpatrick).
According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), 2006 was one of the warmest years in the United States of America. Scientists at NOAA concentrated on industrialized areas and measured how it affected the temperatures. The results were hypothesized. From emissions of factory smoke and car exhaust, the thermometer rose just slightly, but still there was a difference (“Temperature Change”).
Those who heard about El Nino’s affect on temperature heard correctly. El Nino, a change in temperature of the Pacific Ocean due to strong winds and excess pooling of warm water, caused the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperature to rise near the turn of the century (Fitzpatrick). This is another example of a factor that changes the temperature of our planet. The evidence is clear; El Nino mixed with human input has devastated our climate.
The future is uncertain in terms of temperature. Scientists say predicting future temperature changes is difficult, but some have projected theories. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “The average surface temperature of the Earth is likely to increase by 2 to 11.5°F (1.1-6.4°C) by the end of the 21st century…with a best estimate of 3.2 to 7.2°F (1.8-4.0°C).” Most countries will have a collectively higher temperature measurement and the winters will be warmer, with summers extremely hot. On the greenhouse gas aspect, what has been released in the atmosphere will stay where it is for many years, adding to our already detrimental problems.
It is apparent that temperatures will continue to rise and that indeed global warming is a real threat to our way of life. The consequences of temperature change support this. Rising temperatures affect many areas of life, including animals and plants, as well as ecosystems, human health, and even the weather. Animals, such as the polar bear, have been forced to find different climate to live in because their habitat is shrinking. Polar bears live in the icy spots in the extreme most northern part of the equator. Due to melting ice, polar bears have become an endangered species and one day could become extinct. Hundreds of animal habitats have been destroyed in large part to temperature changes. Granted, many habitats have human influence, but the environment plays a significant role. If our global temperatures do not stabilize or decrease, extinction will be the result for even some of the most common animals (“Effects of Global Warming”).
Human health will decline if our air is not clean enough, and if temperatures rise, some may even experience heat related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Disease will spread in more regions than just poorer nations and hit as close to home as people’s backyards. If temperatures keep rising, the complete mortality rate of the human race will skyrocket (“Effects of Global Warming”).
Ecosystems could drastically change, too. Temperate areas could become warmer, supporting less life, and Polar Regions getting cooler will force animals to migrate southward. This could cause over populated areas of animals fighting to share one space, consequently resulting in many deaths. The same scenario will happen if the Tundra experiences warming. The grounds would be stampeded with the beat of animals’ legs running for survival.
Our weather patterns will see more differences than we have ever seen before. Storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes will become stronger due to warmer temperatures in the atmosphere. They will do more damage to buildings and cities, and take many more lives. The cost will be more than we can bear.
With all these negative effects, is there anything we can do to stunt temperatures from rising? Of course there is. Obviously, factories need to take steps to reduce carbon emissions and clean the smoke from their stacks. The government needs to take steps to assure this, as well as announce new ways to prevent the release of fossil fuels and exhaust into the atmosphere. Currently, hybrid cars have been released to aid the environment in disinfecting itself. The United States has made pacts with other countries to lower the release of greenhouse gases, as well as monitor production of oil and coal. There are things that the ordinary Joe can do also. Do not use aerosol cans as those release dangerous gases into the atmosphere, do not spend more time in your car than you have to as this will release too much exhaust, and make homes more efficient. We can do this by turning off water when we brush our teeth, unplugging un-used appliances, reducing the amount of trash collected by recycling, and cleaning up the environment. These may sound like simple, non-effective tasks, but if countries can get people to perform these tasks, our planet would be safer, and we would be reducing our risk of increasing temperatures.
Despite the information above, there are still those who will deny that temperature change is a significant problem. How can this be when the facts are presented as truth? Some suggest that what is happening to earth is a part of a pattern that has repeated itself over the course of many thousands of years. The Earth has gone through many changes since its birth, including ice ages then periods of warming. The past decade has taught us that this current heating trend is no ordinary pattern in which the Earth will cool back down within a few years, but instead it is something serious with long lasting effects. Some will even go as far as speculating that the hole in the ozone layer will repair itself over time (Gleason). While this may be true, we still need to do something to prevent any future holes from developing and wreaking havoc on Earth. Others say the temperature change will actually help civilization. James Plummer and Frances B. Smith were quoted in Consumer Alert saying, “There is good reason to believe that a warmer climate would have a similar effect on the health and welfare of our own far more advanced and adaptable civilization today” (“8 Arguments Against Global Warming”). Plummer and Smith were comparing the warming period in medieval times when Vikings were able to settle Greenland due to the climate with today’s warming temperatures.
These opinions are held by only a tiny portion of people, and most believe temperature change is an important issue, an issue that needs an immediate action. According to World Public Opinion, there is a worldwide agreement that climate change is a threat. Of the twelve countries interviewed, 92% believe steps should be taken to address these issues (“Poll Finds Worldwide Agreement”). Only a small percentage of countries think nothing should be done “until we are sure that global warming is really a problem… (“Poll Finds Worldwide Agreement”). Most Middle Eastern countries say steps should be taken to fight global warming now, no matter the cost. The cost is exactly what most people fear. The economy is a huge factor in fighting global warming. Most nations do not have enough to spare to pay for regulations. We should simply say, find it! Fundraise, lower taxes, pay professional athletes less, do anything possible to collect money. Capital should not be standing in the way between survival and catastrophe.
Most humans would agree that the world is a precious place to live, and it is our only place to live. With its majestic mountains, rambunctious rivers, and blue skies that go on forever, it is easy to find happiness and bliss. While this is true, so is temperature change due to global warming. Our planet is heating rapidly from fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, coal, and exhaust that are making a home in the atmosphere. Many consequences will come from rising temperatures, and none of them are great by any standards. The time for action is now if we want to create a healthy, safe refuge from the horrors of such dreaded change.
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