18 Nov 2007
“There were consequences after all but they were the consequences to things you didn't even know you'd done.” (thinkexist.com) Global warming is the consequence of many actions that people take for granted. Driving a car, smoking a cigarette, cutting down trees, all of these things have contributed to the devastation that is likely to occur on this planet.
“There were consequences after all but they were the consequences to things you didn't even know you'd done.” (thinkexist.com) Global warming is the consequence of many actions that people take for granted. Driving a car, smoking a cigarette, cutting down trees, all of these things have contributed to the devastation that is likely to occur on this planet.
18 Nov 2007
“There were consequences after all but they were the consequences to things you didn't even know you'd done.” (thinkexist.com) Global warming is the consequence of many actions that people take for granted. Driving a car, smoking a cigarette, cutting down trees, all of these things have contributed to the devastation that is likely to occur on this planet. A Swedish scientist whose name was Arrhenius first recognized this problem. He theorized that carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal would increase the Earth’s greenhouse effect and cause global warming (Brainpop.com). Arrhenius’s theory has been proven several times over by many facts that most people refuse to accept. If it continues this way, global warming will drastically affect life as people on earth now know it, with an increase in the earth’s green house effect, catastrophic weather changes, and climate changes, as well as other devastating effects.
As previously mentioned, the earth’s greenhouse effect has been increasing. This is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide. This increase has become more noticeable since the period of industrialization that occurred about one hundred and fifty years ago. Usually, the carbon cycle would rid the earth of access carbon, but, the carbon cycle can do little to the 3.2 billion metric tons of carbon emissions that are added to our atmosphere each year by human activities. (“Green House Gases, Climate Change, and Energy”) The increase in these emissions has caused a domino effect. The greenhouse effect has increased, and with it, the temperatures have increased.
This temperature increase has caused severe weather changes in a diverse range of climates. Among these weather changes are severe storms, an increase in floods and droughts, and an increase in the frequency and severity of these disastrous events. The increase in the frequency of precipitation will cause a rise in sea levels, which will cause increased erosion of sand on beaches. The eroded sand will be replaced on offshore sandbars, and will make the travel of ships more difficult. Homes, businesses, and roadways located near the coasts will be damaged. Some will be destroyed, and will have to be rebuilt inland. All of these changes will stress the economy, and will make life for people residing on the coasts much more difficult.
Arctic climates will be affected in a different, but equally catastrophic way. The temperatures in Arctic regions, from Alaska to Siberia, are increasing at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the world (http://www.ucsusa.org). It is more noticeable in these climates because of the ice and the permafrost, both of which have begun to melt and shrink.. The melting of the permafrost and the ice in these Arctic climates, as well as other changes, could eventually alter ocean currents. This has caused much devastation, damaging fisheries, wildlife, and the homes of those people residing in these climates Worse than that, the altering of ocean currents would promote the spread of infectious diseases (“Update: Global Warming”). That, paired with the fact that billions of people are likely to face food and water shortages, would be devastating to the earth’s population as a whole.
The effects of global warming will be severe. So severe, that the International Panel on Climate Control (IPCC) predicts that within 50-100 years there will be widespread deaths from heat-stress, severe droughts, and catastrophic weather changes, all due to climate change (Anthes). Global warming has already cause irreversible damage to our earth, such as the altering of ocean currents, changes in precipitation, and rising of temperatures. Eventually, all of these changes will lead to dramatic climate changes, such as the previously mentioned droughts and floods, which could, with the destroying of food and water sources, make the world unsuitable for plant and animal species. In essence, this could wipe out the human race, which relies on both plants and animals for survival. All scientific evidence points towards one conclusion. If global warming continues, our lives will be damaged in irreversible ways.
Bibliography
“Update: Global Warming”. Issues & Controversies on File. 5 Apr 2007. Issues & Controversies
@FACTS.com. Facts on File News Services. 8 Nov 2007.
Anthes, Richard A. “Global warming”. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2007 Grolier online. 12 Nov 2007.
< http://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0121375-0>
“Global Warming” Brainpop.com. 13 Nov 2007
< http://www.brainpop.com/science/populationresourcesandenvironment/globalwarming/timeline/>
“Arctic Climate Impact Assessment”. 30 Nov 2007.
5 Dec 2007.
“Greenhouse gases, Climate Change, and Energy”. 5 Dec 2007. Energy Information Administration.
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