Issue of Global Warming
Global warming is now one the most feared problems in the 21st century. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Global warming occurs when the gases like Carbon Dioxide and Methane trap the sun’s heat that is reflected off the earth’s surface, causing the earth to heat up. Global warming is a threat to the human race, the wildlife around us and its effects are taking a toll on the environment around us dramatically. There is no doubt that this a direct result of human activity and that the effects of climate change will become astronomically worse in the future (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Effects of Global Warming
The first cause of all these problems that lead to global warming is the mass destruction of our protector, the ozone layer. The ozone layer absorbs most of the sun’s harmful rays that might otherwise damage organism’s DNA while helping the heat from the sun to exit the atmosphere and prevent the earth from burning up. The ozone’s strength to keep harmful substances out of our environment is getting weaker as we speak. Due to this problem, ice is melting and the heat levels are skyrocketing. Studies show that the ozone is being depleted by 98% ( Ozone Layer).
The ice is melting and doesn’t have too long before it is all gone. Studies have been done and they reveal that during global warming, severe weather has done a lot of damage to places around the world, like the U.S East Coast. In 2016 the annual average of CO2 concentrations passed the record of 400 parts per million. Every ton of CO2 we release, melts up to 32 square feet of ice, so a single person melts about 525 square feet of ice a year (National Geographic)! The bigger the ice cap, the more water goes into the ocean causing the sea levels to rise dramatically. If Totten Glacier, one of the largest glaciers were to break down and fall, the sea level would rise about 13 feet alone and would cause great havoc upon several states and their cities. Due to these outcomes many animals,their habitats and the food chain will be endangered.
The heat is on the rise and so are the problems. Several studies show that the average temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1900’s (Holly Shaftel and Susan Callery, NASA). Also the heat in 2016 broke the historic record set in 2015. A heat wave in 2003 that killed more than 70,000 people in Europe should have been a once-in-500 years even, but with global warming on the move this catastrophic event is becoming a once-in-40 years event (National Geographic Magazine). All the effects of global warming include warmer oceans,smaller ice layers, retreated glaciers, less snow coverage, a significant rise in sea level, smaller ice numbers in the arctic, deadly storms and the acidification in oceans. Most of these changes occur because of deforestation, and pollution.
Storms causing mass destruction like severe fires, destroying millions of property, land, wiping out a substantial number of humans and that number is still climbing higher and higher. Storms such as tornadoes, pick up water as they spin because of the heat that the sea’s contain. The population growth of humans greatly impact the will to survive off the resources the earth provides for us. The heat in 2018 and on will get hotter each summer (USAToday).Two-thirds of the ocean increased strain from humans due to fishing. With the water getting warmer and warmer,there will be less food sources for marine wildlife and every animal above land causing tons of unimaginable deaths. With all this climate change we will put a strain on the resources we need by one or more problems we cause. Without trees, the air will be unbreathable, without shade, the sun will be so bright it will hurt our bodies and the nature around us, the water so hot that marine life will die and the heat will burn up anything it comes in contact with. Starvation and a staggering amount of deaths will be at stake.
Conclusion
In conclusion, global warming is definitely happening. We all could do something about it and change these facts around. The problems that global warming pose should be taken into full consideration and should be dealt with in the right manner. We all want a life well lived for us and our future kids. It all starts with one little step a day, that will change into a huge progression over time. The
earth is delicate and we have to respect it because it was given to us for a reason and is our only way for a brighter present and future. Our global warming prevention laws should be monitored more strictly, the world should not revolve around money, but around helping the earth and watching out for each other because it’s the right thing to do.
