Do Your Part

Global Warming is Real

Fight It

Although many government officers have tried to mislead the general public about global warming, the fact of the matter is that global warming is an issue that must be fought. The citizens of the United States of America have been told that reducing CO2 emissions is unnecessary, but there are markers everywhere pointing to the dangers of global warming. There are signs of global warming already showing up every day in the local newspapers. Scientists have proven that global warming will have widespread effects by 2050. However, bureaucrats continue to try to quiet "theorists" and control the situation, saying there is nothing to worry about.

First and foremost, we are already facing the consequences of our harmful CO2 emissions. Hurricanes, tropical storms, cyclones, and typhoons have increased in number already. In 2005, Japan had a record number of typhoons, causing a catastrophic number of deaths and homelessness. The first ever hurricane in the South Atlantic Ocean was recorded when Brazil was struck in 2004. Furthermore, cities that were built to be above the mosquito line are now plagued by mosquitoes looking for cooler temperatures, such as in Nairobi, Kenya. Even more alarming is the fact that Antarctica's Larsen Ice Shelf is melting, along with the ice shelves of Greenland. Even the animals and plants which we felt that we were dominant over have realized the danger of global warming, represented by their sudden migration toward the poles.

If our greenhouse gas emissions continue, long-term effects will be catastrophic. Sea levels will rise a minimum of 20 feet, with cities like Shanghai, Kolkata, and San Jose completely under water. Of the top ten urban centers of the world population-wise, only Mexico City (#10) is under minimal threat of rising sea levels. However, places like Mexico City will experience more intense heat waves. Fires will occur more often, and droughts will plague Africa and the Middle East, making those areas uninhabitable. By the summer of 2050, the Arctic Ocean will completely thaw in the summer. Even worse, by 2050, almost 1,000,000 species of organisms will be extinct. Humans could suffer from a loss of food and may die themselves.

Since there is so much evidence to show that global warming is real and is a problem, one would think that everyone would be jumping off their couches to try and do something for global warming. However, the real situation is quite the contrary. The general opinion is that global warming is striking, but people feel that they will die before they are affected. If the main culprits of global warming live out their lives without battling global warming, the problem will be our children's problem. We may love our children, but some feel that it is too hard to fix our massive mistake. This argument is completely fallible and easily disproven. If people bought cars with more fuel efficient engines, travel lighter, and pump up their tires fully, new-car based emissions would be lowered 8%. This may not seem like much, but it is a huge step in the right direction for Americans. The use of fossil fuels in the construction of buildings is also a huge generator of greenhouse gases. It is ironic that not only the people inside the building, but the building itself are causing global warming. However, this can be easily combated with the use of "greener" building materials and the use of solar and wind power.

Global warming is striking now, and will continue to wreak havoc in the future, but the public has been misled about the truth and the difficulties of the situation. This is a chance for Americans to show the government that we are not uneducated couch potatoes and are capable of banding together and saving the world, even if the government won't. The government may have had Americans fooled once, but nowadays it sure is a different story, with widespread knowledge of what happened, what is happening, and what will happen with our best friend and our worst enemy, global warming.

Sources:

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. DVD. Participant Productions, 2006.

Lewis. Roger K. "Sustainable Architecture Can Help Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions," Washington Post 10 Jun 2006. 18 May 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060900710.html

"With help from you, we can reduce CO2." Act on CO2. Department for Transport. 18 May 2008 .