Global Warming exists. Whether you think it is due to natural or human-based reasoning, it is a fact that our earth is getting warmer. I will attempt to make this article as unbiased as possible but to deny that the blunt evidence that the Earth hasn’t increased in temperature would be blasphemy.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the average temperature on earth has risen .8 degrees fahrenheit (the earth is actually suppose to be going through it’s normal cooling cycle right now). Most of this warming has happened in the last few decades, which isn’t a surprise at all considering how different life is compared to back then.
To prevent being wrongfully quoted on something, I will openly admit that everything I am about to say has come from my own sources that are of course, subject to criticism. Almost everything revolving around the ideas of human-made global warming has a rebuttal but I could care less about that.
There’s always going to be that one person who has credibility and can convince people to believe what they believe. And with a hugely political concept like massive climate change, there is obvious speculation about. And this is where I interject.
Regardless of how it’s happening, change is in order. Not to prove the skeptics wrong but for our own satisfaction and well-being. Take everything I have to say with a grain of salt but realize my main purpose of this article is to convince you to help yourself by helping our environment.
Dr. James Mayer, a Geosciences professor on campus, also acknowledges that the earth is indeed warming. “My personal opinion, based on reading the findings of climate scientists, is that we are probably justified in concluding that the warming observed over the last several decades is at least partially human-induced. But this is by no means a certainty.”
Dr. Mayer also comments on probably of irreversibility. “For significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require immediate economic sacrifices for the sake of uncertain results far in the future. Based on my knowledge of world events, such large-scale sacrifice for the common good seems unlikely.”
Unfortunately, I completely agree with Dr. Mayer as I believe a massively significant disaster is going to be our fatal call to arms.
Like I said earlier, the purpose of this is to simply make you more aware of whats happening in our world. If you see a connection to global warming, fantastic. If not, then you’re completely missing the point of me writing this.
From an exert in Time Magazine, “One especially sobering study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that hurricane wind speeds have increased about 50% in the past 50 years.” With the warming waters, not only are hurricanes an issue but many other factors as well.
Melting ice bergs are posing an enormous threat to low lying areas. To bring this reality more to home, imagine this if you will. Florida’s coasts are almost at sea level, so even if the ocean just rose a few feet, millions of people would be put out of their homes, thus being out of jobs, leaving crime and theft to ensue (flashback to Katrina).
Melting icebergs are also directly linked to increased polar bear death (many swim out to see in search of food but can never find a place to rest later on). Maybe this isn’t considered important to a lot of you but I happen to like polar bears.
I will put this in perspective. A year ago, there were over five thousand species alive that are not alive today, and the same for the year prior.
Warming oceans have also killed off many coral reefs which, in recent years, have found to be incredibly useful for medical purposes including prolonging the life of AIDS victims, acting as a highly powerful pain killer and much more potential that has yet to be discovered. It also turns out I happen to like Nemo.
In 2003, a heat wave in Europe killed an estimated 35,000 people. Deaths have dramatically risen in South America due to mosquitoes migrating north (due to warmer weather), directly responsible for malaria outbreaks, specifically loggers whose deforestation areas make for great larvae homes (it should also be noted that the silt from deforestation centers travel down rivers and into the oceans which then blocks any light from reaching the coral reefs thus killing them).
As I noted earlier, droughts and heat waves will continue to increase, which means Africa will give a whole new meaning to third world country. War could then ensue as resources would become limited and judging by our current war situation, even with unlimited fossil fuels right now, we’re having enough problems as it is.
Americanprogress.org issued a report titled ‘The Top 100 Effects of Global Warming’ which gives a realistically gruesome look at the specifics of how devastating some of these effects could be. Eradication of wine, koala bears, lobsters, and french fries are just a few of the lesser effects that made the list with various credible citations for each. Abundances of poison ivy, jellyfish, and heart attacks are the plus factors here.
Here’s my favorite statistic of them all. Due to the heating of permafrost (namely Alaska, Canada, Siberia), methane from dead plant matter (a very flammable gas) is being released (as well as methane gas bubbles from the ocean floors), and if enough of these gases become concentrated in a particular area, a single lightening strike could make an atomic explosion.
However even with this Armageddon ridden theory, I honestly don’t believe humans can ever become extinct. The last ice age wiped out 95% of all species, except humans. It’s a scary thought but in the event massive genocide did occur, the decrease of humans would then start to make our Earth more sustainable for life again.
Obviously, a lot of these ideas are all predictions but the fact that these are even brought up scares me to death. It’s not even us that will experience any of these horrendous encounters as our kin and their children will face the brunt of this if left unchanged.
Dr. Mayer comments, “Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, for example, could provide immediate environmental and economic advantages while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Rightfully so, and to refrain from any hypocrisy, I ride my bike as much as possible with this thought in mind. Doing simple things such as turning my thermostat off, keeping my tires properly inflated and eating less meat all make me feel like I’m being a better person (it’s literally that easy). There’s hundreds of small things that you can do that will without-a-doubt have a huge effect on the future (global warming aside).
Ask yourself what’s it going to hurt if you don’t? Exactly. Google is your friend, please brief up on what you can do to help even if you don’t agree that global warming exists.
Grant Wallace
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