Just close your eyes and imagine the Industrial Revolution. Long, gray snakes of smoke enter the sky, changing the once blue sky, to a toxic gray. As children and adult alike walk monotonously with morose eyes knowing that one fatal mistake could mean sudden death. In October 1, 1908, Henry Ford came out with the first known car, the Model T, which was supposed to make transportation more efficient for everyone. Yet let the truth be known by industrialization, burned fossil fuels release about 5.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. While normal sized cars release about 15,200 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while a normal SUV can release an average of 21,000 pounds into the atmosphere annually. Pollutants like “particulate matter” can reach the deepest bowels of the lungs which can link to many health problems such as haze which can contribute to eye problems in humans. Even though technological advances have made life safer, sanitary, and pleasurable for everyone, it is responsible for spawning a beast, named Global Warming.
The American Heritage High School dictionary describes Global Warming as “an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere, especially a sustained increase sufficient to cause climatic change.” In short, Global Warming is when the Earth heats up. In fact, the Earth has heated up at least one degree Fahrenheit over the past century. Even though one degree doesn’t seem too dramatic, it has helped conceive plagues like intense storms, rising sea levels, and increased temperature. The Earth naturally produces greenhouse gases such as nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide just to name a few. These gases absorb energy from the sun and retain the energy on the Earth and let little go back to space. This is called the greenhouse effect. Humans intensify the green house effect when they add carbon dioxide from our cars, burning fossil fuels, and etc., which led us to Global Warming. Humans are very responsible for Global Warming.
Imagine walking through New Orleans after the storm. The horrid stench, rotting bodies, rubble, dead memories and dreams scattered carelessly to the ground, the remains of the beast Katrina. Unfortunately, this is a surefire sign of global warming. Derrick Z. Jackson writes “the Georgia Tech/NCAR study found the number of hurricanes that reached categories 4 and 5, with wind of at least 131 miles per hour, have gone from comprising 20 percent in the 1970’s to 35 percent today.” Along with that sobering statement more hurricanes are expected to come. In fact, the NOAA states, “The strongest hurricanes in the present climate may be upstaged by even more intense hurricanes over the next century as the earth’s climate is warmed by increasing levels of greenhouse gases.” It is obvious that increased intense storms will affect human lives but it will also destroy crops and help make grounds infertile and unmanageable, which could put poor countries back upon the wall.
Global Warming also affects the temperature. In August 2003, Paris was known for at least a week a “death valley”, as many people filled up the morgue, so much that the city set up inflatable tents, chilled to prevent the corpses from rotting. In truth, Silverstein wrote, at least 193 deaths per year are due to excessive heat exposure. That day 15,000 people died in France alone, 30,000 in Europe at large, died from the sweltering heat. The temperature was 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a record high. The reason why this happened is once again, the high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorbing the suns energy. Heat waves doesn’t only affect people, it can increase forest fires, which can help forests yet release much more unneeded carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, drought, and poor water quality.
Global Warming also leads to melting polar ice caps due to increased temperature. A noted scientist said “these glaciers are very much like the canaries in the mines […] they’re an indicator of massive changes taking place in the climate in the tropics.” In truth, the Artic Climate Impact Assessment report indicates that polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. In addition to that report, it is expected that the summer sea ice is expected to melt by the end of the 21st century plus a large portion of the Greenland Ice sheet. So, what happens if the polar caps melt? Melting polar caps could contribute to a lot of negative things, three to name a few. First, melting polar caps could destroy polar animals and their habitats. The ACIA report also states that “it is likely that polar bears and some seal species will be driven into extinction.” The extinction of those species could put natives in a tough spot which could incline them to move out or starve. The extinction of these animals could drastically alter the food chain, which could mean overgrowth for certain species that the polar bear and seal eat like fish. Second melting polar caps could mean less freshwater lakes, and animals like salmon, which are born in freshwater lakes near the ocean, if there aren’t any freshwater lakes, animals like salmon could be greatly affected and even driven to extinction due to Global Warming.
The beast can also affect animals. In fact, Shaoni Bhattacharya wrote that “Global warming may drive a quarter of land animals and plants to the edge of extinction by 2050.” Animals such as salamanders and frogs may become extinct due to climate change. Also, the Times of India, stated that “Seven out of 62 salamanders tested showed signs of chytrid fungus, which is not enough direct evidence to link the fungus to the drop in numbers.” Chytrid, a fast-killing fungus is supposed to be killing these amphibians. Chytrid originated in South Africa, in moist, dense areas, where most salamanders and amphibians live. If amphibians were to go extinct, insects and invertebrate we find annoying will grow such as mosquitoes and flies. Increase of mosquitoes and flies will increase the chances of diseases carried by insects such as typhus, malaria, and the West Nile Virus. Those spreading diseases could kill thousands and millions widespread.
Increasing temperature, melting ice caps and rising sea levels, and the extinction of animals can affect us humans. So obviously, Global Warming is a problem that needs very special attention to everyone. If the world works together and be more conservative on our resources and time, the world can put chains on the beast named Global warming and suppress and defeat the beast forever.
Sources:
Dickinson, Tim. Global Warming. Ed. Mary E. Williams. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale, 2006. Print.
Jackson, Derrick Z. “Global Warming Causes More Intense Hurricane Activity.” Global
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McCredie, Robert. Global Warming. Ed. Daniel Minkel. Farmington Hills: Thomson
Gale, 2007. Print.
Silverstein, Alvin, Virginia B. Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn. Global Warming.
Brookfield: Twenty First Century Books, 2003. Print.
Tesar, Jenny. Global Warming. N.p.: Facts on File, 1991. Print.
Weekly Reader. “On thin Ice: Global Warming Spells Big Trouble at the Top of the World.” Current Events 104 (Dec. 2004): n. pag. Rpt. in Global Warming. Ed. Mary E.
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