Global Warming

By Emily W.

 

Imagine a time in America when snow is just a mere memory, or at least a rarity. Imagine the average summer temperature being in the late 90’s, early 100’s. Imagine having some of the animals we see and love today be non-existent. This is already happening at concerningly fast rates and will only continue.

Global Warming is the rising of the Earth’s surface temperature. Scientists predict that by the end of this century the Earth’s temperature will have increased nearly six degrees celsius. That might not seem like a lot, but it is. The hottest temperature a human can withstand is 108 degrees fahrenheit. Some summer days in New York go way up into the 90's, sometimes even 100's! Temperatures above 108 degrees would be extremely dangerous for humans, plants, and animals.

        In recent decades, doctors have noticed an increased amount of heat stress in livestock and people.  Climate change causes metabolic disruptions, oxidative stress, and immune suppression in livestock that can lead to death.  Some people make a living off of raising livestock or hunting. Furthermore, global warming leads to a colossal increase in human health problems. These problems include heart and respiratory conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular diseases. Global Warming is a cause of 10,000 deaths in the U.S yearly. Scientists predict that between the years 2030 and 2050, global warming will cause 250,000 deaths worldwide per year.

A primary cause of Global Warming is pollution. Pollution originates from cars, airplanes, trucks, boats, etc.  Pollution provokes a blanket of heat to get trapped around the earth, warming the Earth’s temperature. For every gallon of gas that we use, twenty-four pounds of carbon dioxide gets emitted. It also comes from the burning of fossil fuels (non-renewable sources of energy like coal and oil) in factories. Factories constantly spew out never-ending smoke into the atmosphere, causing air pollution and warming temperatures. Factories contribute almost a quarter of America’s rising temperatures. On average, factories emit over 10 billion tons of smoke every year.

An additional cause of Global Warming is methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas, much more abundant and long-lasting than carbon dioxide. Methane is eighty times more injurous than carbon dioxide. As an exceedingly harmful air pollutant, methane causes one million premature deaths a year.  Since before industrial times, methane has contributed to nearly half of all climate change on this planet.

Global Warming is detrimental to the economy as well as the Earth. Rising sea levels cause major floods that cost the government millions and billions of money in flood repair. When the temperature is extremely high, the atmosphere evaporates more moisture, evoking droughts. In 2012, a severe drought cost the U.S $75,000,000. Yearly, Global Warming costs $40,000,000. Not only does global warming cost a lot of money, but it is nocuous to humans through wildfires. A single spark can set dry grass ablaze in a matter of seconds. The fire spreads rapidly, and soon it has turned into a full-blown wildfire. In 2021, nine thousand six hundred and twenty wildfires started in the state of California.

Humans are not the only species suffering the inimical effects of Global Warming. Koalas, arctic foxes, polar bears, wolverines, flamingos, penguins, seals, and many more are all being severely affected by climate change. Between the years 2001 and 2010 there was said to be a 40% population loss in polar bears. The arid, warm temperatures cause a lack of food and water for all those animals. Many animals who are located in colder places such as the Arctic are enduring a loss of habitat due to glaciers and ice caps melting.

The majority of people think that global warming is too big of a problem, and anything they do won’t make a difference. That’s not true! If everyone did little things every day to conserve heat, fossil fuels, and energy, that would be a huge help. Some ways to make that happen are to walk or bike whenever possible; cars and vehicles of all sorts release tons of carbon dioxide every time they are used. A study found that if everyone mainly used biking as their transportation, emissions from vehicles would be reduced by 40%. Also, use less electricity; chances are your electricity is powered by fossil fuels such as gas or coal. Electrical appliances commit to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to those, don’t throw food away. When food starts rotting in a landfill, it lets off methane. It is critical that everyone makes an effort to make these changes happen. By the year 2050, global greenhouse gas emissions are contemplated to rise by 50%.

To quote Dr. Kevin Trenberth, an atmospheric research scientist, “The atmosphere is a global commons. It belongs to everyone. The air that’s over the U.S., a week later is over in Europe, and a week later it’s over China, and then a week later it’s back over the U.S. again. If we dump stuff into the atmosphere, it gets shared among all of the nations.” As he said, Global Warming is not a me problem; it’s a we problem. Global warming is something that our world needs to wake up and tackle before it’s too late.