Diana Yauri

March 26, 2020

Professor Killebrew

English 21003

 The Beginning or the End: Climate Change

The world has been around for millions of years, before you and I came along. Throughout these years there have been many people, animals, and creatures that have gone through earth. Just like any living thing, in order for something to keep prospering and growing one must cherish and nourish it. The earth is not fragile but that doesn’t mean it should be taken advantage of. While some people may believe that Climate Change isn’t man made and doesn’t exist, there is plenty of evidence that suggests otherwise. People are slowly destroying the earth and many animals and environments are becoming uninhabitable. At this rate there will no longer be no world to live in.

Climate change and global warming are currently at their highest peak. Climate change is when there is a change in global or regional climate patterns, which particularly became more evident in the mid- twentieth century as there was an increase in the levels of fossil fuel and greenhouse gases. Hand in hand with that, global warming is defined as “a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere;” also caused by the increased levels of carbon dioxide and pollutants. If tracked properly, it can be said that it all started during the industrial revolution when machinery and factories had its natural boom of population and production. During the 1800’s people weren’t thinking about the possible effects it could have in the future; they were more worried about expanding and mass producing. In the mist revolution, “Air and water pollution came, for example, from coal burning, as well as most stages in the production of metals and basic chemicals. In the absence of suitable sanitation and refuse collection, waste from domestic sources caused additional problems”(Anonymous, 2019). The revolution had such a big influence on society. It helped develop the technology we have today, but the benefits seem to outweigh the consequences we have coming. 

Flash Forward to the 21st century, there are a lot of ongoing issues regarding the increase of global warming and the lack of help we are getting. There has been a tremendous increase in the amount of greenhouses that have been produced. According to NASA, “if the warming were caused by a more active Sun, then scientists would expect to see warmer temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. Instead, they have observed a cooling in the upper atmosphere- and a warming at the surface and in the lower parts of the atmosphere. That’s because greenhouse gases are trapping heat in the lower atmosphere”(Anonymous, 2020). Greenhouse gases trap heat since sunlight travels through them thus causing the atmosphere to heat up.

The consequences of global warming are slowing but surely starting to reveal themselves. As of now, it may not seem detrimental to humans but there is already evidence that elucidates the affect it is having on animals and plants. Although things may seem fine on land, people are failing to see the chaos underwater. Many animals who live in colder regions of the ocean are suffering because they are having a harder time finding food. Polar bears are adapting to new forms of food like goose eggs and “Some media reports have suggested that this might mean polar bears could just come ashore and eat terrestrial foods and somehow do fine without the sea ice,” Amstrup said”(Dell’amore, 2014). These animals see that things are changing and are learning to quickly adapt to survival. The entire ecosystem can suffer if things continue at this rate. In addition to animals, coral reefs have been affected too; because they are not used to warm temperatures, they are very sensitive to changes in the water so they die quickly. Corals play a major role in the aqualife, they provide protection and are home to many species. 

Humans will be affected long term, but as of now animals are being forced out of their natural habitats since the environment is no longer suitable. 

Water makes up about seventy-two percent of the world, including rivers, lakes and glaciers. Climate change and global warming affects the entire world and big changes are coming. Water has been the longest resource for billions of years and has been through so many adventures. Due to the water being what makes up most of the world it is very essential that people listen to it and see the changes it is undergoing.  In 30-50 years from now, cities will be going under due to rising sea levels. “Since 1992, the thawing levels during the summer season on W. Steger and N. Rom 55 Greenland have increased in elevation. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150–250 cubic kilometers (36–60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006”(Pinkerton & Rom, 2013). Since the temperature is increasing, there are glaciers melting which adds more water to the oceans. According to the New York Times, if the ice caps keep on melting by 2050 there will be at least 6 countries that will be going underwater(Lu & Flavelle, 2019). The article shares some very important information on the long term possibilities of  climate change.

However, some individuals are convinced that climate change isn’t real and that humans are not the main cause. They believe that climate change is a hoax and is being exaggerated. There is a tremendous amount of denial in science, politics, crisis, economy and humanitarian. They believe there is no point in taking action when the rest of the world isn’t doing anything. They also believe what’s the harm in longer summers, when it can help farming. There are also arguments that “climate change is just part of the natural cycle. Or that climate models are unreliable and too sensitive to carbon dioxide”(Maslin, 2019). Now, I can see how some of these arguments can be viewed to be true but there is no denying the facts, climate change is manmade. We are polluting the world, we have the factories emitting so much carbon in the air. The world is changing and you can feel it every summer, winters are shorter. There is no reason why the weather is reaching 60 degrees in January. It may seem nice,  but it just goes to show that our world is dying and change must be made. There is no reason why a country should wait on someone else to make a change when the United States alone is producing “25 percent of the human-produced CO₂ in the atmosphere …  another 22 percent is produced by the EU. Africa produces just under 5 percent”(Maslin, 2019). The facts are clear, oceans are rising and warming up, the ecosystem is in trouble and we should start taking action. If the government keeps on waiting, then things will get worse and will be more expensive to fix; the damage will already be done. It’s time to stop being greedy and start taking care of the place we call home.

Currently, the whole world is being faced with a deadly virus that has forced us to stay indoors and avoid any type of human contact. If climate change wasn’t man made then why has the world changed for the better in just one month. In China, the quality of good air increased by 21.5% in February alone. Additionally, from “February 3 to March 1, CO2 emissions were down by at least 25% because of the measures to contain the coronavirus”(Wright, 2020). Air and canals have also been cleared in Italy, bringing back the fishes that once lived. Of course these are just temporary changes because sooner or later the people will be back outside. Even so, it just goes to show how capable the world is of making adjustments. 

A new decade is upon us and the time is now to seek action. Though some might still feel like climate change isn’t real, the evidence is in front of our eyes and there is no denying it. Climate change and global warming plays a role in our lives, the environment, the animals and the future. We need to cut back on gas emissions and find new sources of energy that won’t be as harmful to the environment. We need stricter rules for the population to handle and begin making changes. There is no waiting for things to get worse. Change must be made as soon as possible if we want to live for a new century. 

 

Works Cited

Dell’Amore, C. (2016, July 5). 7 Species Hit Hard by Climate Change-Including One That’s Already Extinct. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/4/140331-global-warming-climate-change-ipcc-animals-science-environment/

Lu, D., & Flavelle, C. (2019, October 29). Rising Seas Will Erase More Cities by 2050, New Research Shows. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/29/climate/coastal-cities-underwater.html

Maslin, M. (n.d.). Here Are Five of The Main Reasons People Continue to Deny Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/the-five-corrupt-pillars-of-climate-change-denial

Pinkerton, K., & Rom, William N. (2013). Global climate change and public health (Respiratory medicine (New York, N.Y.)).

The Causes of Climate Change. (2020, February 10). Retrieved from https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

Wright, R. (2020, March 17). There’s an unlikely beneficiary of coronavirus: The planet. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/asia/china-pollution-coronavirus-hnk-intl/index.html

 

	59 & 60-69 F/D-/D/D+	70-79 C-/C/C+	80-89 B-/B/B+	90-100 A-/A/A+	Actual Score  Average the 4 scores below:100
Paragraph Organization	Each paragraph is not coherent. There run-on sentences. There are no smooth transitions between sentences	Each paragraph is somewhat coherent, with run-on sentences. There are a few smooth transitions between sentences	Each paragraph is mostly coherent, with a few run-on sentences. There are mostly smooth transitions between sentences	Each paragraph is coherent and there are smooth transitions between sentences	100
Assignment Questions	One is present:  (1) essay title,  (2) single sentence about significance of topic near beginning of paper,  (3) both sides of controversy is presented,  (4) background information on the controversy	Two are present:  (1) essay title,  (2) single sentence about significance of topic near beginning of paper,  (3) both sides of controversy is presented,  (4) background information on the controversy	Three are present:  (1) essay title,  (2) single sentence about significance of topic near beginning of paper,  (3) both sides of controversy is presented,  (4) background information on the controversy	Four are present:  (1) essay title,  (2) single sentence about significance of topic near beginning of paper,  (3) both sides of controversy is presented, (4) background information on the controversy	100
Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, Spelling	More than 21 errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or spelling	11 to 20 errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or spelling	Less than 10 errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or spelling	No errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or spelling	98
Format Guidelines	Not Times New Roman, less than 750 words, single-spaced, not 12 pt. font,  1 source (academic or popular media source)	Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 750-1000 words, 1-inch margins, APA style,  double-spaced,  2 sources (academic and popular media sources)	Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1000-1250 words, 1-inch margins, APA style,  double-spaced,  3 sources (academic and popular media sources)	Times New Roman,  12 pt. font, 1250-1500 words, 1-inch margins, APA style,  double-spaced,  4 sources (2 academic, 2 popular media sources)	100