Problem and Solution of Global Warming
Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Higher temperatures threaten dangerous consequences: drought, disease, floods, and lost ecosystems. From sweltering heat to rising seas, global warming's effects have already begun. Many people still believe that since the earth is so big, human beings cannot possibly have any major impact on the way the planet operates. The truth is we have grown so numerous and our technologies have become so powerful that we are now capable of having a significant influence on many parts of the earth's environment (Gore 22). Without the help of the human race, and the listening ears of our politicians, we are going to leave this extreme crisis to the next generation. Everyone can see the effects of global warming. Hurricane Katrina is the most recent event to hit our nation, and Japan just recently set an all-time record for typhoons. The science textbooks had to be rewritten in 2004 because they used to say, "It's impossible to have hurricanes in the South Atlantic." But that year, for the first time, a hurricane hit Brazil (Gore 84). The most dramatic effect of global warming is the accelerating melting in the Arctic. When the ice melts it raises the sea level, and when it's finished melting, coastal property will eventually be 40 feet under water- leaving over 100 million people homeless. If we continue to see these rates rise and do nothing about it, there will be serious health problems, more extreme weather conditions, billion dollar industries will go bankrupt (skiing and wineries), and it will cause ecological catastrophes. The history of the problem stems back to the 1960's when global warming was first discovered and tested. It was discovered that the CO2 levels were now increasing more rapidly than every before. Studies show now that the top 10 hottest years on earth have been in the last 14 years, with the hottest being 2005. Also, in the past 650,000 years,