The Seriousness of Global Warming
The Seriousness of Global Warming
Luis Green
Columbia Southern University
The Seriousness of Global Warming
One of the most controversial and popular environmental topics is the effects of global warming on the planet. Although global warming has become a more talked about issue in the last few years, scientists have been warning the world for a long time about the devastating impact that human related greenhouse gases is having and will continue to have on the environment. Many do not realize the how global warming affects the environment. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of global warming on the weather, overall health, and on wildlife.
Global Warming on Weather Patterns The increase in water temperatures in the ocean has generated more energy into what used to be normal tropical storms, causing them not only to be more frequent, but a lot stronger and sometimes very destructive. As we have seen within the last decade, there has been a marked increase in the number of hurricanes at the four and five category level. For instance, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and was said to be the second strongest and one of the deadliest hurricanes ever recorded in the U.S. The loss to the economy was a whopping $125 billion (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). In addition to the hurricanes, the warmer temperatures have led to drought conditions and the increase of fires throughout the western United States. In 2006, new records were set in the amount of reported fires as well as acres burned (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). The cost for fighting these fires has been increasing yearly in the amount of $1 billion. Another effect of global warming is the intense rainstorms that we have been experiencing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports the increase is due mostly to human-induced global warming (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). These heavy downpours have made the U.S more vulnerable to flooding. They
Luis Green
Columbia Southern University
The Seriousness of Global Warming
One of the most controversial and popular environmental topics is the effects of global warming on the planet. Although global warming has become a more talked about issue in the last few years, scientists have been warning the world for a long time about the devastating impact that human related greenhouse gases is having and will continue to have on the environment. Many do not realize the how global warming affects the environment. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of global warming on the weather, overall health, and on wildlife.
Global Warming on Weather Patterns The increase in water temperatures in the ocean has generated more energy into what used to be normal tropical storms, causing them not only to be more frequent, but a lot stronger and sometimes very destructive. As we have seen within the last decade, there has been a marked increase in the number of hurricanes at the four and five category level. For instance, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and was said to be the second strongest and one of the deadliest hurricanes ever recorded in the U.S. The loss to the economy was a whopping $125 billion (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). In addition to the hurricanes, the warmer temperatures have led to drought conditions and the increase of fires throughout the western United States. In 2006, new records were set in the amount of reported fires as well as acres burned (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). The cost for fighting these fires has been increasing yearly in the amount of $1 billion. Another effect of global warming is the intense rainstorms that we have been experiencing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports the increase is due mostly to human-induced global warming (“Weather Patterns,” n.d.). These heavy downpours have made the U.S more vulnerable to flooding. They
References: Natural Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). The consequences of global warming on weather patterns. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons1.asp Natural Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). The consequences of global warming on health. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons2.asp Natural Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). The consequences of global warming on wildlife. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons3.asp