Global Warming

Global Warming is really effecting the world as we know it. It is a fact that the average rise in temperature globally is 1.1 degrees. The startling fact is that parts of Alaska, Canada, and Northern Russia they have experienced a rise in temperature by 5 degree Fahrenheit. This is because they are in the Northern Hemisphere where there is less water. Less water means less of the new found heat is being taken away by the vast ocean.

If your still a skeptic than listen to this. In the last 16 years "the front of the Columbia Glacier has retreated more than eight miles" (Pringle, Global Warming10-20). And Montana's Glacier National Park will have no glaciers within a couple of decades. The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland lost more than 300ft. of its thickness.

In 1995 more than 500 people died in Chicago alone. This was because the heat waves at nighttime left "no relief from daytime heat stress" " (Pringle, Global Warming6-25. With the heat in 1997-1998 from El Nino we can see how easily there could be widespread infection.

Some people think that the warming up of the planet would be a good thing. And yes, some things would flourish. They include pests, livestock, diseasesed mosquitoes, and parasites. Clearly you can see that global warming will definitely not help improve the world in the years to come.

To slow down global warming drastically we need to look at the main sources of carbon dioxide which are coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The problem is that this would basically shut down, "the coal and oil industries, oil-exporting nations, the automobile industry, and many manufacturers" " (Pringle, Global Warming15-30). So because these powerful companies don't want to lose money they hire "shanky" scientists to deny that there is a global warming problem. It will be a slow change but there are already some things being done. 

Hybrid cars have been out on the market for a couple of years now. They use a small gasoline engine and high powered electric motor to drive the car. These vehicles get exceptional gas mileage and pollute considerably less than the conventional automobile. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are almost ready for production. The next step to have hydrogen refilling stations around the world.

Until we find a solution for global warming we need to make widespread knowledge that this is not a joke. It will not go away if people believe that it doesn't exist. We are the cause of global warming so we must take action against it. If it is ignored than the effects could be horrifying.