Kristina Schriver

Schriver 1

English 113A
Professor Altman
16 November 2014

The Future Starts Now

Over the years the Earth has changed. It has grown into a place for us to live, but we
dont realize that some of the changes are dangers. There are signs everywhere that show the
danger we are in, but we choice to ignore it or believe it means something else. Although some
people claim global warming is false, it is a problem that needs to be solved because
greenhouse gases are increasing, the sea levels are rising, it affects food supply, and it
endangers species. We need to do something now about global warming because if we dont
the Earth will become inhabitable from all the gases and chemicals we put in the air.
A big factor that is causing climate change is oil. We use oil every day for cars, buses,
trains, planes, and boats. When we burn gas, we are sending carbon dioxide in the air all the
time. This increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air which isnt good for us. Carbon
dioxide is an important factor on the greenhouse effect. In Debra A. Millers article The Science
of Global Warming, these greenhouse gases allow visible sunlight energy to penetrate deep
into the atmosphere, where much of it is absorbed by the oceans and land masses. When this
stored energy is released back toward space as infrared radiation, or heat, the greenhouse
gases then act as an insulating blanket, absorbing and holding the heat in the lower atmosphere
and helping to maintain the warm temperatures needed for humans to survive (13) Basically

this causes some of the heat from the sunlight to be trapped in the planets surface instead of
reflecting back into the atmosphere. This will also explain why ice glaciers are melting and are
raising sea levels because of the heat. This is all happening from the carbon dioxide being
released into the air and other gases as well. The greenhouse effect isnt something that comes
from the Earth, its happening from all the gases that we release in the atmosphere. Without
this natural greenhouse effect, the planet would be over 35 degrees cooler than it is now-too
cold for us to inhabit. (Science of Global Warming p.14) This theory is saying that without
natural greenhouse gases the Earth would be much colder for us to live back then, but now the
Earth is heating up from greenhouse gases.
Not only does this heat the Earth but this heat can also cause extinction to animals that
arent use to this climate change. Unlike humans, animals cant simply go someplace warmer or
colder; they either cope or migrate. But, what if they couldnt do either of those? Then they
wont survive long enough to adapt to the climate change. This effects both land and water.
With the water levels rising some of the sea life are sensitive or cant tolerate high sea levels
and will die out. Even in forests, Some who study the impacts of climate change we are now
forcing on the Earth because of greenhouse gases are happening many times faster than the
changes from the ice age. What that means is that forests will probably not be able to migrate
fast enough to reproduce, so they will be lost. (Global Warming and the Future p78) The
greenhouse gases will not only make it hard for animals to migrate and adapted but planets as
well. The trees in forest relies on climate change to adapt and to grow, but if the greenhouse
gases messing up the climate change, they will not be able to reproduce and be liable for some
species. Without a place to go, the species will die and become extinct.

I know what youre thinking, Oh but this doesnt affect us humans because we can
adapt better than animals. That isnt the case because climate change can affect us in a whole
different way. In Ed. Peggy J. Parkss Global Warming and the Future, it mentions the risks that
we can face with the increase of global warming. One is the heat wave, o2n page 80 that
mentions a heat wave in Southern India that resulted in the highest one-week death toll ever
reordered. Along with dangerous fires that broke out and droughts, but thats not all it can do.
It can also increase humans to be infected with deadly diseases like malaria dengue fever and
encephalitis which can be carried out by mosquitoes that bite other people with these diseases.
Scientist say that as warmer temperatures continue spreading north and south from the
topics, disease-carrying mosquitoes will follow, putting increasing numbers of people all over
the world at risk. (Global Warming and the Future p.81) Warmer temperatures from all over
the world attract mosquitoes. Since mosquitoes are from different places they have also bitten
different people who could have diseased blood. With the Earth heating up all around
mosquitoes will be all over us.
This is only one issue us humans would need to worry about because it also affects our
food source. For one, the increasing of temperatures will make it harder to grow crops
including major crops like rice, wheat, and corn. Even the Nationals Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) gave a warning saying, that average temperatures increased beyond
1.8 degree F-3.6 degree F (1 degree C-2 degree C) threaten crop production of the worlds
major food grains, and temperature increases of more than 5.4 degree F (3 degree C) would
significantly alter production of all food crops. (Farming and the Food Supply p.14)
Temperatures are a main part of growing crops, with temperatures increasing it threatens crops

from growing. Another point in Farming and the Food Supply is the negative effects of climate
changes for farming like, growing seasons, water supplies, soil fertility, pests and diseases, and
weed production. (p.14) All these things will threaten crop production wont be good for us on
food.
I know a lot of people dont believe in global warming and dont think thats going to
happen to us. Saying climate change is just having to do with the weather which changes all the
time. That is true but there is a big difference between climate change and weather. Weather is
the state of the atmosphere which deals with temperature, pressure, wind, moisture, and
clouds while climate change is from weather patterns that last for a long time. Weather is part
of climate change not the other way around. If something is wrong or strange with the weather
it means something is also wrong with climate change. And since weather has to deal with the
atmosphere, the fact that the atmosphere is full of greenhouse gas is the cause for hotter
seasons.
Global warming is a serious thing which we need to do is stop polluting, with all this gas
and trash on our Earth. We need to start taking care of our Earth, one way is to use less oil by
switching to solar power. In homes we use so much energy like watching TV or using the
computer. With solar power we are using energy from the sun instead of fossil fuel. Less fuel
means less gas in the air. Another is recycling plastic bottles and other reusable items. This will
keep the Earth clean instead of throwing it away and wasting things. Which is another thing,
dont waste water. We use so much water without even realizing it and a lot of the times we
just let it run which decreases water supply. There are so many places that have droughts and
water shortages so water is very scarce for them. Since some people dont live in those types of

places they think it doesnt matter because they think they have limited water but water only
has so much on Earth that is ok for us that we dont want to lose it. Think before using water. If
we start doing those things it will help decrease climate change which decreases global
warming. Every step helps and the more we do it, the healthier Earth will be. Think about the
future, not just for you but for your children and many children ahead of you. Its their future so
make it a place that they can live in.