Haddad 1

Layla Haddad
Amy Ludwig
English 101
16 May 2016
Its Getting Hot in Here
Not many have ever thought that the amusement park SeaWorld would be a place that
could quite literally describe the state and condition of the Earth. However, as the rise in the
Earths global temperature causes water levels all around the world to rise due to melting ice
caps, envisioning SeaWorld as what the Earth will look like is slowly but surely becoming a
reality. These changes in nature have created unpredictable weather patterns that have completely
changed the expected timing in seasons, as can be seen with sunbathing in the summer which
does not always have to wait until June. The constant weather changes have people baffled and
concerned that such constant extreme temperature changes could lead to the likelihood of more
storms and other severe weather conditions. Those who live in areas like California experience a
drought while others who live in areas like New York have lived through the coldest winters.
This is just an example of the effects on residents of the United States, but global warming, as its
name indicates, is becoming a global issue. The weather is day to day, but climate is something
that is an overall temperature of the Earth, and these levels continue to increase, as do the issues
causing them. Although climate change is a natural occurrence on the Earth, the rapid increase in
greenhouse gas emissions, melting of ice caps, burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation has
caused scientists and many others to deem climate change a byproduct of daily human activities
and must be recognized and advocated against in order to reduce the carbon footprint that
humans leave on the Earth.

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Throughout all the days of summer, voices echo of how hot it is outside, but few of those
who utter complaints about the weather have stopped to think about why it is so hot. It all ties
back into the ways in which people treat this planet that we all share. As the population continues
to grow, so does the pressure being put on the Earth and the people living on it. There is constant
pressure on the people living on Earth to produce enough resources for those who need them.
The list of regular resources people need to use are: food, cars, buildings, homes, stores and the
list goes on, but when all these items are accounted for, they are noted to contribute to the
greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases consist of gases such as
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases are released during mass production of
goods, when driving a car, and even while using electricity. Everyday tasks are emitting these
greenhouse gases into the Earths atmosphere, creating an increased heat level all around the
world, causing a global warming.
The way in which greenhouse emissions cause the climate levels to change is known as
the greenhouse effect. As described by Okhee Lee The greenhouse effect is the result of
chemical compounds found in the Earth's atmosphere acting as greenhouse gases, trapping
outgoing terrestrial radiation and warming Earths atmosphere (Lee). When chemicals such as
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are combined with the ozone layer of the
atmosphere, the sun rays are trapped in the atmosphere and these sun rays continue to heat the
areas of the Earth that are not in direct contact with sun light. This is a main contributor to the
climate change for the worse. The more greenhouse gases that are being emitted into the
atmosphere, the more radiation is being trapped on Earth resulting in an overall warmer planet
that people will have to live on.

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While some people have heard all these global warming theories and decided to act and
change for a brighter future, others have turned to their computers to do further research. When
the theory of global warming was breaking news, it brought about a lot of skepticism. It would
not make sense that this change in climate was caused solely by people. The Earth is so much
larger than any of the people living on it so there is just no possible way that people caused this.
Has the climate actually increased overall in the last few decades, or is that just the weather
changing? Hearing that global warming is a manmade problem causes many to speculate over
that claim. The Earth has been fine with people living harmoniously on the planet, and this has
only been an issue for the past 10 years. Many argue with the idea of global warming because it
seemed to come out of left field and had no real reasoning behind it other than the fact that it was
man made.
The biggest claim advocating against global warming, is insisting that the idea is a
government conspiracy in order to gain more control of everyone living on Earth. If the
government keeps pressing the idea of global warming, more sales will be made on hybrid and
smart cars, more people will be aware of the so called crisis and will want to act. To an extent,
some believe by the government creating global warming, the government then can control the
way people act. T.J. Greaney, author of Biofuels Researcher Sounds Theme in Front of
Pachyderms, shows us just how fake global warming is by saying that, Some who contend
global warming is fake. [say] It's a hoax to get people to accept more and more government
control over their lives, said Wayne Armbrust, who noted that water is the most predominant
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere (Greaney). Not only do people not believe that global
warming is real, but some will go as far as saying it is all propaganda from the government. This

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all ties back to the idea that there is no possible way that global warming can be real let alone be
a manmade issue.
While it may be true that people have only recently heard about global warming, there
have been studies that have proven the effects of climate change since the twentieth century.
Jaclyn Marisa Dispensa and Robert J. Brulle say that, over the 20th century, the global average
surface temperature has increased by over 1 [degrees] F. Precipitation has increased nationally by
5 to 10%. Global sea level rose 4 to 8 inches during the 20th century (Dispensa). A main
contributor to sea levels and temperatures rising is the greenhouse effect. Naturally, with more
people living on the planet, there is a higher demand for goods and supplies to sustain life.
Moreover, just the sheer number of people living on the Earth causes a shift in the climate due to
the amount of resources that it would take to keep every person alive. Keeping people alive
means mass food production, transportation, and more greenhouse gases being released into the
atmosphere, thus, perpetuating global warming.
It is apparent to most that there has been a shift in temperature in their lifetime. Older
generations recall a time in their lives when one could go outside during the summer time and
not suffer from heat exhaustion or sun burnt skin. It is due to the perpetuation of global warming
that is causing hotter summers. Even when it comes time for the seasons to change, people
experience such cruel weather conditions. Natural disasters are occurring more regularly, and this
is all in part due to global warming. As the Earth reacts to the stresses it receives from all the
people living on its surface, to the constant increase in global temperature, it is no wonder there
is an increase in natural disasters in the past century. The natural ecosystem is not in balance due
to the melting of ice caps, and the effects of trapped heat rays in the Earths atmosphere.

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The greenhouse effect traps heat inside the Earths atmosphere and causes certain areas of
the world to experience more heat, specifically areas that are made of ice. In a YouTube video
Tom Wagner, the Cryosphere program manager at NASA, shows the audience that the Arctic
has massive stores of methane in the permafrost and also on the seabed. As we lose the sea ice,
we have more heat going into the ocean and we can also transport that heat, cause more
permafrost thawing, destabilize the seabed, and potentially trip the release of all this methane,
which could cause big spikes in global temperature (Melting Ice Caps). Methane gas is one of
the main gases that causes the greenhouse effect and moreover global warming. When global
warming continues, even more greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere, further
perpetuating the change in climate. While the climate continues to change, the ice continues to
melt causing water levels to continue to rise. When the water levels rise, coastal areas of the
world would become completely submerged underwater. If that were to happen, all coastal areas
under a certain altitude would be all but a distant memory. The Earth will experience a
significant loss in landmass if temperatures continue to rise due to global warming.
Climate change stems from a chain reaction. The burning of fossil fuels allows
greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. This causes the greenhouse effect and
causes global temperatures to rise at rapid rates, which in turn makes drastic climate change a
major concern for people around the world. In the book Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and
Solutions, author J.T. Hardy states that during the past 150 years, human activities have led to
an exponential growth in greenhouse gas emissions. These activities include extracting and
burning fossilized carbon (coal, oil, and gas) for fuel (Hardy 20). Extracting and burning of
fossil fuels is a main contributor to global warming. Digging into the Earth and pulling out useful
resources might have seemed like an innovative idea centuries ago, but now in the twenty-first

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century it is causing more harm to the Earth rather than providing for the people who live on it.
The number of people living on the Earth is over seven billion. It is time for new and creative
ways to make allow all these people to live comfortably, while still sustaining the Earth itself.
Burning fossil fuels not only destroys the planet, but can lead to injury and death of those who
are extracting the fossil fuels. Many wars began due to control of oil all around the world and
have ended in bloodshed. Not only does the mining of fossil fuels harm the beloved Earth, it also
puts so many lives in danger.
A main contributor to the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the lack of trees
that are being grown as well as mass deforestation. Using the basic knowledge of plants, the
process of photosynthesis allows plants to use the sun in order to convert carbon dioxide into
oxygen, which gives the humans living on Earth air to breathe. What allows humans and plants
to live harmoniously is that humans provide plants carbon dioxide and plants provide more
oxygen. On the Earth, we have areas such as the Amazon rainforest and areas that are rich in
plants and trees which help reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and convert it into
oxygen. However, these trees are being cut down in such large quantities in order to have
supplies and houses for the large number of people living on Earth; this has caused a problem
because there is a surplus of carbon dioxide and a lack of oxygen. Philip M. Fearnside noted that,
the Amazon rainforest has an important role in mitigating global warming due to its large stock
of carbon, in both biomass and soils. If deforested, much of this carbon dioxide is released into
the atmosphere as GHGs [greenhouse gases] such as carbon dioxide and methane (Fearnside).
The deforestation in areas like the Amazon Forest in Brazil not only pollutes the air, but also
helps the process of global warming speed up. When the carbon dioxide that is in the atmosphere

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is not converted into oxygen, the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, allows the greenhouse effect to
continue, hence, more global warming.
Hearing all the problems that cause and continue to escalate the issue of climate change
around the world makes people want to act and save the planet. People can pretend for a moment
to be Superman and treat the Earth like Lois Lane: go against all odds and fight to protect the one
they love without needing to make such drastic changes in our lives. The small steps we take in
life that help us go in the right direction can make a huge difference. One of the most important
things we can do is to be aware of the greenhouse gases that we are responsible for on this Earth.
Spend less time driving on the road or try to figure out ways to carpool to lower carbon
emissions. Even something as simple as making sure to turn off light switches before leaving a
room, and turning off the sink while brushing our teeth can help save the Earth. Anything and
everything we do that follows the rules of reducing, reusing, and recycling can help and will
benefit the reduction of greenhouse gases and slow down the climate change.
As previously mentioned, the events that have caused climate change to occur over time
develop in a chain reaction. If it were not for greenhouse gases being emitted at an accelerated
pace, the greenhouse effect would not exist, and global warming would not be as alive and
prevalent as it is now. Today, people live in a world where their children and grandchildren will
only hear about Florida in history books. Generations to come will experience extreme weather
shifts that will change the way they live life forever. Having record high temperatures that create
forest fires and unbearable humidity and record low temperatures that will freeze over areas is
not a future that people dream of for future generations to come. The Amazon Forest will be a
pile of scraps and have no benefit for those who will live in the planet in the centuries to come.
However, the people living on this planet today have the power to change this outcome for those

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to come. All people have to do is act responsibly and improve the ways in which they treat the
Earth in order to save our planet.

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Works Cited
Dispensa, Jaclyn Marisa, and Robert J. Brulle. "Media's Social Construction of Environmental
Issues: Focus on Global Warming - a Comparative Study." The International Journal of
Sociology and Social Policy 23.10 (2003): 74-105.ProQuest. Web. 12 May 2016.
Fearnside, Philip M. "Brazil's Amazon Forest in Mitigating Global Warming: Unresolved
Controversies." Climate Policy 12.1 (2012): 70-81. ProQuest. Web. 10 May 2016.
Greaney, T. J. "Biofuels Researcher Sounds Theme in Front of Pachyderms."Columbia Daily
TribuneNov 01 2008. ProQuest. Web. 28 May 2016 .
Hardy, J. T. Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Print.
Lee, Okhee, et al. "Conceptions of the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming among
Elementary Students from Diverse Languages and Cultures." Journal of
GeoscienceEducation 55.2 (2007): 117-25. ProQuest. Web. 09 May 2016.
Wagner, Tom. Space Rip. Melting Ice Caps: One Scientists Point of View. www.youtube.com,
5 Sept. 2012. Web. 9 May 2016.