World Problems Only Getting Worse

Global warming is just a hype. Its not really that bad. More and more people are acquiring this type of point of view. Small errors in scientific reports have made the general public into skeptics. Those who still believe in it do so passively, not going out of their way to assist in its prevention. The problems of everyday life distract them from everything but the near future. However, the United States needs to play a more active role in international environmental efforts. As of late, the United States has not done much in the way of environmental protection. In fact, it has taken detours around certain efforts. An example of this is the Kyoto Protocol. The plan had been thought out and it could have had a good effect on the environment. But when it came time for the nations to sign on to this bandwagon, Australia and the U.S. snuck out of the deal, making an excuse that it would affect their economies. That they backed out of it was bad enough, but what made it worse was that the United States produces about a fourth of the pollution this set of rules was aiming to limit. The Kyoto Protocol is only effective if it is followed; otherwise, it is a futile effort. Currently, there is some talk about amending the Kyoto Protocol in such a way that the U.S. and Australia will also be included. If this does happen, hopefully the U.S. can endeavor to go green. It is essential for us to start environmental disaster preventive action. Global warming is a big problem. Even if the average global temperature rises only one degree annually, in a decade we will have serious consequences. Everyone already knows that the polar ice caps are melting. Once this ice water merges with the ocean, a good bit of the landmass that makes up the continents will end up underwater. New York, Florida, and New Orleans will be submerged, as well as other places like Bangladesh. And yet, there is more to global warming than just ice-melt. The temperature will affect us in and of itself. The summers are sweltering, each year seeming hotter than the last. The winters are getting warmer and shorter each year. In the area around Houston, the summer heat spans from mid-March all the way to November. The seasons give the impression of

going from winter straight into summer. The temperature extremes are not healthy, and yet this predicament is of our own doing. The weather will get extreme as the climate change gets worse. We are already seeing some of these severe conditions. In 2005, there were 23 hurricanes and tropical storms. Katrina, a Category 4 and the worst hurricane in American history, made landfall in the Gulf Coast, killing 1302 people and displaced millions of others. These problems are not limited to the U.S. In Mongolia, severe snow, cold, and gales called dzuds ravage the country. Recently, it froze the ground and covered the vegetation vital to the countrys herds of livestock. Over 8.2 million animals, which makes up a fifth of all of Mongolias livestock, died due to the dzud. In Mongolia, the wealth of the people is measured by hoof. Many herders were left with nothing to herd. The remaining domestic animals have fallen sick due to the weather, of which many will die. The weather is now a curse and a thing to fear. The U.S. has to attempt to assist in international environmental efforts. The situation is getting to a point that neutrality is no longer an option. Temperature and the weather have changed for the worst and is the consequence of our actions. We must now do our best to minimize the outcome and try to reverse the damage we have done. The time to act is now.

Hutzler, Charles. Mourning in Mongolia: Herders Bury Carcasses and Tally Losses After A Harsh Winter. The Los Angeles Times. 31 May 2010 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-as-mongoliacarcasses,0,7919967.story 30 May 2010. Rosenthal, Elisabeth. Climate Fears Turn To Doubt Among Britons. The New York Times. 24 May 2010: A1 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/earth/25climat e.html?scp=2&sq=climate%20change&st=cse