Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14



Global Warming Issue Paper

Changes are taking place on the Earth every day that constantly people try to find some
reasoning why they are happening. There is talk of Domes day, End of times, signs of the
Rapture or what I would like to explore a more scientific term to what we are seeing called
Global Warming. The Subject that I have chosen to review I feel passionately about where we
live is worth cleaning up and keeping our planet safe for our next generations to come. I feel that
global warming is a topic I wanted to learn more and explore the information because I found it
intriguing. Yes we will explore the Greenhouse effect and discuss the issue cause and effect.
Global warming is happening and we need to take steps to make change.

There are many Theories to global warming and why its happening I Think to fully understand
we must discuss and Understand the greenhouse effect. The Greenhouse effect is based on the
initial warming of the lower atmosphere and the warming of the surface of our planet. This
Process also take into account the sunlight particles in the atmosphere and gases. The greenhouse
effect has continued to increase dramatically since the eighteen hundreds.
Natural Greenhouse effect is consistent of approximately thirty percent Atmospheres reflect
energy Provided by sunlight, and Thirty Percent that is absorbed and then last the remaining

Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14



Forty Percent or so reaches the earth. Now out of that percent only approximately fifteen percent
of the solar energy is reflected back to space and the rest is what heats Land and Sea. Now when
the Ray strikes substances such as greenhouse Gases, particles, and substances absorb the rays
that equal gas particles heated. The cool send out infrared rays that go back into space. The
remainder radiates back to the surface adding warming of the surface layer of air.

Fact that I found when looking into this information that I find important:
That without the Natural greenhouse effect the surface would average about fifty-nine
degrees.
2003-2008 More than a trillion tons of Island ice melted ( ten times the size of
Manhattan)
West Antarctic loosing ice seventy-five percent faster than the decade before
Fifty chance by 2021 lake med which backs up Colorado river behind Hover dam could
run dry
Since 1921 from the base of Mount Everest shows Three hundred Vertical feet of ice
(comparable size of statue of liberty) has Melted since Mallory expedition
Temperatures have increased about one and a half degree Fahrenheit, yet we continue
pouring in carbon into Atmosphere so the temperature will continue to keep rising.
Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14


Now that we have all have some theories of global warming, I want to take a look at what is
ahead. There will continue to be warming. So I figure that since we can see how this is naturally
happening and how People are just progressing the process faster I want to see the effects that we
may see in the near Future.

Effect right now happening with Global warming that we can see. We can all see that ice is
melting from pole to pole there is an increase in Temperatures already over a degree and even
more in the polar areas. According to Bill Fraser the decline of Adeline Penguins on the
Antarctica has fallen from 3200 to 11000 in thirty year span. The levels of Sea is on the rise with
all the melting in the last century. Emperor Penguins have declined by fifty percent in the last
century. Another sign of Animals changes due to the recent changes is Animals moving to higher
cooler areas, an Example of this would be the migration of butterflies, Foxes, and Alpine Plants
have moved to higher grounds, and colder areas. Across the Globe there has been an increase in
rain and Snowfall on an average.

Some Effects that will might see in the later part of the century; Ecosystems will be changing
becoming extinct with the climate changes, migrating to new areas. There will be less fresh
water available if the ice cap in Peru continues to melt at the current rate is will be gone by
approximately 2100, Leaving thousands of people without Electricity, water for drinking.
Diseases will spread such as Malaria. Hurricanes and Storms are likely to become Stronger.
Floods and droughts will become more common.
Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14



You might be asking yourself, so what can we do directly to assist in global warming? Here are
ten direct things that every person can do: Recycle reuse and reduce, Turn down you Heater and
AC, Check your Light bulb watts, Reduce time Driving and Idling, Buy products that are Energy
efficient, Reduce your usage of Hot water, Use the Off switch/ unplug items not in use, Utilize
the reports that are available from you utility companies, and Last Challenge and encourage
others to Conserve.

Lets break these down individually. First let take a look at Recycling. Just by simply recycling
reusing and reducing the items it could have a huge amount of Carbon dioxide each year. If half
of your items in your household was recycled it could potentially reduce carbon Dioxide by
approximately 2400 pounds per year. If you have no available recycling at work or near your
home, simply start one. Try to buy less disposable items. You can always start a compose pile
and reduce on garbage that way use in your garden. If you buy items in bulk then you will save
on the plastic wrap that covers the items.

Heat and Ac, If add some insulation, weather strip, caulking around windows. Just reducing the
air that enter and leaves your home you can see a Twenty five percent change in heating costs.
You can also save on a ton of Carbon dioxide a year if you just adjust your temperature Two
degrees lower in the winter and two degrees higher in the summer.
Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14



Checking your light bulbs is a very easy way to help, because every little bite helps. When your
light bulb burns out simply replace that Sixty Watt with a Compact Fluorescent light give off
seventy percent less heat and will save you money around Thirty dollars over the life of that
bulb, and it also will last ten times long. It is estimated that if Every U.S Family replaced just one
regular light with a Compact Fluorescent light, I could potentially save about Ninety Billions lbs.
of Gases, which is equivalent to seven and half Million cars off the road.

Reducing driving by doing this you are saving on Carbon Dioxide. Each gallon of Gasoline is
approximately twenty pounds of Carbon Dioxide that is released into our air. Making sure that
your car is properly services and running properly will make sure that you are getting the most
out of your car. Looking in to hybrid cars is now an Options to help you get the most out of your
gas and conserve on Carbons released into our atmosphere as while. Take a bike, walk or
carpooling even if its only one time a week ever little bite will help.

Buying Energy efficient product/items. As your household Items need to be replaced look into
what will save you energy or Gas Mileage. There are so many new options out there for us to
take advantage of. Hybrid cars or Electric are good options that are now available. There are so
many new Home Appliances that are energy efficient with lots of rebates available to the
consumers. Solar power lighting and compact florescent bulbs provide an options for you that
save money and energy that will help to reduce the process of global warming.
Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14




Reducing Hot water if you set your water heater to One hundred and twenty degrees and wrap it
pipes with insulation and a blanket it to keep the heat insulated. You can buy Low flow
showerhead which can help reduce about three hundred lbs. of carbon dioxide and save hot
water. Washing clothes in cold water can have a huge effect on energy required. Check to see if
your dishwasher offers air-dry setting or energy efficient cycle.

Turning off Switches in your home and can help reduce the usage of Electricity and greatly assist
in helping in global warming. That means turning off lights, DVD players unplugging coffee
pots or curling irons. Yes, even when they are plugged in a tiny amount of energy is used. Every
little bite helps.
Planting Trees or Plants will help by utilizing the photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process
in which trees and plants absorb Carbon Dioxide and give off Oxygen that is released. Yes
Sounds like a clich to go plant a tree to help with the environment but it is one of the best thing
that we can do to give back to the place we live in. To give a perspective of how important one
tree can take in one ton of Carbon Dioxide during its life.

Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14


Next Important thing is utility the reports that your Utility companies provide you. By reading
this report it can help you to see how others around your houses energy is in comparison to your
own. To see if there is something that you can do to be saving your energy. A lot of

people dont even realize that they are over using the power and water by seeing this report it can
put a broader prospective of where the problem maybe and there maybe resource like rebates or
programs to help you pay for the cost of energy efficient upgrades.

Last Encourage Others to share your journey. Educate people around you about why we should
recycle why global warming is happening and why we should be taking these steps to preserve
our world that we now know.

There is no certainty for what tomorrow will hold but we have long list of possibilities and facts
that back the evidence of what is happening and progressing to the point that we could see the
future is in need of some changes to try to avoid any further damage. There has been many
scientist that have reviewed these possibilities and No one can say for certainty but they can all
agree that we are heading that direction. Most places will continue to get warmer temperatures at
the rate we are going. Sea levels will continue to rise for Centuries, Weather patterns will keep
changing bring Drought and Stronger storms, Ecosystems will continue to be stressed, Carbon
Dioxide will affect out Biological systems that we have become adapt to. There will be
Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14


significant unforeseen impacts for Animals and Humans since we are so comfortable in the
present climate. We must ask ourselves how long we can ignore the facts and not make the
changes that we need to. We have gone over little aspects that can make dramatic changes it is
hard when looking at all the evidence as a whole to continue to turn your cheek. Some of these
changes we will see if we are looking and others are not far from our distant future. The
consequences are in motion for the neglect to take more proactive step already now I challenge
everyone to be that change that make the difference. Focus on just the little ten steps in this paper
and make the difference that can change where we are headed. Earth is our Home and we owe it
to ourselves and our future generations to come to be the Difference.










Michelle Melton

ENGL-1010-Su14-Strickland

7/28/14



Citation Page
The follow books were used in referencing and summarizing the information in the paper above.

Goodell, Jeff Copyright How to cool the Planet 2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003

http:// environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/ Source for
climate information: IPCC, 2007

McKibben, Bill Eaarth Times book Henry Holt and company, LLC 2010

World Book Encyclopedia 2007 World book, INC Chicago IL

The Discovery of Global Warming February 2014 copyright 2007-2014 Spencer West Institute of Physics.