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Olivia Buonaspina

Mrs. Barnes

English 112

10 May 2017

Global Warmings Presence in our World

Global warming is not a conqueror to kneel before- but a challenge to rise to. A

challenge we must rise to. Joe Lieberman, a former United States senator, stated this quote in an

effort to emphasis the growing need for action against the rising threat known as global warming.

Although there are various examples of ways global warming is affecting our atmosphere, Most

people are going to reject the notion that they are individually responsible.. (Interview). This

creates an issue in the way society views global warming, causing the topic to be pushed aside.

As a result of various detrimental factors affecting Earths atmosphere, the consequences of

global warming are becoming present in the world.

A rising effect of global warming that is being documented in various countries around

the planet is climate change, specifically temperature and precipitation levels. While the average

American citizen doesnt believe that this change could be occurring in areas away from bodies

of water, they could not be further from the truth. In Ohio alone, the temperature has been

constantly increasing by approximately 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900, with the global rate

increasing by just a smidge lower at 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (interview). These changes are also

occurring in in the wintertime,often reaching an increase of around 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit, per

year! Precipitation in Ohio has also changed in the past 100 years, rising from only 37in of

precipitation in 1900 to around 41 inches of precipitation present-day. Please refer to the graphs
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below to see the stunning visual fluctuation. The first figure shows the change in Ohios

temperature throughout the years 1895-1914 while the second graph shows the changes in

Ohios precipitation during that same time period.

Some of the most underrated natural resources that Earth provides us with are the ice caps and

sheets found in polar regions. These massive chunks of ice may seem useless, but in reality they

reflect sunlight, influence ocean currents, insulate the air, limit severe weather and support native

humans and animals (McLendon). With all these benefits, it is hard to comprehend why we are
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putting their destruction to the backburner. In the past year alone, arctic sea ice saw a record

low level for its average extent in January, according to the center - over a million square

kilometers smaller than the average ice extent seen from 1981-2010 ( Mooney, Chris). In fact,

Images from NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] satellites show that the

area of permanent ice cover is contracting at a rate of 9 percent each decade (Natural). The low

ice levels create a hotter atmosphere which then leads to a warmer climate, which eventually

causes more ice to melt. This vicious cycle has rapidly sped up throughout the years and will

continue to do so unless society does something to stop it! Along with creating a warmer climate,

the melting ice also results in a rise of sea levels. Researchers studying these effects are now

forecasting that sea levels could rise by up to ten feet as a result, threatening low-lying land

(Antarctica). The rising sea levels are dangerous for not only the Arctic, but the United States

too! In a recent study on sea level rising, scientists found that this increase would inundate some

22,400 square miles of land along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, primarily in

Louisiana, Texas, Florida and North Carolina (Natural). If actions arent taken against these

issues, by 2100 life in these areas will be drastically different.

In a recent survey, over 85% of participants answered yes when asked if they believed

in global warming, yet there were very few responses when asked how to help prevent it. The

solution may seem impossible, but if every individual takes small steps towards creating a more

eco-friendly lifestyle, we can begin to see changes on Earth. Soon, the effects of global warming

will lessen their impact on the environment and humans and animals alike will begin to notice

the positive change occurring on our planet.

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Works Cited

"Antarctica's melting ice cap 'at point of no return'." Times [London, England], 4 Feb. 2016, p.

17. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A442205681/GIC?u=mass

12242&xid= a8d99e7a. Accessed 29 Dec. 2016.

Buonaspina, Olivia. Global Warming Survey. Survey. 8 March 2017

McLendon, Russell. "7 reasons why Arctic sea ice matters." MNN - Mother Nature Network.

Mother Nature Network, 16 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 May 2017.

Mooney, Chris. "The 'ridiculously' warm Arctic just set another ominous record." Washington

Post, 2 Mar. 2016. Global Issues in Context,

ic.galegroup.com/ic/gic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=&d

isplayGroupName=News&currPage=&dviSelectedPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId=GI

C&search_within_results=&p=GIC%3AOVIC&mode=view&catId=&limiter=&display-

query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%

7CA444853234&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&

source=Bookmark&u=mass12242&jsid=9170f247ca71cee742b9cbfbc9825208.

Accessed 14 Nov. 2016.

Natural Resources Defense Council. "Global Warming Is Melting Polar Ice Masses." Is Global

Warming a Threat?, edited by Mary E. Williams, Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?disableHig

hlighting=false&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&currPage=&scanId=&query=&prodId

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play-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GA

LE%7CEJ3010280220&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commen

tary=&source=Bookmark&u=mass12242&jsid=75dd3431a94314185b68055f26f29b93.

Accessed 15 Nov. 2016.

Sohngen, Brent. Personal Interview. 8 March 2017