Anna DeJonge

Mrs. Spaman

AP ENGLISH LIT

19 November 2017

Global Warming

Global warming is the single issue that has the capacity to destroy the world as we know
itand its already begun its reign of terror. So why isnt this a heavily discussed topic in media
and news today? Most people doubt global warmings existence, and, those who do believe deny
theres any solution within our grasp. But global warming is real, its here, and its very, very
destructive.

Many of the elements believed to affect global warming arose at the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution, when Europe and America were beginning to open factories and mass
produce products ("Global warming"). The carbon dioxide released was the starting point, the
amount exceeding what nature was able to counteract on its own. Trees and oceans actually have
the ability to flush out this unwanted pollution when in small doses. Ironically, the more we
started producing, the more trees we cut down, limiting our own chances to help solve the
problem we were starting. As harmful chemicals are being immersed in our air supply, the ozone
layer slowly depletes, allowing even more harmful UV rays and radiation to slip through the
cracks and enter the earths atmosphere, causing a plethora of problems. The term global
warming can be confusing to the public, because in many places people see no warming of
the earth. And while its there, its gradual, but the depletion of the ozone layer cools the earth
enough to counteract the warming caused by the greenhouse effect. However, this is the opposite
of a solutionwe need the ozone layer! And while we cant necessarily see the warming of the
earth, its there. Theres overwhelming scientific evidence to back up the existence of global
warming, its just not being broadcasting nor taken seriously. Between 1880 and 2012, global
average surface temperature increased by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit ("Global warming). In just
over thirty years, the entire world increased in temperature. Imagine the increase in one hundred
yearstwo hundred! We may not feel it, but our childrens children will, and it will not create a
pleasant life for them. By the end of the twenty-first century, temps are predicted to increase up
to 8.6 degrees. That makes for 90 degree Michigan summer days, on average, meaning it could
surpass one hundred degrees weekly. And thats in eighty years; in two hundred, temperatures
could be up twenty degrees, making regions of the earth uninhabitable. And thats if nature
survives that long. Global warming is ruining our ecosystem, destroying coral reefs, rising sea
levels, and spurring mass hurricanes and tsunamis (Revere). The effects are not merely global
warming.

Global warming and ozone depletion are entirely man made, and we are solely to blame
for its effects. A single human being accumulates a horrendous amount of waste in their lifetime.
Our carbon footprint exceeds that of an animal by a million times. Our factories pollute, we
throw away tons and tons of food every day, we drive cars when we could be biking or, at the
very least, carpooling. The worst thing animals do is fart, which releases carbon dioxide. And
many animals have or will become extinct by our doing. Our cutting down of their trees, our
destruction of their coral reefsit may not directly affect us, but it will long term. Without
certain animals, the ecosystem fails. We are members of the ecosystem and we are not doing a
good job at upholding it, which could cost us everything (Hydrosphere).

Global warming even threatens our health. Scientists are finding cataracts to be an effect
of exposure to UV-B radiation from the sun, let in by our lack of ozone layer. Harmful chemicals
are in our atmosphere just waiting to strike. Radiation plays a huge role in skin cancer, cataracts,
and immune deficiencies. One percent ozone loss equates to a two percent raise in skin cancer.
People die from the skin cancer they get from our carelessness with Mother Nature (Revere).

People often make the argument that one person cant make a difference. But if a hundred
individuals make lifestyle changes thats huge! A single household can make many easy
switches to promote a healthier earth, including being conscious of heating and cooling systems.
Changing the temperature two degrees can be a huge energy saver, and even save money. It takes
a lot of energy to regulate, clean, heat, and pump water for a bath or shower; be wary of how
long the waters running and try to shorten shower time to less than ten minutes. When a room is
unoccupied, turn off the lights, and switch to Compact Florescent Light bulbs, which use 60%
less energy. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle a phrase taught in elementary schools everywhere, but
rightly so. Recycling reduces a persons carbon footprint, something that if done in large
quantity, could drastically slow global warming (Denchak).

Human ignorance is a theme also seen in Voltaires Candide. The main character is very
naive and it causes him to lose his family, friends, and wealth. If he had only opened his eyes and
acted, he could have found a way to save his friends without throwing away his fortune
carelessly. A solution for global warming and humanity is out there we, too, need to open our
eyes. Change only happens when individuals take action, says Aliya Haq, director of NRDCs
Clean Power Plan initiative, so every single person matters if we want to stall or begin to reverse
the effects of global warming on our earth.
 Sources Cited

Denchak, Melissa. How You Can Stop Global Warming. NRDC, 17 July 2017,
www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming.

"Global warming." Britannica School, Encyclopdia Britannica, 30 Jun. 2016.

school.eb.com/levels/high/article/global-warming/37044. Accessed 27 Nov. 2017.

"Hydrosphere." Britannica School, Encyclopdia Britannica, 9 Nov. 2017.

school.eb.com/levels/high/article/hydrosphere/106293. Accessed 27 Nov. 2017.

Revere, Jessica Vallette. "Ozone Depletion & Global Warming." Foreign Policy in Focus, Apr.
2000, p. 1. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?. Accessed 27 Nov. 2017