Carbon Dioxide Emissions Outline

Thesis: Global warming has brought so many problems to this world; it is time for us to stop it even before things get worse. I. Different greenhouse gases A. Natural 1. Water vapor 2. Carbon dioxide CO2 3. Methane CH4 4. Nitrous oxide NO2 B. Man-made 1. Sulfur hexafluoride SF6 2. Perfluorocarbon PFCs 3. Hydrofluorocarbon HFCs 4. Chlorofluorocarbon CFCs II. Contributors of CO2 A. Combustion of carbon-containing materials B. Manufacture of several products C. Decomposition of carbonates D. Deforestation III. Consequences we face A. Storms B. Drought C. Flood D. Increase of disease vectors E. Melting of glaciers F. Devastation of wildlife IV. Solutions A. Renewable resources B. Conserving energy C. Earth-friendly choices D. Transportation E. Food miles F. Garbage G. Reduce, reuse, recycle H. Plant trees Concluding statement: Fighting global warming may be a very difficult task, but we should join hands in saving our home. Alone, it will be impossible; but together, we can make a difference.

Humanity faces tons of problems nowadays. Overpopulation, poverty, hunger, natural calamities, water shortages, animal extinction, pollution, diseases these are just some of the challenges we come acrosswhich are, in one way or another, related to global warming. It is time we should act now and stop being part of the problem but part of the solution. Global warming begins when the suns energy, in the form of light and heat, enters the Earth. However, it rises up, escapes the earths atmosphere, and returns to space in the form of infrared waves. Due to the presence of greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, most of this radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. This is natures way of keeping the Earth at a comfortable temperature; without it, this planet would be too cold to even live in (Gore 26). Global Warming causes imbalance in nature, which would not only destroy our planet, but also the lives of everyone living in it. says Iris Nikki Miguel, 16. Mother Nature has provided us with the perfect place to live in. But then, what are we humans doing to it in return?! We have gone way too far beyond our limits and ruined the delicate balance of Earth. We have greatly increased the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) along with other greenhouse gases, thereby thickening the atmospheretrapping more heat and bringing up the Earths average temperature dangerously warmer (Gore 27). The total greenhouse gas emissions comprises of 80% carbon dioxide (Gore 28) which comes from burning of materials containing carbon such as wood, foods, and fossil fuelsoil, natural gas, petroleum, and coal; decomposition or rotting of carbonates also contribute to it (Funk & Wagnalls. Volume 5. 294); several industrial production processes emit CO2 as well mineral production, metal production, chemical production (Carbon dioxide)

Trees sequester about a ton of CO2 throughout its life time. However, when it is cut down and used as firewood or when it dies and decomposes naturally, it will release most of the gases it stored and return it back to the atmosphere (de Rothschild 82). Landfills, livestock farming, fossil-fuel burning, wastewater treatment, and other industries contribute to 60% of the methane currently found in the Earths atmosphere. Seventeen percent of nitrous oxide has also been added to the atmosphere by humans from fertilizers, fossil fuels, and the burning of forests and crop residues. There are even several greenhouse gases which are produced solely by human activity: sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), perfluorocarbon (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs), and chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) (Gore 28). Never was there a point in the last 650,000 years before the Industrial Revolution, that the concentrations of CO2 on Earth went above 300 parts per million (ppm) (Gore 66). Formerly, there were only 280ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere before the preindustrial era. Now that humans have advanced in technology, CO2 emissions werent left behind. It is estimated that the present CO2 concentrations have now increased to 380ppm (de Rothschild 8). Due to the increase of greenhouse gases, we are raising temperatures worldwide. Weve just invited more trouble. Climate change is highly evident all over the worldglaciers are melting; some experience drought, some storms; sea levels are rising; the Arctic and Antarctic are both shrinking; desertification is increasing; permafrost which were referred to as permanently frozen, are starting to thaw; more and more species are threatened by climate change; rainforests, coral reefs, as well as other habitats are dying; appearance of algae blooms fed by pollution increases therefore adding more dead zones; disease vectors have been increasing thereby new diseases arise (Gore 48, 114, 186, 126, 118, 133, 163, 164, 170, 172).

If we dont stop contributing to global warming the world would get hotter and hotter, causing ice caps at the poles to melt. If this happens, sea levels would rise and it would flood low places, says Mario Miguel, 47, You cant say that youre going to live on the 100th floor of a 100-story building, because even if you live up there, you would not be able to get down. We should all join hands in helping to solve this crisis and restore Earths natural balance. Weve brought it to this mess and now we have to fix itbring it back to how it used to be because thats how it ought to be. These may all seem too difficult to probably be fixed but all this chaos weve brought to our planet also seemed too bad to be true in the first place. If we have ended up like this, Im sure we could put things back to its natural rhythm. There are lots of ways we could help correct our mistakes. If we work together, even the simplest actions when accumulated can make a huge impact on this planet. Everything- from the choice of appliances to energy consumption, travelling to food, and even the trash we create; all these may affect global warming. First of all, although the burning of fossil fuels is a non-renewable source of energy, more than 85% of the energy we use today comes from the burning of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. And since the burning of fossil fuels emits CO2, it means that by wasting electricity or travelling too much you are contributing lots of CO2 into the atmosphere. About 21.3 billion tons of CO2 is produced yearly; combustion of fossil fuels also produces other air pollutants and harmful substances (Fossil Fuel). Luckily, there are renewable sources of energy such as photovoltaic, which uses solar panels to convert sunlight to electricity; solar thermal electricity, where the heat of the sun is focused by means of mirrors which in turn powers a generator; wind power, where large turbines

are directly moved by the wind are used to generate electricity; geothermal energy, which uses the Earths internal heat; hydroelectric power, which uses the flow of water to turn turbines which then generates electricity; biomass, which uses biological material as a source of energy either directly or by first converting it to biofuel. By using these renewable resources, the carbon emissions would be lessened and we are one step closer to saving this planet (de Rothschild 41). Saving energy is a good way for anyone to help in reducing their carbon footprints. Since most of the energy sources nowadays come from fossil fuels which emit CO2 into the atmosphere, reducing in energy consumption is a simple step for us to help solve this problem. Go change an incandescent bulb into a compact fluorescent (CFL) and youve saved 500 pounds of coal from being combusted over the life of the bulb (de Rothschild 18). Phantom electricity, another culprit for wasted energy, is the consumption of electricity by appliances when they are off or in standby mode. Billions of dollars are wasted each year in industrial countries alone, just for the phantom electrical load; not only that, 75 million tons of CO2 is just being thrown to the atmosphere (de Rothschild 32). Choosing the right appliances also affects your CO2 emissions. Say a television, a 42 plasma screen could consume 400 watts. It could even use more electricity than a refrigerator. But it is not just about appliances alone, even houses and vehicles. The bigger, the more greenhouse gases it produces (de Rothschild 22). Travelling also accounts for plenty of CO2 in the air because of the burning of fossil fuels to keep the engines running. If ever possible, it is better to use a bike for short distances or trains for long distances instead of cars or planes. Or better yet, just skip it; if one million passengers skipped one five-hour flight, a million tons of CO2 would be eliminated (de Rothschild 26). Also,

using smaller cars reduces your carbon footprint rather if you use an SUV. Its not just about the fuel consumption; the manufacturing of SUVs creates more greenhouse gases than a smaller car (de Rothschild 22). But, it isnt just about you travelling your food does too! A typical meal has to travel roughly 22,000 miles just to reach your platefrom where it is grown, to where its packaged, to where its sold, and finally ends up in your stomach. Well, of course in order to be transported, it burns up fuel and contributes to your carbon footprint. Support your local farmers and eat locally grown food; this way you could also help the Earth (de Rothschild 62). Another culprit of global warming is all the trash we dump to the land, ocean, and air. Styrofoam, plastic, paper these are just a few of the garbage humans produce. These all need great amounts of energy to manufacture and we just throw them out. Some could take years to decompose and others could still bring harm to the environment and the animals living in it. Segregate your trash: biodegradable and non-biodegradable. For the biodegradable trash you have, you could make compost and use it as fertilizer. However it produces CO2, but thats better instead of methane which is 23 times worse (de Rothschild 38). A perfect rule is to use the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. First of all, reduce the products you buy. Avoid buying unnecessary stuff whenever possible. If it really is that important, you should at least find a way on how to reuse it. Let it have another purpose before reaching the end of its life. For example, you could reuse your newspapers instead of recycling it (paper can only be recycled up to 3-5 times); use it for protecting fragile packages instead of using styrofoam or bubble wrap, use it to keep the shape of your shoes while acting as a deodorant at the same time, use it to make compost, wrap a gift, or even make a piata (de

Rothschild 88-89). When it comes to choosing the right bag, which is really more earth-friendly? Paper or plastic? Well, actually, it isnt any of them. Seventeen trees need to be cut and sacrificed just to create a ton of paper bags while a ton of plastic bags needs 11 barrels of crude oil. Plastics need 5 to 1000 years to decompose but paper only needs a month but due to poor landfill design, it decomposes nearly at the same rate as plastic. The right choice is to use a reusable bag (de Rothschild 81). Finally, when it really cannot be reused anymore because its worn out, thats the time for you to recycle! This way, we could reduce the trash that we have in this world and make this place a better one for the generations to come. Trees theyve been our friends since the beginning of time. Without them, life wouldnt even exist. Then why are we, people killing what life depends on? Trees sequester CO2 and give off oxygen. They reduce soil erosion, prevent floods, serve as the habitat of wildlife, and beautify our surroundings (Puno 7). Over the lifetime of a single tree, it can absorb more than a ton of CO2 (de Rothschild 82). Imagine how much trees have lessened while the cities and other developments grew. The advancements in technology have increased greenhouse gases and the trees have been cut down. So what is the fate of this pitiful Earth and all the creatures living in it? We are risking our own lives and affecting so much other lives. Why wait for everything to get worse? We have brought ourselves into this mess but it is time for us to conquer it and move on. We cannot just stay like this forever and just leave our descendants with an awful world greeting them the very moment theyre born and bidding them goodbye on their death. As William Ernest Henley said, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Fighting global warming may be a very difficult task, but we should all join hands in saving our only home. If we really put ourselves into it, if we all have the desire to save Earth, it wouldnt be impossible. Alone, it might be; but together, we can make a difference.

Works Cited
de Rothschild, David. The Global Warming Survival Handbook. Rodale. United Kingdom. 2007. Dioxide, carbon. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.html Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. Volume 5. Funk & Wagnalls, Inc. United States of America. 1986 Fuel, fossil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel#Environmental_effects Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth. Rodale. New York. 2006. Miguel, Iris Nikki. Interview. Grade 12 student. October 8, 2011 Miguel, Mario. Interview. Mechanical Engineer. October 8, 2011 Puno, Alicia T. 30 Reasons to Plant Trees. S&T Digest. Volume 12, No. 3. September October 2007.

Vegetarianism
Doing the exact same process he uses to slaughter pigs, he did it to himselfknocking himself unconscious, exsanguinating himself, removing his hair, eviscerating himself, and cutting himself in halfthat is until he died. Yep, he managed to do these to himself. Why?! you might ask. Well, this butcher turned away from his past. While sharpening the knife meant for the animals, as if by destiny, it turned to him instead. It was painful, the butcher realized. If this wound hurts me so badly, how much more painful would it be for those animals I kill? The Silver Rule states Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. Guilt overwhelmed him because he has been torturing animals and just a wound hurts him so badly. Of course nobody would want to die just as butchered animals do. What if, instead of people eating pigs, pigs would barbeque human intestines instead? If fish, grill human flesh? If chickens, deep-fry human legs? Of course, we dont want that to happen, so why do we do that to them? Not only will it benefit the animals if we turn away from this evil, but it will also benefit usthe people, and even the whole world. With the increase of diseases throughout the world and the global warming predicament, dont you think it is time to act and put a stop to these? There is one small solution (but probably a big sacrifice)well, that is compared to the horrendous problemsthat if done by a lot of people in the world, could yield great effects. Be a vegetarian. For those animal lovers out there, do you have to be biased about which animals to love? Every year, millions of cows are skinned and dismembered while fully conscious. Without painkillers, piglets in factory farms have hunks of flesh torn from their ears and have their tails

chopped off. Fish are dragged from the ocean depths and undergo excruciating decompression, which often ruptures their swim bladders, make their eyes pop out, and pushes their stomachs through their mouths. Lastly, more chickens are killed for food than all other farmed animals combined.1 They are hung by their feet on shackles while conscious, and are then stunned by being dipped, head first, into an electrified water bath before their throats are cut. This stunning is sometimes ineffective: the struggling birds may raise their heads and miss the water, resulting in fully conscious birds having their throats cut.2 Can you say that you love animals and bear knowing that they are killed that way, then still happily eat them in front of your dining table? And this is because you cannot resist its yumminess? Besides caring for animals, almost everyone should care and love our only planet. I bet all these years you know the leading contributor to greenhouse gases cars right? Well thats wrong. Livestock is responsible for 18% of the total emissions. What we consume is what really consumes our Mother Earth at its worst consumption. Every day, a million cows burp about 220 tons of methane (21 times more Global Warming Potential than carbon dioxide) while their manure releases nitrous oxide (296 times worse than carbon dioxide) destroying the delicate balance of Mother Nature. That doesnt include yet the emissions from collateral effects such as deforestation for pastures, fertilizer for feed crops, and energy for meat-packing. And all the clean ground water for consumption only gets polluted by the 86,000 pounds of manure each cow produces per second (and that only pertains to American livestock). Besides those, imagine wasting 32,900 calories of fossil energy just to produce that 940 calorie 12-ounce steak!3

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http://features.peta.org/VegetarianStarterKit/index.asp http://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm_animals/poultry/meat_chickens/welfare_issues.aspx 3 Global Warming Survival Handbook-David de Rothschild (pages 66-67)

What is so great about eating meat anyway? I just dont get why people are so obsessed with eating a greasy quarter-pounder hamburger with diet coke if it brings nothing but blood vessel-choking cholesterol leading to a life-time confinement in the ICU. What should we do about our shortened life-spans continuously decreasing every decade? What is the least common denominator of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension? The answer lies in nothing but one wordcholesterol.4 Meat contains all those gross fatty substances which are not only disgusting, but also the main cause of clogging the blood vessels causing nothing but illness and earlier deaths among the people of the meat-eating world. Meat consumption is also related to poorer thinking because of the cholesterol content.5 Aside from this, the increasing demand of meat pushes factory farms to increase the production rate, forcing them to inject lethal hormones which would accelerate the growth of a baby animal into its full-grown size in a few months. After several months of pampering, the animal arrives at the slaughter house awaiting its death. At the last breath of its life, it helplessly cries for someone to save it, knowing that no one is there to stop the butchers knife from taking away its life. In its death bed, the animals body secretes toxins as a natural defense mechanism poisoning whoever eats its carcass. Not even deep-frying can eradicate the toxins and hormones absorbed deep into the animals flesh. When people eat the meat, the bacteria are then transmitted to their body. The hydrochloric acid of humans isnt made to fully digest meatit isnt strong enough. The digestive system of humans will not properly break down substantial acid substances of
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http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/diseases-linked-high-cholesterol http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm

meat and therefore takes about four to five days to digest. Not to mention that since the human intestine is 10-12 times their body length, the rapidly decaying meat cannot pass through it quickly. Dont you think the meat you ate will putrefy in your intestines? Meat starts rotting after four hours of consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of your intestines for fourteen to twenty one days. But, if a person is constipated, then the rotting meat can stay in the intestines for months or even years.6 Not only will you be turning your body into a graveyard, but it will also cause bacteria to multiply into billions more. These illness-causing bacteria weaken the immune system making meat-eaters more prone to getting sick. Contrary to belief, vegetarians are stronger and healthier than meat-eaters; they also have better stamina and endurance. Protein is the building block of the body, which is found in meat; and since vegetarians dont eat meat, then they still dont have the complete balanced diet, a lot of people might argue; but they are missing one whole pointwhole grains, beans, lentils, legumes, soy, nuts, and seeds.7 In fact, animal meat contains too much protein but the quality of this protein is so poor that little of it can ever be utilized by humans More usable protein is found in one tablespoon of tofu or soybeans than the average serving of meat! This is due to meats incomplete combination of amino acids. Studies also show that the average American consumes about five times more the amount of protein necessary. Everyone knows that too much of something is bad. Of course that also applies to protein. Excess meat consumption can cause high levels of uric acid (waste product from the process of digesting protein) and attacks the

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http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/tp/protein.htm

kidneys and breaks down the kidney cells. 8 Too much protein also causes dehydration, increased fat storage, diabetic ketoacidosis, osteoporosis, gout, and kidney diseases.9 Others also argue that vegetarians dont have enough sources of iron and vitamin B12. Beans, cashews, raisins, spinach, tomato juice, and tempeh are good sources of iron. And fortified cereal, soymilk, and multivitamins provide vitamin B12.10 Whole ecosystems had to be annihilated just so we could have one single crop, someone said. Well, basically I think she is right. But thats instead of approximately 26% of the total land area used for grazing livestock. Only 0.45% of the total land area is used for growing fruits and vegetables. Besides that, the grain consumption ratio of livestock to human is 7:1.11 So, not only would ecosystems be destroyed for grazing livestock, but also for the food to feed them. One out of seven people are hungrythat is about a billion people. Why not use it to feed the hungry instead? As vegetarians enjoy longer lives, younger looking bodies, and healthier lifestyles, meateaters spend the rest of their after-40-years of life in the ICU room. And not only does it benefit the vegetarians but also those poor little (or big) animals being killed and also Mother Nature. Remember the butcher? Follow him (Well, not that I want you to eat yourself or something like that.). Turn away from what you wouldnt want the animals to do to you. Besides, life is too short to be spent in the hospital bed, so why take the risk? Should we only sit here and do nothing? Or should we wait for our turn in the hospital beds then regret all that has happened to

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http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm http://www.freefitnesstips.co.uk/protein-disadvantages.html 10 http://features.peta.org/VegetarianStarterKit/index.asp 11 Global Warming Survival Handbook-David de Rothschild

us? Or should we finally open the door for the only answer that has been knocking at our doorsteps for years? Act now and change the world.