Zora's Argumentative Essay on Climate Change
Our planet is in jeopardy. The threat humanity is facing is greater than any war, plague, or alien invasion. It's the threat of our planet literally tearing itself apart. Preposterous, right? But it's not as far fetched as we would like to think. Climate change is caused almost explicitly by Global Warming, which in turn is caused by humans. But, as a species, humans like progress. Progress in science, progress in industry, progress in technology. All good things. But what happens when we work towards this progress is that we make messes, which is fine. However, we don't always clean up the messes we create. Like factories that emit smog and CO2 into the atmosphere, chemicals released into the water that poison our ecosystems, fertilizers that kill our plants and wildlife. And some people have the audacity to pretend there isn't a problem! The fact is, Climate Change is a real threat, and the world should take measures to ensure that we preserve our earth.
It's no secret that Climate Change is bad for our plants and animals. But what many people don't realize is the impact that Climate Change will have and is having on our many species of plants and animals. Because of the increase if CO2 in the atmosphere, the earth is heating up. This means that for animals like polar bears and seal, their habitats are being destroyed. For other animals, because the earth is heating up, they are being forced to migrate into different ecosystems and environments as invasive species. When this happens, ecosystems are damaged and often destroyed, because new animals eat new plants and other animals, which upsets the balance of animals and plants. Eventually, the animals in that area will run out of food to eat and will have to migrate again. Because of this, many species of plants and animal could (and probably will) end up becoming endangered or extinct.
In every society there is always a group of people who's solution to everything is to do nothing. They staunchly believe that the problem they are facing is imaginary, or that it will just balance itself out in the end. And they are often correct. For example, 60 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, our planet was a lot nicer than it is now. But when a problem arose (namely a comet smashing into the earth and blocking out the sun) the planet quickly got worse, much like now, until eventually the planet fixed itself and was fine. Except that all the dinosaurs were dead. The planet balanced back out and and corrected itself, but all the dinosaurs ended up extinct. It's true that we could do nothing and let the earth fix itself, but we would probably all end up dead. Also, computer models show that the amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere will cause Global Warming and other changes in earth's climate. Although these scans are uncertain, they clearly state that human produced greenhouse gases are causing Climate Change. People may argue that since the computer models are uncertain, and in the past have been unable to replicate accurate models of past climate changes like the ice age, the threat of Global Warming is unreal. However, the computer models may be unreliable, but just because one piece of evidence is uncertain, that does not mean that Climate Change is not happening. The computer models represent a hypothesis about Global Warming, and should definitely be taken into consideration when studying the probability of Climate Change. Another piece of evidence to support the fact the Climate Change is a real threat is that the number of hurricanes has risen dramatically over the past 15-20 years, according to a study in 2007. From 1925 to 1991, the average number of named storms per year was 10 or 11. But in 1992, those numbers skyrocketed. By 1998 to 2007, the average had become 15 named hurricanes a year. People may say that this is just normal variation in hurricane patterns, and yes, there is change, but never any so drastic as this. In just twenty years the number of named hurricanes has increased by about 30%. That is not normal weather patterns. And finally, people may say that one important detail of Climate Change, melting of glaciers, is not a problem. Yes, it is true that glaciers will melt over time and gradually recede. From 1902 to 2001, a glacier receded 8 miles. But from 2001 to 2011, it receded 9 miles, proof that humans are influencing Climate Change.
Everyone knows that Climate Change effects plants and animals. But sometimes it's hard for people to understand the massive impact Global Warming will (and is) having on humans as a species. The fact is that the world is heating up and these changes pose major problems to our weather, which in turn hurts us. Storms, especially tropical ones like hurricanes, are becoming much worse than before Global Warming, destroying people's homes, property, and and environment. Also, since glaciers are melting, that means sea levels are rising, which leads to extreme flooding, especially along the coasts. Beach house? Not anymore. Because people's homes will be destroyed, many people will be forced to move and try to find places to live further inland. Chaos will erupt, all because we humans can't clean up after ourselves.
In conclusion, we need to do something. As humans, we are the sole inhabitants of this planet that have impacted it in a negative way. Animals never dumped oil into the oceans, cut down the rainforests, or released chemicals into the air. That falls on us. And it's our responsibility to try to right the many wrongs we have done to our planet. It may not seem like such a big deal, especially to corporate CEOs, whose companies pollute for profit, but Climate Change effects everyone, no matter how rich you are. And you can't just ignore it. Climate Change is a threat to our earth, and we must take measure to preserve our earth. It's this, or extinction.
Works Cited
"A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html>.
Gillis, Justin and Kenneth Chang. “Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans from Polar Melt.” New York Times, May 12, 2014.
Gore, Al. Our Choice: How We Can Solve the Climate Crisis. Penguin Group: New York, 2009.
“Is Human Activity a Substantial Cause of Global Climate Change?” http://climatechange.procon.org, 2014.
LeWinter, Adam and Jeff Orlowski. “Chasing Ice” Youtube. http://youtu.be/hC3VTgIPoGU December 14, 2012.
"What's Up with the Air." Science Class. Mrs. Orange and Mrs. Brunner. MacDonald Middle School, East Lansing. 14 May 2014. Class activity.
Wondermind42. “How It All Ends” Youtube. http://youtu.be/mF_anaVcCXg October 10, 2007
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