Global Warming
Global warming is the phenomenon of increasing temperature on Earth’s surface. According to the research, scientists have found that the Earth’s average surface temperature rose by about 1.4 Fahrenheit degrees (about 0.76 Celsius degrees) from the middle 19th century to the early 21st century, and most of the temperature increase occurred from the middle 20th century to the 21st century (Mastrandrea).
This global issue has become more and more serious in the recent years. As the climate becomes warmer, it can have a serious impact on the environment and people’s lives. One of the most significant influences is the melting of polar ice caps, which directly lead to the rise of sea levels around the globe.
(Alan Vernon, Series of 5 sequential images showing Ice calving from Hubbard Glacier, August, 2008. Web, January 28, 2013)
“There are about 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted today, the seas would rise about 230 feet” (Simmons). Nowadays, a lot of island nations have already received the impact of raising sea levels, for example, the Republic of Maldives being one of them. It’s a small country located in Indian Ocean, has nearly 1,200 small islands and more than 300,000 people. The United Nations classifies Maldives as one of the world’s least-developed countries. It has also been regarded as the “paradise island” because of its fantastic environment. (The Maldives Island, The Incredible Photo Gallery, July 2012. Web. January 28, 2013.)
However, it will be wiped out from the Earth forever in 100 years because of climate change. The highest parts of the Maldives are only 8 feet higher than sea level. Global warming has threatened the residents’ daily life. For instance, according to the report: “Even in the Maldives, Climate Change Seems a Remote Threat for Many”, it said that a lot of Maldivians have felt the extreme growth of the tides, and their houses have had very serious erosion problems. The waves have entered their homes many times; people on the island are scared that one day they will lose everything because of the global warming. “The environmental scientists are talking about the sea levels rising, we are seeing the same thing” (Jamali) said by Maldivian. Another island nation, Tuvalu, has received the most terrible damage from the global warming. It is a country in the South Pacific Ocean, has a population of about 10,000 and a land area of 26 square kilometers. And it’s one of the smallest countries in the world. Saufatu Sopoanga, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, said: “We live in constant fear of the adverse impacts of climate change. For a coral atoll nation, rising sea level and more severe weather events loom as a growing threat to our entire population. The threat is real and serious, and is no different to a slow and insidious form of terrorism against us” (Cannon). The average height is just one meter above sea level. So the tides can easily destroy the island. “In February 2005, the tides were driven against the shore by unusual westerly winds, and there was an increase of erosion. The main asphalt road was covered in water and coral rocks thrown up by the tide” (Braasch). Residents were forced to move to other countries to survive. They didn’t have the ability to protect their home.
Global warming is a problem that is caused by people’s activities all around the world, which have resulted in an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some researchers said that burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate (Kamal Ogudah, creating traffic jams of the future, May 2008. Web January 28, 2013. ) change. According to the IPCC (2007), the use of fossil fuel created 57% of the greenhouse gas. And the emission from vehicles has played an important part in it. Just in America, during 2010, cars have created about 1842 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equal to about 2.2 billion pounds. People buy cars because they think it will make their life much easier, but few of them think about what effect will be brought to the nature when they purchase a car, few of them consider about sustainability. That’s the tragedy of the commons—each person just pursuing his private gain without considering the limited nature sources. Global warming is one of the tragedies. Therefore, if people still don’t realize what they are doing, Maldives and Tuvalu’s sadness will appear in other countries.
In order to reduce the emission of man-made greenhouse gases, people must change. There are several ways to make the situation better. In Beijing, the government has made rules: on weekdays in downtown, the cars people can drive on the roads are depending on the last digit of license plate on their car. For example, if one has 0 or 5 on the last digit of license plate, he can’t drive his car on Monday; if one has 2 or 6, he can’t drive his car on Tuesday. This policy effectively decreases greenhouse gases as well as traffic jams. If every city follows this policy, we will emit much less greenhouse gas. But for countries like America that have millions of cars, it’s hard for them to use this method. So, government should give more benefits to citizens who buy traffic tools like bicycles, and tell citizens the importance to fight against global warming. Besides, people are developing devices to use alternative energy source to replace fuel-burning engines. Electric car have already entered the market. The only problem is that they can only drive a few distances. Scientists are working on the way to use solar power efficiently, so maybe in the future, they might replace cars that use gasoline. But, in my opinion, what most important is to let people be aware of sustainability, drive cars as little as they can, let them think differently about the nature, and live in green lives.
Work Cited
Anthes, Richard A. “Global Warming.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
Braasch, Gary. “Rising Sea Levels.” World View of Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.
Cannon, Brian. “Tuvalu and Global Warming.” Tuvalu and Global Warming. N.p., 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.
“Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report.” AR4 SYR. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
“Island Nations Threatened by Climate Change.” MNN – Mother Nature Network. MNN – Mother Nature Network, 07 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2013.
Jamali, Lily. “Even in the Maldives, Climate Change Seems a Remote Threat for Many.” PRIs The World RSS. PRI’s The World, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2013.
Kingsbury, Robert C. “Maldives, Republic of.” Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.
“Maldives.” Lands and Peoples. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.
Mastrandrea, Michael D.”Global warming.” World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
Ogden, Michael R.”Tuvalu.” World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.
Simmons “20 Deadliest Effects of Global Warming.” 20 Deadliest Effects of Global Warming. Environmental Graffiti, Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
In Progress 