Wizard Kim Homework
Why We Need to Be More Concerned About Global Warming
Global warming is an issue that more people need to be concerned about. The Paris Climate Agreement involves 195 countries that share the same goal to keep the average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius from risen temperatures since pre-industrial times by limiting greenhouse emissions globally in a financially mindful way.1 This is a huge step forward for bringing the nations of our world together to form a common goal of fighting against a threat that will affect everyone. Our newly elected President wants to back out of the Paris Climate Agreement. If Trump decides to go through with his promise, it will greatly undermine global cooperation. It will also undermine the mountains of scientific facts that show our current global warming path, moving us back over 40 years in progress towards a cleaner future since the EPA’s creation.
Trump has stated that “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive,” 2and his first 100 days in office action plan includes cancelling “billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs.”3 Many of the policies in place under the Obama administration that have taken into consideration climate change are at risk of being repealed under Trump’s new policies.
Scientists at the Yale Project on Climate Change released a survey in 2014 that indicates that on average, 63% of Americans believe that global warming is happening, and only 52% are worried about what the effects of climate change will have on the country.4 For a crisis that will affect everyone, this signifies not enough people are concerned with the future of this planet. It’s critical that everyone understands the importance of keeping a clean planet. 5
Today, we are 1 degree Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times, and at our current rate of CO2 emissions, are slated to reach an average of 4 degrees Celsius warmer than preindustrial times by the year 2100.6 Besides having an increased number of warmer days, it will directly affect our weather patterns and alter the amount of precipitation we’ll receive, resulting in more intense hurricanes, increased flooding and droughts, leading to billions in damage, as well affecting agriculture production. One of the greatest impacts that is taking shape are the melting ice caps, which are seeing to the destruction of most major coastal cities.7 Miami itself pays 400 million dollars each year pumping out water from rising sea levels.8 The people that will be most affected at first are the people who can’t afford to recover rapidly in under developed countries. Damaged areas with increased temperatures will also see a resurgence in diseases, affecting millions.
Some people will argue that global warming has always been a part of earth's cycle of temperature changes, and while that may be true, the current rate of temperature rises is unprecedented. Once CO2 is released into the atmosphere, is becomes harder to extract from the atmosphere, and while some of it is being taken away naturally, we are releasing more than taking back. A naturally occurring crisis is still a crisis, and unlike what some of our politicians may say, we can still take action.9
While people are facing a multitude of other issues, global warming can’t be ignored. If the recent Presidential debates are any indication of public perception on global warming, then it shows that it’s being considered as an afterthought by most people. Now more than ever, it is important that people start acting at a national, political, and even global level to prevent global warming from reaching the point of no return. When people look back at the world today, will they wonder why we didn’t do enough to change things before they worsened? What will they think of us as we elected a President whose policies undermines the mountains of evidence in support climate change? We are failing to bring to attention the crisis that is global warming to the majority of people, and we urgently need our heads of state to reshape how people view this issue.
1"Paris Agreement." Paris Agreement - European Commission. European Commission, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
2 Trump, Donald (realdonaldtrump). “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” 6, Nov. 2012. Tweet.
3Kelly, Amita. "Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days." NPR. NPR, 9 Nov. 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
4"Yale Climate Opinion Maps." Environment.yale.edu. Yale Project, 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
5We’ve already seen what can happen if we let pollution get to dangerously high levels. In 1952, 4,000 people died as a direct result from a fog that rolled over England that entrapped harmful chemicals released by coal factories as waste, and although the skies of England appear cleaner today, pollution still results in an estimated 13,000 deaths each year in the United Kingdom.
6GISTEMP Team, 2016: GISS Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP). NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Web. Sept. 26. 2016
7"How Will Global Warming Change Earth?" Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. NASA, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
8Before The Flood. Dir. Fisher Stevens. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio. Before The Flood. National Geographic, 21 Oct. 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
9Marco Rubio stated during a presidential debate that “there’s no such thing” in regards to passing climate change laws.
