Synthesis Essay On Global Warming

Global warming is a hotly debated issue. Studies show that the temperature of the ocean has risen over the last one-hundred fifty years (Source B), and spring is coming earlier each year (Source F). Although some scientists and climatologists argue that these cycles of warming and cooling are natural to our world and that global warming is not an imminent threat, we cannot know for sure what the future holds. It is prudent for world leaders to make policies that can counteract the negative effects of human population and industrial growth. Scientists who are wary about the impact we are having on planet Earth warn that carbon dioxide emissions are to blame. Since “approximately one-quarter of carbon dioxide is caused by deforestation,” (Source A) leaders must make policies that protect forests by limiting the cutting of trees. By protecting forests and restoring them, we may be able to offset “up to 20 percent of carbon dioxide

It seems reasonable that countries and states should pursue renewable forms of fuel and pledge to develop them. New York has set a goal of generating “25 % of the state’s energy from renewables by 2013” (Source C). Even “power hogs California and Texas” (Source C) have set goals for renewable energy. If we can harness the power of the wind and the waves and increase our use of clean energy, CO2 emissions will drop and will no longer contribute to global warming. Some may argue that Third World countries deserve the right to develop as rapidly as possible, which may lead to an explosion in the production of carbon dioxide (Source E). While it is true that the United States has no right to curtail another country’s development, America can certainly educate these countries on how to use other sources of power to fuel industrial