The Serious Problem of Global Warming

Global warming is a big problem in today’s world and its hindering the quality of life for every species. It affects their habitats and environments. Temperature rises and changing landscapes in the arctic circle are endangering several species of animals. Only the most adaptable will survive. If we fail to cut back on the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, scientists say during the 21st century earth could warm up to an additional 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first initial problem is ice caps melting which causes a rise in sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in permanent snow, glaciers, and ice caps. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The ice caps are fresh water, and when they melt they will make the oceans less salty. The desalinization of the sea water will mess with currents, which regulate tem peratures. Ice caps are white, and reflect sunlight, much of which is reflected back into space, further cooling Earth. The only reflector is the ocean if the ice caps melt. This is a problem because darker colors absorb sunlight, therefore warming the Earth even more. Although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious droughts and heat waves. Droughts are expected in Europe, but Africa will receive the worst effects. Water is already very scare in Africa, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming will worsen the conditions and could lead to war and conflicts.

Worse yet, Global Warming has other effects on the health of humans. The rise in temperature will re...

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...ensive, inconvenient and nuclear power is dangerous. Our idea for a possible solution is to not use aerosol cans. They emit harmful chemicals that deplete the ozone. The pro’s for this idea is that it will help save the earth. The disadvantages for not using aerosol cans anymore is that many people use them for everyday activities and would be hard to find substitutes.

If we were in the government we would choose to plant trees because this idea would be much less expensive and inconvenient as not using aerosol cans. Planting trees would also be an easier project to start than putting up expensive solar panels and windmills. This solution we think would be the best to implement but it would also have a down side because there is no room for any trees to be planted. Since many are being cut down for the construction of businesses, houses, roads, etc.