Therese Stouffer Stouffer 1

Professor Bell

English Comp. 2

1 November 2019

Global Warming Affects Everyone

When people think of global warming are they frightened? Throughout my life, and my

education I was taught about climate change and global warming. The memory that is most

prominent in my mind was the lesson in my 8th-grade science class. My class was forced to

watch a movie on climate change, and the predictions that Bill Nye had for the world’s future.

Many times I have thought about this memory, and thought to myself about what if I wasn’t

informed where would I be now? The most memorable thing about the lesson was the feeling

that I got which still haunts me. Walking out of that class I remember feeling traumatized by the

thought that the sun and the atmosphere was going to warm to such a degree that all life on Earth

would perish. To be fair, I was not very keen on the whole subject of global warming and how

there are ways we can slow down such effects. Even to this day, I find this to be a very scary

topic as most people in society would feel if properly informed. When I pictured myself in 60

years or so I didn’t picture the world to be so warm that human life could not exist on it. I

pictured myself sitting on a rocking chair while small children are running around my house.

Though for my thirteen-year-old self this meant that this dream would never happen. I kept

thinking about how it would affect my children when I get older. Would they live in a world that

the average temperature is 100 degrees? Many questions were running through my head. Will

my children have the opportunity to grow up and have children of their own? Will I survive until

I have children? What does this mean for future generations?

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When I started researching global warming I didn’t fully understand the topic. For all I

knew based on my 8th- grade science class was our world is going to fry. Since then I have

found the causes, possible solutions, and the impact it will have on our world now and in the

future. According to the Oxford dictionary, global warming is “ a gradual increase in the overall

temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by

increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants” (Oxford). Thus

meaning that the world is starting to warm due to daily activities. The scientists who study global

warming are often referred to as climatologists. A few greenhouse gases are methane, carbon

dioxide, and nitrous oxide. Some tasks that attribute to the rise in greenhouse gases are the

burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, agricultural procedures, and many other daily tasks. Lastly,

most people confuse global warming and climate change. Global warming is an aspect of climate

change, but climate change is an overall outlook on the changes in climate over some time.

Global warming hones in on the aspect of the rising in temperature on a global scale.

Though there have been many studies, and plenty of evidence to support that global

warming is true there are still people who speculate. Global warming can be a lot to grasp and to

understand though this topic is too important not to accept. Common knowledge of global

warming is that it will happen way past their time, and won’t affect the people now. Though

according to Bill Nye in “Bill Nye on climate change: ‘It’s not 50 to 75 years away — it’s 10 or

15’ by Angel Torres “global warming isn’t 50 to 75 years away but is 10 to 12 years away”

(Torres). This won’t affect just future generations but will affect the general populous now, and

already has started. The time is running out for the people of the world to slow down the process,

and no one seems to be properly informed. Global warming isn’t just sneaking up on scientists
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and isn’t going to suddenly surprise them now. Scientists know what needs to be done to slow

down this process of global warming the only thing that can happen now is to inform the public.

The world can’t just change on a national scale the world needs to change on a global scale.

Relating to the fact stated in the previous paragraph there needs to be a change on a

global scale. In the "Editorial: Global Warming Is No Longer A Problem For Future

Generations. It's A Problem For Us." says that “ this radical change must occur on a global level”

(Grffinadmin). The global temperature for land and ocean surface temperature in January 2019

was 0.88°C (1.58°F) above the 20th-century average and tied with 2007 as the third-highest

temperature since global records began in 1880, according to the National Centers for

Environmental Information (Sanchez). If the U.S tried to fully commit to global warming it

would help, but a change from all the other countries would need to occur. The effects of global

warming would also affect all the other countries as well not just targeting America. It is

predicted that plants in the future will be needing more water leaving less for humans living in

North America and Eurasia. There is going to be less drinkable water for humans, but an

abundant amount of undrinkable water in the oceans. Every country that is located on a coast

will feel the effects of rising sea levels as a result of global warming.

Currently, within the years there have been several hints to the increase of global

warming. According to Velshi & Ruhle of MSNBC “Just this Saturday sensors in Hawaii

recorder new carbon dioxide levels, and you know how long it has been since it has been this bad

3 million years” (Torres). Keep in mind that this story aired in May of 2019. Another piece of

evidence supporting the fact that global warming is already taking effect now is the documentary

Chasing Ice. Most people discredit documentaries, and movies and don’t rely on them as well as
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an article. Director Jeff Orlowski of “Chasing Ice” takes place in Greenland and digs deep into

how not just humans are being affected by global warming. The film is 75 minutes long focusing

mainly on caving ice caps. James Baulog is the main character of this documentary. The movie is

about his mission to the Arctic to take pictures for National geographic. Though when he arrives

he starts to question whether or not global warming is the cause of all of the loss of the glaciers.

Baulog starts his mission in the arctic and brings undeniable evidence that global warming is

taking place and it is progressing at a terrifying rate. The film has been shown in more than 172

countries and on all seven continents and has received several rewards.

Many other people have supported the fact that climate change is not a new issue, and is

already occurring. Naomi Klein a well-respected author of “ "This Changes Everything:

Capitalism vs. the Climate." participated in an interview with Klaus Brinkbäumer who is a

journalist for the German newspaper Die Zeit. Klein made one important statement in particular

“The connection between greenhouse gases and global warming has been a mainstream political

issue for humanity since 1988” (Brinkbäumer). As this evidence demonstrates, global warming is

real and has been documented for years. This article appeared in the German newspaper Die Zeit

stating the fact this is a global issue. The U.S isn’t the only nation that needs to change its ways

of conserving the earth’s limited resources and helping slow down global warming. It is a known

fact the earth is way past fixing the only hope now is to try and slow down the process.

In short, we have the technology to start prolonging the process now though it is not

cheap. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or known as the ICPP

report that came out on October 8th, 2018 we already have everything we need to start slowing

this process down. Along with the fact that the Earth has already increased by one-degree
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celsius. One degree may not seem like a big deal but you calculate that Celsius into degrees that

one-degree Celsius equals 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The 33.8 degrees has caused some major

problems in weather patterns. ICPP report also stated that for each decade it is estimated that the

temperature will rise by 0.2 degrees celsius. This 0.2 degrees Celsius equals 32.36 degrees

Fahrenheit. This is resulting in detrimental effects in the weather.

Although looking towards the future it doesn’t seem that bright either. Dr. David Skorton

Starts a discussion during the Smithsonian second opinion talk, the topic was “Are You

Optimistic About The Earth’s Future?”, where a group of experts talks about the earth’s future.

This article was formated in a way that is is formatted as in a conversation format. The people

involved in the conference were David Skorton, ​Denise G. Fairchild​, ​Steve Monfort​, ​Mary

Evelyn Tucker​, ​Anson Hines​, ​Catrina Rorke​, and ​Jedediah Purdy​. Everyone involved in this

discussion was very well educated and informed on the topics that were discussed. For example,

Steve Monfort​, who is the John and Adrienne Mars Director and chief scientist at the

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Another example is ​Denise G. Fairchild​, who's

president of the Emerald Cities Collaborative. It's a national nonprofit organization working to

ensure equity inclusion while building resilient green and healthy economies. All of these

gathered to talk about the state of the planet. The two major things that were addressed in this

conversation were climate change and species extinction. Many people talk about global

warming and focus solely on the human side of the subject. It isn’t just humans being affected by

global warming other species are feeling the effects as well. The article helps bring light to the

act that we as humans need to help other species survive instead of being selfish with our planet.

The purpose of this conversation is to understand what is going on in the world and, whether
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there is hope for our planet yet. The general populous isn’t informed enough to get a full

understanding of the whole outcome of global warming.

Building on the previous article “Are You Optimistic About The Earth’s Future?” They

stated another very eye-opening point species extinction. Not only are humans being affected by

global warming but so are other species. According to the article, species are going extinct is one

of the many results of global warming. Later on when suddenly an important animal, or

organism goes extinct and humans run into major issues then will the world finally realize the

importance of global warming. According to Steve Monfort, the John and Adrienne Mars

Director and chief scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute said: "The fact is,

our society would collapse without biodiversity” (Skorton). Biodiversity is the variety of life on

Earth. Biodiversity is a major part of life without it humans would lose several jobs, and most

importantly provides people with raw materials for consumption and production.

Another big source that was helpful during research was John Walsh’s and Donald

Wuebbles’ article “ Future Climate Change” which appeared on globalchange.gov goes in-depth

on how the earth will change within the next few decades. The article compares what it would be

like if the world on a global scale were to contribute to helping reduce global warming, and what

it would be like if continue just like we do now. The article focuses on key terms such as the

world’s climate is projected to continue to change through the intensity of global warming

depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally. Though what is nice

about this article are the graphs and the visualizes which help the reader to understand what is

being said. The purpose of this article is to show statistically what is projected to happen to the

world on a global scale within the next few decades.

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Equally important, people assume that the only thing that will be affected by global

warming is temperature. The warming can cause several other effects such as an increase in sea

levels, an increase in wildfires as seen blazing in California. The latest most devastating one was

in 2018 costing more than 3.5 billion dollars. Though according to the National Interagency Fire

Center currently, 12 active fires are raging in Arizona (2), California (6), Colorado (2), and Utah

(2) (National Interagency Fire Center). This wasn’t by far a common occurrence, but since the

effects of global warming are kicking in this is normal. Though on the other hand precipitation is

another tremendous thing that is being impacted based on the chart below from

globalchange.gov. This is what people should expect to see if carbon emission continues as it

does right now. The graph below (under the green precipitation graph) shows the relationship

between carbon emissions and the rise in temperatures. The picture above shows the rate of
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precipitation and provides evidence that not only is temperature affected (Walsh).

The picture above shows the emissions levels determined by temperature rises providing

evidence that carbon emissions are directly correlated to temperature rise (Walsh).

Even though there is so much negativity on this topic as stated above there are ways to slow

down this process. There are small things that people can do to help slow down the process of

global warming. Though to make a big difference and to impact global warming there needs to

be a global change, two or three people can’t change the world’s fate. Though if everyone started

pitching in then this would make a tremendous difference. Small things around the house like

using renewable energy such as using solar panels. Another big one is insulating your house.

Almost half of the home energy is heating or cooling the house. Reducing water, Using more
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public transportation, and turning off lights are just a few of the many things that people can do

to save energy. The reason people need to save energy is where the energy comes from. To

power people’s cars and people’s houses, fossil fuels need to be burned. When burning fossil

fuels gases are released into the air. These gases that are being released are greenhouse gases as

stated in the introduction.

For the most part, the problem with arguing about global warming is the credibility of

global warming. Many people have speculated the credibility of global warming for decades

though we are already feeling the effects. For instance, there has been a hot debate on one

particular focus of global warming the hockey stick graph. According to the hockey stick graph,

there has been an all-time high of temperatures in the past few years then there has been in 1000

years. Many speculate that this is wrong though one scientist, in particular, that stands for the

hockey stick graph. Bill Nye is mostly known for his T.V program “Bill-Nye the Science Guy”,

over the years he has studied many different topics within the science field and is a

well-respected scientist as well as being an engineer. Though on the 14th of may Bill Nye had an

outburst that shocked the nation. The kid-friendly scientist dropped many profanities in a video

about global warming. What made this video so important is the fact that people/scientists have

been trying to get the public’s attention, but many aren’t listening. Bill Nye used such strong

language to get people’s attention because this is how most people get the public's attention.

Scientists can only present so much evidence it is up to the public to listen to it. Scientists can

state the facts that the reasons for such horrible weather patterns and other terrible outcomes

from global warming occur because of global warming but if no one listens then what is the

point. When confronted about the video on MSNBC news he got into the topic of the hockey
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stick graph. He claims that this is just an excuse that people who don’t believe in climate change

like to wave around. According to ​Angel Torres​, an MSNBC reporter “Nye used a simplified

calculus formula to show the rate of change in temperature over time” (Torres). Once Nye got

everyone's attention he showed the reasoning behind why the hockey stick graph is correct.

Furthermore, global warming is a lot to wrap one's head around. Some view climate

change as a political aspect, and as a motive of fear. Some believe the government is using

global warming as a gambit. Some believe that the government is using this idea as a maneuver

to gain an advantage. Though this concept has been proven false by many scientists and studies.

The thought that the government has used global warming against the people was proven false

by many studies. If books, and articles written by well-renowned authors aren't enough to

convince the public then pictures, and videos can help as well. The documentary ”Chasing Ice”

as mentioned before in previous paragraphs also is used to discredit this concept while using real

footage of the melting ice caps over a period of time, and the effects of the other animals in that

ecosystem.

In Conclusion, many have been misinformed as I was in 8th grade, or do not care about

the effects of global warming. The world needs to be informed of the great dangers of global

warming and the effects global warming will have on future generations. When I started my

research on global warming I had no idea there were so many solutions to slow down global

warming. When scientists inform people of the effects of global warming and solutions it is up to

the people to do the rest. Considering the statistics now there isn’t much time left to slow the

rapid movement of global warming. The world needs to work together to save the world from

global extinction. Let's all work together so that the rocking chair vision is possible for everyone.
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The actions that are taken now determine the fate of future generations. If we all work together

there is a bright future waiting for future generations. Let's give the future generations a future

the deserve.
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Work Cited

Brinkbäumer, Klaus. “SPIEGEL Interview with Naomi Klein: 'The Economic System We Have

Created Global Warming' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International.” ​SPIEGEL ONLINE​,

SPIEGEL ONLINE, 25 Feb. 2015,

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/global-warming-interview-with-naomi-klein-a

-1020007.html​.

“Editorial: Global Warming Is No Longer A Problem For Future Generations. Its A Problem For

Us.” ​The Griffin | Canisius College,​ Uloop Inc., 19 Oct. 2018,

https://canisiusgriffin.wordpress.com/2018/10/19/editorial-global-warming-is-no-longer-

a-problem-for-future-generations-its-a-problem-for-us/​.

National Interagency Fire Center​, ​https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm​.

Orlowski, Jeff, director. ​Chasing Ice.​ ​Home​, ​http://www.chasingice.com/​.

Person. “Are You Optimistic About the Earth's Future?” ​Smithsonian Second Opinion,​

Smithsonian Second Opinion, 12 June 2017,

https://www.smithsoniansecondopinion.org/climate-change/are-you-optimistic-about-eart

hs-future-180964375/​.

Rainey, James. “Global Warming, Now Brought to You by Your Local TV Weathercaster.”

NBCNews.com​, NBCUniversal News Group, 20 June 2018,

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/global-warming-now-brought-you-your-local-t

v-weathercaster-n884831​.
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Sanchez-Lugo. “Global Climate Report - January 2019.” ​National Climatic Data Center,​

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201901​.

Torres, Angel. “Bill Nye on Climate Change: 'It's Not 50 to 75 Years Away - It's 10 or 15'.”

MSNBC​, NBCUniversal News Group, 22 May 2019,

http://www.msnbc.com/velshi-ruhle/bill-nye-climate-change-its-not-50-75-years-away-its

-10-or-15​.