The Environmental Crisis on OUR Hands | Teen Ink

The Environmental Crisis on OUR Hands

May 25, 2016
By JWRadermacher BRONZE, Exeter, New Hampshire
JWRadermacher BRONZE, Exeter, New Hampshire
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Our country is in danger. No, it isn’t ISIS, Al-Qaeda, or even our Mexican neighbors… it’s the burning of fossil fuels. Why is the burning of these fossil fuels such an issue? It’s because it damages the ozone layer, and we need it to absorb most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Without the ozone layer, life on our planet would be nearly impossible. Fossil fuels hurt more than the ozone layer, they hurt our bodies because humans need clean air to sustain good health. When we burn fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas; they release harmful gases/chemicals like carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons. So activities like hookah sessions and bonfires are very bad for our health and the planet. Our planet is our home, let’s start treating it like that. You wouldn’t give your mom poisonous chemicals would you? Well, maybe if you’re a bit nuts.
   

When we release these harmful chemicals and gases, they can lead to water pollution, acid rain, and lung diseases for people who are unfortunate enough to breathe them in. It’s scary to think but the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 25% more than it was 250 years ago due to the rapid growth in industry starting with the Industrial Revolution beginning in England in 1760. Today, China is responsible for over 90% of all the personal computers in the world. But, their citizens as a result have to purchase clean air because of how unhealthy their air is due to the amount of industry. Advances in industry have allowed odorless steam to be released versus coal or oil at mass production sites, but we still need to cut back on the amount of gases and chemicals we put in the atmosphere. Cows, which are those black and white things that go MOOOH!, have been responsible for around 10-15% of the world’s methane and the recent high prices on cattle have allowed the methane numbers to drop and the steak prices to high. Methane is a dangerous chemical to jump into bed with because it is 23% more powerful than CO2!
   

Fossil Fuels are an obstacle we need to deal with head on before it’s too late. When will enough methane be enough that the world will give out? We won’t know until it’s too late, let’s fix the issue.



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