This is Not a Story, it is Real | Teen Ink

This is Not a Story, it is Real

October 3, 2007
By Anonymous

This is Not a Story, it is Real

Imagine witnessing the world getting destroyed by an un-manageable flood, wiping out everything in its path; people, animals, trees, buildings, and homes. If people continue their current living routines, that is what is going to happen. And it is going to happen sooner then people are expecting. People are going to blame global warming for that flooding disaster and other problems when they should only be blaming themselves because people aren’t trying hard enough to stop this coming tragedy. Global warming needs to be stopped.
Animals are negatively affected by global warming. Animals such as polar bears have to keep moving to find a proper environment and food. Fish that the arctic animals eat are moving northward to find cooler waters. Because of the difficulty to find food, polar bears are found to be less healthy and skinnier then they were 30 years ago. Global warming isn’t just conflicting with polar bears. It is basically all the arctic animals. Therefore, if, for instance, the penguin would go endangered and then extinct, that would affect the whole ecological chain. The animals that eat penguins, (seals, polar bears, and some whales) would have to find another source of food. If that isn’t possible, more and more animals would begin to die off. You might begin to say so what, who cares about what happens to the animals. But the thing is, when the animals start changing, that is our first clue that we will have to change and adjust to the world around us. Other victims of global warming are all of the animals in the arctic that need ice and water to survive. They will have to move to new locations to survive. When all the ice melts, those animals will start to die and that will affect the ecology chain as well. Along with all of this happening, the animals are starting to change the way that they live. According to the online source, Imanginova, animals are starting to hibernate earlier then 30 years ago. Also, Terry Root, an environmental specialist, says that animals are changing their breeding times from 5 to 10 days each year. Root states, “Animals are just reacting so what is going on out there.” Overall, animals are becoming very disturbed by global warming.
Not only are animals affected, the land is too. The land is getting changed in many unwanted ways. Polar ice caps are melting which is going to raise the sea levels. With the sea levels gradually increasing, the water will eventually come over the top of the land. When the land gets covered, the plants, most likely, will not survive. With fewer plants, the greenhouse gasses will increase drastically because the foliage all around us pulls in carbon dioxide and puts out oxygen. With fewer trees, it is going to be harder for people to breathe due to the fact that there is going to be more Co² in the air. Greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) are the emissions from people’s daily routines, like driving, electricity, and burning objects. Greenhouse gasses greatly impact the effects of global warming. They also speed up the process. Now you might say, well, we need gas to get around in our vehicles. Yes, you do need gasoline to put into cars but try using ethanol. Scientists created this nifty mixture for a reason so people need to start using it. Along with the greenhouse gasses comes pollution. Pollution in the air is closely related to acid rain. Acid rain destroys anything it touches. Therefore, the forests are going to get destroyed when this acid rain becomes present. Another conflict with the forest is all of the forest fires. If you think about it, global warming is causing that also. The heavy heat is causing the forests to become dry and easily catch fire. Because of that, more and more forests seem to disappear.
More importantly, global warming is causing major conflicts with people. The constant unwanted and definitely unneeded weather changes are going to soon be changing our life styles, just like they have the animals. Farmers growing crops are already having problems that are going to become worse and worse as time goes on. The warm weather damages the crops that need cooler weather to grow. In that view, we are going to loose food due to the weather. People’s daily life is also changing because of global warming. According to the Missouri Weather Center, in September of 2004, the average temperature was 68°F. Now, according to the National Weather Center, the average temperature is 72°F. In three years, that is a 4° increase! In the next 9 years, if you increase 4 degrees every 3 years, the average temperature will be around 84°F in September! Yeah, global warming is messing around with our daily life. It is starting to affect out health. Paul R. Epstein, a specialist in tropical public health, states, “I think climate change is a very big threat. It's a major wakeup call. Climate change is already a factor in terms of the distributions of malaria, dengue fever, and cholera. They are changing their distributions right now." The United Nation's World Health Organization examines the health effects of global warming. The predicted planetary fever, caused by emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, is going to start spreading. The report calls climate change one of the largest pubic health challenges for the upcoming century. And as global warming continues on and becomes more powerful, the consequences are going to become more and more common.
With all of us being affected by this global warming sensation, we should be trying to stop it. If you are not in a room, turn off the light. When you aren’t using the computer, turn it off. If you aren’t watching the television, turn it off. All of those electrical sources emit gasses into the atmosphere. People constantly say, “As our world becomes more technology smart, the more electricity we are going to start using.” If scientists can come up with the idea of ethanol, they will most likely come up with an idea on how to continue to be technical but in an environmental friendly way. People can use solar energy. We all know that there is plenty of sun out there so find at least one way to get a good use out of it. Also, if you and some friends are going to the same place, carpool. People don’t understand how much carbon dioxide cars emit into the air and that is on of the main causes of global warming. Yes, studies show that people are making an attempt out help out a little bit, but that little bit doesn’t seem to be enough. Change your daily life to contribute to our society and help stop global warming!

Sources:
Wikipedia
Imanginova
Environmental Issues
Science Mission Directorate


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