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by Jenna Shin In April 2022, NASA scientist Peter Kalmus chained himself to the doors of a Chase Bank in Los Angeles, California. Kalmus and others alongside him spoke to an audience outside the building to warn others about the dangers of global warming and the risk of the planet being destroyed. In his speech, Kalmus revealed that scientists had been ignored for ages now, and it was time for all to raise awareness on the issue. Although this has been a widely-known topic amongst individuals all across the globe, it seems as though every other day spent ignoring these warnings leads to an even larger risk. So what causes global warming? Is there really a way to stop it just by limiting our water usage?
Global warming is majorly caused by carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere, which then causes our Earth to heat up. This is crucial information, because without an alteration to human impact on the planet, the world could potentially experience serious droughts, wildfires, and other natural disasters that would cause interruptions in our daily lives. So what can we do? Many scientists have spoken up about reducing fossil fuel usage, and working with other major countries to switch to clean energy sources. Some more accessible methods would be to limit our carbon emissions by carpooling, using public transport, or walking to nearby locations if possible. The overall truth is that every small effort counts. At a time where our planet is at risk of global warming’s attacks, we must try to at least care or keep these solutions in mind. Works Cited MacMillan, Amanda, and Jeff Turrentine. “Global Warming 101 - Definition, Facts, Causes and Effects of Global Warming.” NRDC, 7 April 2021, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101. Accessed 13 June 2022. McFall, Morgan. “NASA Scientist Arrested at Chase Bank Amid Global Climate Protests.” Business Insider, 6 April 2022, https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-risk-arrest-in-global-climate-protests-2022-4. Accessed 13 June 2022.
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Global warming is an issue that effects everyone in some way. If you live in areas that are at or below sea level, sea level rise is slowly affecting where you live. For example, the country of Bangladesh has one of the largest deltas, which makes it extremely susceptible to flooding due to rise in sea levels. Some scientists believe that in addition to rising sea levels, the increasing intensity of natural disasters such as hurricanes or cyclones might also be a side effect of global warming. People have a hard time making decisions about preventing global warming because it involves lifestyle changes, and the effects of global warming aren’t seen by everyone on a daily basis.
In 1987, the Montreal Protocol, which banned and phased out CFCs as well as other chemicals that were harmful to the ozone layer, and was unanimously agreed upon by all the countries in the UN. People felt the need to make this decision because the health effects uv radiation has on humans was clear to everyone and was an immediate concern. It also helped that big lifestyle or economic changes were not needed. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a decision made with this level of urgency about global warming. Perhaps because the effects of global warming are less directly related to our health, and happen slowly, they are easier to overlook. People are also less willing to make big lifestyle changes, which are needed to reduce global warming. Some changes, such as having more fuel-efficient transportation, are being made easier over time, with new technology. Other changes are easier for people to incorporate into their day to day lives, such as using less plastic, recycling, wasting less food, and eating less meat. Despite the overwhelming amount of scientific evidence showing the cause and impact of global warming, whether someone believes in it or not seems to have become a big political discussion. Especially in the U.S, where decision about global warming seem to be influenced by the political party to which one belongs to. A popular argument by some groups is that global warming isn’t 100% proven. This is because, in science, nothing can be proven. Science can provide evidence for the fact that the rise in global temperatures is due to man made increase in CO2 in our atmosphere. However, some groups say that since science cannot prove global warming, it isn’t an urgent problem, and doesn’t require attention. I think that in order to move forward with efforts to reduce the impact of global warming, science needs to take the lead instead of politics. |
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