Effects of Global Warming, Research Paper Example

Prior Knowledge

When I used to hear about global warming in general discussions or in the media, my assumptions would be that global warming means the average temperature throughout the year have been increasing. In other words, summers are getting hotter and winters are getting less cold. This led me to believe that hot weather is more dangerous for living things especially humans because my parents would often tell me to use sun block during sunny weather but rarely instruct me to use moisturizer during cold weather. I would hear that sun rays cause skin cancer which led me to believe that rising temperatures are worse for humans than falling temperatures, hence, the concern for global warming. When I would hear about melting glaciers, I would assume that the concern is out of desire to preserve natural beauty as well as animal species. I didn’t think that preserving animal species has material benefits except that they add variety and beauty to the nature.

Questions

When I would hear about global warming, I would often ask what is being done to counter the challenge of global warming. I would also wonder whether only the governments or large organizations have the resources to tackle the issue or ordinary citizens can also make difference. Sometimes when I would watch the news and hear arguments on both sides of the issues, I could not understand why there are differences and what are the stakes involved. Another thing that would confuse me is that we often hear about global warming but rarely about what is being done because if it is really a major issue, I should be hearing more about the solutions being implemented to deal with the issue.

Personal Connection

I am grateful to be in America because being born here has already given me access to many opportunities not available to most of the seven billion people in the world. But I also realize that America is great today because of the hard work and sacrifices of past Americans who struggled in order to leave a great country for the future generations. Thus, I and every other American has a responsibility to leave a better world for future generations, just like every ancestor did for us. In addition, America leads the world in most areas whether education, scientific research, or struggle for human rights and, thus, it is only natural that we should also take the lead in dealing with global warming as well.

I also believe that we should be responsible for the consequences of our actions. If our actions may be contributing towards global warming, then we have a responsibility to modify our actions or find better solutions because the world belongs to everyone. In addition, I also believe that all lives are created equal whether human or animals and why we are the dominant species is because of higher intelligence and not that our lives are more precious than those of less-intelligent species. I have heard in the news that global warming is driving certain species into extinction and it personally affects me because being the most intelligent species, we should be more responsible in our lifestyles.

What I Found

I found that global warming refers to the increase in the earth’s average temperature of near surface air and oceans since the beginning of the 20th century. In fact, average temperatures have risen by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 and much of it has been in recent decade (National Geogrpahic). This increasing rate of temperature increase since the 20th century has been attributed to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases due to human activities such as burning of fossil fuel and deforestation (Peoples Trust for the Environment). I also learnt that the most high profile and widely recognized political collaboration on global warming to-date has been Kyoto Protocol. It’s a treaty that was negotiated in December, 1997 at Kyoto, Japan and went into effect on February 16th, 2005 (United Nations).

I learnt that one of the most effective solutions to reduce human contribution towards global warming is to find alternative energy sources and move away from burning fossil fuels. Fortunately, the U.S. government has also taken measures to encourage alternative fuel technologies of which one example is the passage of The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that sets a target of 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, a fivefold increase over the 2007 production level (Huffaker, 2010).

I also discovered through research that Arctic is being impacted the most and the region may have it its first completely ice-free summer by 2040. In addition, the ice loss has already affecting numerous creatures including polar bears (National Geogrpahic) which reminded me of the numerous videos of distressed polar bears I have seen on the internet. In addition, the recent increase in natural disasters such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms is also suspected on global warming (National Geogrpahic).

What I Thought vs. What I Discovered

My initial impression that global warming is the average increase in average temperatures turned out to be correct. I thought nothing is being done but I found that global countries have already joined hands together and one example is Kyoto Protocol. But I was surprised to learn that U.S. didn’t sign it due to internal opposition from certain industries. When I talked to my father why certain industries oppose the idea of global warming, he told me that the reasons are mostly economical. If governments take action on global warming, the production costs for certain industries, especially, the energy sector will go up and in addition, they may have to restrict their exploration activities, hence, the opposition. But I was glad that the government is at least encouraging the private sector to develop environmentally-friendly technologies through incentives and regulations such as The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

I was confused whether ordinary citizens can do anything to fight global warming and I discovered that we can do by making slight changes in our lifestyles such as energy conservation, recycling waste properly, using environmentally-friendly products, and using products with lower carbon emissions such as hybrid cars. I also learnt through discussion with adults that animal species are not only important for diversity of life but they also help maintain the natural balance in nature. Thus, they are important for the long term survival of humans as well.

References

Huffaker, Ray. “Impacts of Biofuels on Water Supply: Proposed Cures May Worsen the Disease.” Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm & Resource Issues 2010: 48-51. National Geogrpahic. Global Warming Fast Facts. 14 June 2007. 20 February 2012 <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html>.

Peoples Trust for the Environment. Global Warming. 20 February 2012 <http://www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/global-warming/11>.

United Nations. United Nations Environmental Program. 20 February 2012 <www.KyotoProtocol.com>.