Earth

Do we want to continue living on this planet? Do we want to make sure our future
generations have a planet they can live on? If we dont act now, as a society, not only will our
generation be affected, but our future generations will be as well. What am I talking about?
Global warming and climate change. The facts are everywhere, supported by some of the highest
ranking scientist such as Bill Nye and many more. The only question that remains involving
Climate Change is what are we going to do about it?
The saddest fact about this matter is that only a rough 40 percent of Americans
actually believe Global Warming is a problem however, in the past 200 years, due to the new
industrialized era, Greenhouse gases and global emissions have risen due to our large scale use
of fossil fuels and changes in land use. Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the
overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect.
Maybe not today, nor tomorrow, but in years to come, the earth will be warmer year round than it
has ever been in the past. If this does happen, there are many more consequences than just a
hotter summer.
Speaking of consequences resulting from Global warming, one of the most
apparent and severe is the rising of sea levels. Ice glaciers formed in the arctic seas hold a
massive reserve of our worlds fresh water, equaling up to almost 70 percent of the world's fresh
water just stored in ice. With rising temperatures comes melting of this ice ultimately increasing
sea levels worldwide. What dangers does this cause? To start many of the worlds greatest
civilizations are clumped together right on the coasts for ease of access to travel abroad. These
cities could easily be overtaken just by a few extra feet of seawater. Speaking of which, just in

the past 22 years, American sea levels have risen on the east coast by 2.75 inches and in the next
century, they are estimated to rise up to 21 feet greater than they are now.
There are many things as a nation, and as individuals that we can do to not only
halt this further warming of the globe, but also prevent it in the future. To start, our use of fossil
fuels is too great. Americans could start using more public transportation to cut down on fuel
emissions and to save money. I would also encourage us all to donate to research foundations
tasked with fighting global warming and finding alternatives to our fossil fuel use problem.
Another large problem most people dont realize is our use of energy in homes and offices.
Though we dont use coal to power these buildings, all of our electricity comes from a power
plant which does unleash harmful toxins into the atmosphere by means of burning fuels and
altering nuclear chemicals. If everybody cut down on their electricity usage, turned off the TV
while they sleep, turn off the lights when you leave, unplug video game consoles when you are
done, our electricity consumption would be greatly reduced and attribute to the reduction of
emissions into the atmosphere. So i encourage us all to change our ways, today. If change does
not occur soon, this planet might not be the same as it is now in the near future.
I ask again, do we want to continue living on this planet and ensure future
generations will have a safe environment to live in? Than we must, as a society, join together to
fight this atrocious act against the planet. Start today, for if we do not then tomorrow will be
warmer, and so will the next day and the day after that. We must put a cap on this problem
because the more we kill this planet, the faster the planet kills us. Global warming will be the
most difficult task humankind has ever faced because it directly affects efficiency and
productivity around the world, and with the world being based around money, nobody wants to
give up productivity. Save the planet now, not for us but for our future.

Sources:
"How to Fight Global Warming." How to Stop and Fight Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
Oct. 2015
"Consequences of Global Warming - Global Warming Effects | NRDC." Consequences of
Global Warming - Global Warming Effects | NRDC. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.

.Ghose, By Tia. "NASA: Rising Sea Levels More Dangerous Than Thought." LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.