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Amariya Amerson

Casey Flores

English 1201

1 May 2022

Seriousness Surrounding Climate Change

The impacts of climate change are much more detrimental than most realize, the effects

of climate change can cause droughts, heatwaves, floods, sea-level rise, and more. The topic of

climate change is important because it is prevalent in today’s time, and it is a topic that is

discussed by many people today. There is a concern with the rapid shift in weather and

temperature patterns across the globe. The main concern with climate change is how this could

affect the generations now and in the future. The causes of climate change are both natural and

unnatural and have been discussed by many including politicians, and activists. Climate change

is the shift in weather and temperature patterns, and these shifts can cause natural disasters which

government officials should recognize as a significant issue.

First, the main causes of climate change are the use of fossil fuels and other greenhouse

gasses. Since the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide that has entered the

atmosphere has increased a significant amount. The gasses being produced by these factories are

being pulled and trapped in the atmosphere. These gasses that are being trapped in the

atmosphere are causing the globe to heat up. The environment is negatively affected by this rapid

transformation. More natural disasters like droughts, wildfires, flooding, and heatwaves are

occurring throughout the planet. Weather events have become more severe over the past one

hundred years due to the greenhouse effect. Researchers have been discussing climate change for

a long time now. They have looked for solutions for the crisis and even created some ways that
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people could help prevent climate change. To figure out how to come up with an adequate

solution, the source of the change needed to first be pinpointed. The effects of climate have

worsened and the key factor has been the fossil fuel industry. As time goes on, more and more

research is being done to review the effects of climate change on the environment.

There are many activists and supporters of climate change movements to prevent the

effects that climate change has had on the environment. One of the many popular activists for

climate change is Greta Thunberg who is most famously known for challenging the climate crisis

and speaking out against government officials who do not want to make the changes necessary to

prevent the climate crisis. Many countries contribute to the global weather crisis that the world is

facing, and many choose to ignore the problem. The point is to show how severe the cases of

climate change are, and how governments need to take action to further prevent the climate

crisis.
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Fig 1. The data collected shows the increase in temperature over a few decades, and the

most recent decades have been the hottest recorded temperatures (Nasa’s Goddard Institute for

Space Studies).

Human activity has contributed to a lot of the greenhouse gas emissions located in the

atmosphere. Thomas Gries writes, “For hundreds of years, human activity has modified the

planet’s surface through land-use practices. Policies and decisions on how land is managed and

land-use changes due to replacement of forests by agricultural cropping and grazing lands affect

greenhouse gas emissions”(Thomas 1). Deforestation is an example of the change in the carbon

cycle of the planet. Trees produce oxygen that is necessary for life on the planet. The land

changes are negatively impacting the environment because facilities are being placed there

instead of trees. Deforestation is contributing to the effect of greenhouse gasses and furthering

the impacts of climate change. The people creating the decisions and policies on how land is

managed are the government. To address the problem of climate change, the government should

see how their policies are affecting the globe. Taking the issue seriously would be crucial in the

fight against climate change, and moving this issue to the forefront is an important step.

The United States has a history of not putting climate change as the top priority for the

country. In fact, during former president, Trump's term from 2016 to 2020 his administration

decided to leave the Paris Agreement, which was an international agreement to limit the amount

of greenhouse gas emissions. During Trump’s term, he continued to wash down the importance

of climate change and the impacts that these changes had on the planet. The government

neglected to address climate change and the impacts that these changes would have on the

general population now and in the future. The issue of climate change should be taken seriously

as the effects of the issue can cause harm to an abundance of people.

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Despite the history surrounding climate change, there are some cases where the problem

has begun to come to light. President Biden’s administration had “Included tax incentives to

promote renewable energy sources and carbon capture and sequestration efforts”(CRS). Though

it is a small step, it shows that the government has chosen to look toward the problem and begin

discussing an alternative solution. This will not completely eradicate the issue, but with the

continued protests and push towards combating climate change the government will be able to

take the issue at hand more seriously and create larger and more effective solutions to dealing

with climate change.

The government can acknowledge some of the solutions like renewable energy and

actively recognize that there is a solution to this significant issue. In fact, the Center for Climate

and Energy Solutions wrote, “Renewables generate electricity without producing greenhouse

gasses—or producing very little when compared to traditional energy sources”(Center for

Climate and Energy Solutions). Resources like solar panels and hydro energy can be used as a

substitute for fossil fuel energy and decrease the number of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

Since the majority of the energy produced in the world is the used energy that is harmful to the

environment, it would be best to switch over to renewable energy that can help the environment.

If the government can apply these energies, the number of greenhouse gasses would drastically

decrease and the shifts in climate would decrease as well, preventing natural disasters.

The use of renewable energy would be the key to preventing natural disasters which is

why government officials should respond to this issue immediately. Diverting the use of fossil

fuels can reduce the number of greenhouse gasses which can benefit the environment. The

government could enforce policies that can switch industries to the use of renewable energy.

This change can help to prevent the severity of natural disasters and save the lives of many
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people. Allowing the United States government to take this action could potentially allow other

countries to follow, and the planet can begin to heal. Climate change hurts the planet and

preventing the main cause can allow the issue to be resolved.

Increasing the amount of renewable energy in the United States can allow the economy to

be benefitted as well. For instance, allowing the use of renewable energy can create

manufacturing jobs that increase economic development. Deciding to use renewable energy

instead of fossil fuels can encourage not only the growth of the planet but increase the growth of

the economy. Making sure that the lives of the people are at the forefront of priorities, and with

the growth of the economy, new opportunities can be created to combat climate change on a

global scale.

To keep the change in renewable energy present, the government must recognize the

importance of ensuring the lives of the people are safe. With the shift in climate change, the

disasters that follow are detrimental to society. Rising sea levels are only one example of the

effects of climate change and these rising levels of water will eventually destroy the coasts of

many cities. Patrick Ronan states, “The effects of climate change are far-reaching and evident in

the form of increasing global temperatures, melting of glacial ice, rising sea levels, and other

well-documented negative impacts [1]”(Ronan Introduction). As these natural disasters occur the

outcomes of these disasters would result would be disastrous. Keeping this in mind, it would be

important to prevent the shifts in climate to ensure the safety of citizens. To fix the issue

surrounding climate change, the government should take action and build toward a better path in

which the planet and environment can be at its best.

The dangers of climate change can result in a global catastrophe which is why finding a

solution is important. As the planet is heating up due to global warming, the environments in
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some places are becoming more hot and dry which increases the chances of wildfires. These fires

are not only affecting the environment but innocent lives are being taken as well. It is of the

utmost importance to ensure that the people are safe, so keeping the use of renewable energy

would be an important step to keep that safety. Allowing the government to see that to prevent

natural disasters it is important to keep in mind the reason why there should be measurements put

in place to prevent these disasters from happening.

The use of renewable energy can be efficient to help other countries as well. Many

countries that suffer from other natural disasters would have the opportunity to benefit from the

use of renewable energy. Other countries would be able to benefit from fewer occurrences of

natural disasters that impact the country. While making sure that the energy that is used is

reusable, people from all over the world would be able to be safer as well. The main goal is to

prevent the shift in weather and temperature patterns and ultimately keep the planet within a safe

amount of heat in the atmosphere. With this, the government should focus on the importance of

having renewable energy.

Renewable energy includes things that are naturally replenished by the environment.

Renewable energy includes things such as solar energy, hydro energy, geothermal energy,

biomass energy, and wind energy. These types of energy are naturally given to the planet and are

constantly being replenished. These types of energy can be used and converted into electricity.

Then, after the energy is converted, it can be used to power cities and other things that require

energy use. If these kinds of energy are used instead of finite resources like fossil fuels then the

number of emissions into the atmosphere would decrease drastically. With the decrease in

greenhouse gasses, the effects of climate change would not be so severe and there would be

fewer natural disasters as a result.

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Climate change was also something that was naturally occurring within the earth. Since

the beginning of time, the Earth has heated up at a steady rate, but it was not until the industrial

revolution that there was a rapid increase in the number of emissions put into the atmosphere.

Human activity has caused a shift in the speed that the Earth is heating up furthering the cause of

the climate crisis. As fossil fuels burn the gasses rise and get trapped in the atmosphere heating

the planet. The effects of the temperature rise would affect all living things on Earth plants and

animals alike. Other things contribute to the crisis like the use of cars and deforestation. There

are steps that everyday citizens can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

As the rapid heating of the globe increases not only will there be an effect now, but there

will also be one in the generations to come. With each year passing along global warming will

increase and there will be a time in the future when the problem can no longer be ignored.

Eventually, the planet will get to a point where the heat causes a catastrophic event that will

cause the deaths of an abundance of people. If the problem can be addressed sooner rather than

later then future generations may still have a chance to continue living. The main reason for

finding a solution to this problem now is how it will affect the ones that come long after we have

left the planet.

Since the importance of preventing climate change has become such a prevalent topic in

society, there has been an increase in the number of people who support the fight against climate

change. As mentioned earlier, Greta Thunberg is an activist from Switzerland who has protested

to combat climate change. Since then, many people have joined the fight against climate change

and have taken things into their own hands and done things to reduce their carbon footprint.

These people have inspired many others and even government officials to try and make changes
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locally. Since the majority of the emissions come from manufacturing facilities and vehicles, it is

up to the government to apply policies that change what kind of energy that is used.

The greenhouse effect is when heat from the sun gets trapped into the atmosphere. Due to

the production of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane, these gasses trap the

heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere. To put a limit on the number of greenhouse gasses

in the atmosphere, there are renewable sources that can be used instead. There are other methods

like fracking in which there is a drill that digs down to release gasses that can be used for fuel.

Methods like this expose risks to the environment and tremors on the Earth. The methods for

obtaining these resources can be dangerous and pose another risk.

On the other hand, a common misconception surrounding the topic of climate change is

that this is a completely natural phenomenon. Although it is natural for the Earth to heat up, there

is a concern about the pace that it is accelerating. Jareeza mentioned in a video, “The UN

recorded the temperature of the planet and how it has changed over time”(Jareeza). The data

recorded demonstrates that the planet is heating up much more rapidly than it should. On average

the planet is one degree hotter than when it was in pre-industrial times, and this change is

happening at a rate that is too quickly. The planet does naturally heat up, but the problem lies

within the rate that it is changing-which is too rapidly. This is why the role of the government is

important because they can create laws and policies that can decrease the number of gasses being

pushed into the atmosphere.

Many also believe that global warming is non-existent because there are still seasons like

winter, and there are parts of the world that are still cold. It is a common misconception that

despite the globe getting warmer that the weather must consistently be warmer as well. When

water evaporates after being exposed to warm temperatures, clouds and storms are created which
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can still supply rain or snow during the winter. Despite the globe heating, things like storms and

other weather patterns can still occur. Even though these patterns can occur, the environment is

still being negatively affected by the greenhouse effect overall.

On the account of misconceptions, there is a common misconception that the government

has already taken enough steps to ensure the prevention of climate change. Many also believe

that switching from fossil fuel to renewable energy would be too difficult to do. This change

would be difficult to adapt to in the beginning, but the switch needs to happen because the effects

of climate change are causing disasters that can negatively impact the world. Although adapting

to any change can be difficult, it is necessary to overcome this difficulty to maintain the number

of emissions being put into the atmosphere.

To conclude, climate change is the change and shift in weather patterns, and these shifts

can cause natural disasters which the government should take more seriously. The main cause of

climate change is the burning of fossil fuels. The gasses emitted from burning fossil fuels get

trapped in the atmosphere and get heated by the sun. Natural disasters have become more

prominent in the world. There have been activists such as Greta Thunberg who have fought to

prevent climate change. The government needed to recognize that the current conditions that

they are using are contributing to climate change. The United States has a history of undermining

climate change. During the term of former President Trump, he neglected to focus on climate

change. President Biden, however, did use tax incentives to promote the use of renewable

energy. Turning to renewable energy will allow fewer gas emissions to be pushed into the

atmosphere and prevent global warming. Since the burning of fossil fuels is the leading cause of

climate change, transitioning to renewable energy will allow fewer greenhouse gasses to be

emitted. A benefit to moving to renewable energy is the benefit of the jobs that could open up as
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well as saving the planet from global warming. To keep the change in using renewable energy

the government should recognize the importance of maintaining renewable energy. The disasters

that follow climate change will impact the lives of not only American citizens but from people

all around the world. Wildfires and droughts are only a few examples of the natural disasters that

are already occurring. Many of these disasters are occurring more frequently due to the rapid

heating of the globe. The government should focus on the benefits of changing to renewable

energy. Renewable energy is energy that is constantly being naturally replenished, for example,

solar or wind energy. Since the industrial revolution, the amount of emissions that have entered

the atmosphere has increased dramatically. The importance of fighting against climate change is

to ensure the safety of not only the people now but in the future. There are also risks to obtaining

specific fossil fuels and things like fracking can pose a danger to the Earth. On the other hand,

there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding climate change. For example, climate change is a

completely natural phenomenon. Although it is true, the main concern surrounding it was the

rapid increase in gas emissions due to human activity within the past one hundred years. Another

was that there are still seasonal changes happening despite the globe heating up. Normal weather

conditions can still occur but overall there are negative effects of climate change. Lastly, many

believe that the government has done all that it can do to combat climate change. The

government has taken small steps to fight against climate change but there is still more that needs

to be done to ensure the safety of the planet. The only way to truly fight against climate change is

to unite and use renewable sources of energy to create the best environment possible.
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Works Cited

Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera English.“What is Climate Change?”. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcBXmj1nMTQ

Alejandra Borunda. ‘The Most Consequential Impact of Trump’s Climate Policies? Wasted

Time’. National Geographic. Published 11 December 2020.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/most-consequential-impact-of-

trumps-climate-policies-wasted-time. Date Accessed 27 March 2022.

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “What We Can Do.” 26 Mar. 2020,

https://www.c2es.org/content/what-we-can-do/. Accessed 16 March 2022.

Congressional Research Service. ‘US Climate Change Policy’. Published 28 October 2021.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46947#:~:text=Examples%20of

%20enacted%20legislation%20 involving,carbon%20capture%20and%20sequestration

%20efforts.&text=President%20Biden%20announced%20a%20new,below

%202005%20levels%20by%202030. Accessed 27 March 2022.

Gries, Thomas, et al. “Human-Induced Climate Change: The Impact of Land-Use Change.”

Theoretical & Applied Climatology, vol. 135, no. 3/4, Feb. 2019, pp. 1031–44.

EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-018-2422-8. Date Accessed 16 March 2022.

Ronan, Patrick, et al. "Interaction between CO.sub.2-consuming autotrophy and

CO.sub.2-producing heterotrophy in non-axenic phototrophic biofilms." PLoS ONE, vol.

16, no. 6, 15 June 2021, p. e0253224. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

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link.gale.com/apps/doc/A665292645/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-

OVIC&xid=12dcc3f5. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

Nasa. Scientific Consensus: Earth’s Climate is Warming.

https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/