Argument Essay: Global Climate Change

Most people have heard of the term, global climate change, or global warming. However, most have not put much thought into how it will affect their lives. The United States is the world 's largest emitter of CO2 in relation to its population, and yet people do not perceive it as an issue of great importance (Leiserowitz, 45). Answering questions about climate change will allow citizens to make informed decisions and proper changes in their lives. Americans must not allow political debates and influences to lead them into false conclusions. People need to see global climate change as a relevant problem because it will alter the balance of the earth 's ecosystems. First, it is important to have a clear idea of what global climate change is. Global climate change is the overall warming of the earth, happening at an increasing rate over an extensive period of time. This includes the decrease of snowfall, ice caps, and frozen ground, and is more than temporary fluxes in temperature. It is also important to understand that many scientists agree that this is caused by human activity, …show more content…
Walther has collected several pieces of evidence regarding this. The first is coral bleaching, in which he says, "Six periods of mass coral bleaching have occurred since 1979 and the incidence of mass coral bleaching is increasing in both frequency and intensity" (392). Coral bleaching happens when the temperature gets too hot, and there is a mass extinction of coral. This is devastating, since coral is the basis for an intricate ecosystem in shallow, tropical waters. In addition, Walther has also shown that climate change has cause an expansion of mosquito-related diseases (391).Mosquitos live in humid, warm climates. As the earth heats, they travel to new places and habitats, where diseases can spread easier. As one can see, there are many ways in which already climate change is effecting our