Climate Change is Real
Half a century from now the planet will not be the same as it is today. With the effects of climate change increasing it is destined to negatively affect the world as we know it. Many factors from humans contribute to this global climate change. Starting with the burning of fossil fuels for energy, deforestation, and greenhouse gases increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These events are some of the main reasons for our current global climate change problems; to include sea levels rising, global temperatures rising, shrinking ice sheets, ocean acidification and extreme weather events. Without humans changing how they treat the environment the effects of climate change will only get worse. Climate …show more content…
One such effect from global warming is the melting of polar ice regions. “Data from NASA 's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005” (NASA). The artic is already showing the signs of this because their temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the world. This is causing pieces of ice to thin out and start breaking off. “The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest single sheet of ice in the Arctic, has been around for 3,000 years. It started to crack in 2000. By 2002, it had split. Now it is breaking into smaller pieces” (Simon 12). Scientists say that parts of this artic ice may disappear every summer. This is affecting the polar bears, walruses, seals and whales that live in the arctic regions. “Polar bears live only in the Arctic. They are completely dependent on the sea ice for all their life needs” (Simon 15). Glaciers and mountain snow are also being effected by global warming. “In the 1850s, there were 150 glaciers in Montana. By 1968, there were 37. In 2008, there were fewer than 24” (Simon 17). At this rate the next generation will have little to no glaciers to see. Due to this ice melting it causes the ocean levels to rise. Over time this can have an impact on humans being displaced from the flooding of coastal areas. “A recent study found that if average temperatures rise by three degrees Celsius, Greenland’s enormous ice sheet will begin to melt and sea levels all over the world may rise by a half foot to three feet or more” (Simon 18). The ocean itself is also warming. “The top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969” (NASA). This is effecting the precious coral reefs who are very sensitive to changes in water temperature and carbon
Half a century from now the planet will not be the same as it is today. With the effects of climate change increasing it is destined to negatively affect the world as we know it. Many factors from humans contribute to this global climate change. Starting with the burning of fossil fuels for energy, deforestation, and greenhouse gases increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These events are some of the main reasons for our current global climate change problems; to include sea levels rising, global temperatures rising, shrinking ice sheets, ocean acidification and extreme weather events. Without humans changing how they treat the environment the effects of climate change will only get worse. Climate …show more content…
One such effect from global warming is the melting of polar ice regions. “Data from NASA 's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005” (NASA). The artic is already showing the signs of this because their temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the world. This is causing pieces of ice to thin out and start breaking off. “The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest single sheet of ice in the Arctic, has been around for 3,000 years. It started to crack in 2000. By 2002, it had split. Now it is breaking into smaller pieces” (Simon 12). Scientists say that parts of this artic ice may disappear every summer. This is affecting the polar bears, walruses, seals and whales that live in the arctic regions. “Polar bears live only in the Arctic. They are completely dependent on the sea ice for all their life needs” (Simon 15). Glaciers and mountain snow are also being effected by global warming. “In the 1850s, there were 150 glaciers in Montana. By 1968, there were 37. In 2008, there were fewer than 24” (Simon 17). At this rate the next generation will have little to no glaciers to see. Due to this ice melting it causes the ocean levels to rise. Over time this can have an impact on humans being displaced from the flooding of coastal areas. “A recent study found that if average temperatures rise by three degrees Celsius, Greenland’s enormous ice sheet will begin to melt and sea levels all over the world may rise by a half foot to three feet or more” (Simon 18). The ocean itself is also warming. “The top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969” (NASA). This is effecting the precious coral reefs who are very sensitive to changes in water temperature and carbon