Global Warming

Ever since I saw Al Gore’s presentation, The Inconvenient Truth, global warming has been on the top of my mind. Almost everyday I hear some comment about our environment or see something unusual or different around me; it all makes me think – what are we doing to our environment?

Global warming is a scientific term used to state how the earth’s temperature is rising on land and in the oceans. This environmental hazard is caused when heat from the sun is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere because of the increase of pollution.

We are seeing many changes because of global warming; some of them are even obvious to us. Firstly, the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last thirty years. Secondly, the melting of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled in the past ten years. Thirdly, at least 279 species of plants and animals are already reacting to this crisis and have tried to save themselves by moving closer to the poles.

In the future we can expect more drastic changes in our surroundings. Scientists have predicted that deaths from global warming will double in twenty-five years to 300,000 people a year. They have also predicted that the Artic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050. One of the most important predictions that they have made is that by 2050, more than a million species could be driven to extinction.

Our generation needs to act accordingly and promptly in order to preserve our future. While we destroy our environment, not being conscious about how we treat our surroundings, we sometimes forget that we need to take care of our home, earth.