Global Warming August 28, 2006
Posted by rharbour in Uncategorized.trackback
I recently read an article about global warming because that is one of the most widely talked about issues in our world today. Before i started reading i had never really understood what people meant when they talked about global warming, “greenhouse gasses,” fossil fuels, etc. And i never really cared because things seemed fine to me: it was cold in the winter, warm in the spring, hot in the summer, and a little cool in the fall. i figured it was just some new topic that a bunch of scientists were a little too excited over, but i was wrong. The article i read explained what global warming was:a rise in the Earth’s temperature due to an excess in the burning of fossil fuels such as Carbon dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous oxide. According to the EPA the major causes of Global Warming are
- Electricity Generation: 33.9%
- Transportation: 26.8%
- Industry: 18.8%
- Agriculture: 7.6%
- Residential: 7.6%
- Commercial: 4.7%
Not only is a rise in temperature an effect of global warming, but other effects include rising sea levels, increased extreme weather events, harmful effects on certain ecosystems, and the expansion in range of tropical diseases. Major changes in transpotation and energy need to be made ASAP if the “slippery slope” of global warming is going to end. Hopefully in the near future new types of vehicles and fuels will be created so global warming will end or at least slow down.
So, for me, what first seemed like a just some topic off in the science world, is now a major factor in what i do in every day life. Just driving my car and being on the road with hundreds of other people proves that pretty much every person is a contributor to this rising situation. Global Warming will be a great topic to watch develop and continue on in the next few years.
I also have been hearing about and studying global warming pretty much my whole life, but it wasn’t until I read your blog today and looked the topic up on Wikipedia that I realized the actions I do everyday have an effect on it, and how serious the effects of global warming can be. It’s going to take a lot to change our everyday habits, (especially because most humans could care less about what they do to our earth, as long as it’s convienent for them) but if things don’t change, we can be sure to expect more hurricanes, tsunamis, and a bunch of other problems too. People need to wake up and realize that we are causing this and it can be helped.
Nice post Ryan.
You should check out and weigh in on the posts (and comments) on
Abbey’s blog (http://abbyr.wordpress.com/), Motrya’s blog (http://motryak.wordpress.com/), and Sarah’s blog (http://sgoetz.wordpress.com/). You might also want to comment on the blogs concerning hydrogen fuel.
I compeltely understand what you are saying. Up until recently I thought that global warming was no big deal and that it would really never amount to anything. But after researching it a little, I realize that it will probably have a major effect sometime in the near future. Like you said, we can do little things that we don’t really even think about to help prevent global warming.