Essay on Climate Changes: Earth Needs Medication

Over the years, have you ever noticed some sort of changes in seasonal weather around the world? Like it somehow gets worse every year? Well, there is a reason behind that. Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, which for some may seem as little, but this has been the cause of hotter days, extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and many more dangerous disasters around the world. Unfortunately, these harsh changes are only going to increase, but we have been the cause of all this, and if we don’t start changing the ways we go about life, without thinking about our environment and future as humans, we might not even have an earth in the far future. This is why Global Warming should be taken seriously by each and every one of us and we should take measures to lower earth's temperature, before it's too late.

Many might be asking, how can simple people like us be able to stop something major like global warming? Well, it takes a village for things to get done, but there's a lot we can do, and starting at home is the best way to start. According to the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC), “Efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air.'', meaning that, by using energy efficient technology and appliances in our homes and businesses, we have prevented a good number of Carbon Dioxide, one of the leading contributions to global warming, to be released into the atmosphere. We aren't only limited to this, however, as driving fuel-efficient cars have also been proven to help “in reducing pollution and smog by at least 50%” (Matter of Trust), since they usually take up less gas to run, which can make these cars even more necessary as more and more cars populate our highways. For some, doing these things might seem a bit expensive, but let's not get discouraged, as simple day to day recycling can do alot when it comes to making our earth safer. According to KingCounty.gov, “Recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy consumption” (King County), meaning that when we buy less & reuse products, “less energy is needed to extract, transport and process materials to manufacture products'' (King County), which currently contributes greatly to the production of Carbon Dioxide. By doing these things, we are not only helping out our environment, but we are also helping ourselves, as we make the communities around us safer.

Making these changes to our lifestyles are only going to get us so far, meaning that we need to start demanding changes at a bigger level . Whether it's demanding at a Local, State, or Federal level, making government bodies aware of the changes and adjustments that needs to be done is key in order to deal with the environmental crisis we currently face, and one way is by demanding investment in renewable energy. Why renewable energy? As we continue to use up our natural resources, such as coal, oil, metal, natural gas, etc, more pollution and Carbon Dioxide invades our air and oceans, meaning that we need to look for other ways to receive energy. According to UC Davis, “renewables are the world’s fastest growing energy sources”, and that it “is no longer expensive, remote or unreliable”. This is good when it comes to trying to get as much pollution out as possible, as “Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions.” (UCS). Not only will renewable energy help in reduce pollution, but also the overall health of our citizens living in cities. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked with breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, premature death, and a host of other serious problems”, meaning that, our current ways of getting energy is harming the health of people in the neighboring areas, so by using renewable energy, we prevent these health problems to spread any further. There is so much we can do in order to help prevent the destruction of our earth, and with the support of the government, we can all prevent this together. 

Most of us can agree that global warming is a major environmental crisis that, if not controlled, can cause permanent damage for many generations to come. However, some have argued that doing something about it would just be a waste, as “we won’t be alive to see the effects or consequences of it”. This statement would simply be false, as effects of global warming have already taken place, and will continue to do so. The melting of glaciers, for example, is the reasoning behind rising sea levels, which causes the increase of dangerous natural disasters we often see on the news. Also, the pollution caused by factories and industrial plants are behind the respiratory illnesses people living nearby contract. So by doing nothing, future generations are more prone to be born with respiratory illnesses and live inhibitable and toxic communities.

Global Warming should be taken seriously by each and every one of us and we should take measures to lower earth's temperature, before it's too late. Some say that we won't be alive to see the effects of global warming, but these effects have already taken place with the increase of yearly natural disasters due to rising sea levels. By making homes energy efficient, reducing current waste, driving fuel efficient vehicles, and even urging government bodies to invest in green technology and renewable energy, we might ,over time, be able to stop the faith earth is currently heading towards, thanks to global warming.