What happens when soda is poured into a glass to quickly before it has time to settle? It spills over the edge and out of the glass, damaging anything in its path. This is what happens to the atmosphere when greenhouse gases are being pumped into it faster than it can be absorbed. Many people believe that global warming is a problem that can only be solved by big companies and the government. What happens when the government is handing out millions of dollars in tax breaks to big oil companies that are polluting our earth and no one is doing anything to stop them? People do not understand the amount of damage just a single person can do to the air around us. Global Warming is a growing problem around the world and it cannot be ignored any longer. The earth is suffering from the abuse of humans and when it is gone it cannot be replaced. The question is not if global warming is going to get worse, it is when and what people are going to do to stop it. Global Warming is by no means a new or recently discovered issue throughout the world. However, it has taken many years for the issue to get the attention it deserves and so desperately needs. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, scientists discovered changes in weather in relation to global warming. However, people denied it saying it is a recurring pattern. “Nobody worried about the change. The meteorologists explained that weather patterns always did vary modestly, in cycles lasting a few decades or centuries. If the mid-twentieth century happened to be a time of warming, so much the better.” (Weart, 2003) The weather was getting warmer and more enjoyable so people reveled in it and did not see it as something damaging to the environment. Why would a person question something that they do not understand and does not knowingly impact their personal lives? In 1972, scientists were well aware of the effects of global warming. However, they did not feel that is was an important enough issue to bring to the forefront of politics. “Most scientists felt that they were already doing their job by pursuing research and publishing it. Anything important would presumably be noticed by science journalists and policy-makers. For really important problems the scientists could convene a study group, perhaps under the National Academy of Sciences, and issue a report.” (Weart, 2003) The only problem with this method is the only people that would receive any information about the damage being done to the environment is people who were greatly interested in science. The public was done a great injustice when they were not informed of the changing environment and the irreversible damage they were doing to the earth. Now that people are being more forcefully informed of the effects of global warming, they can join in the effort to save the planet. One positive way that a group of people is attempting to stop the damage of global warming is a process called capturing carbon. “CCS (Carbon capturing and storage) covers a broad set of methods which remove carbon dioxide from the waste streams of power plants and other industrial facilities, or directly from the atmosphere, and lock it away—underground or in plants and soils, or in minerals.” (Mills, 09/2010) Though this method is costly, it will be worth it in the end. Some reject the idea because they believe it give attention to fossil fuels which many are attempting to steer away from by using renewable power. The reality is, though there are many people attempting to use renewable energy, there are many still using fossil fuels and the waste is continually polluting the atmosphere.
“The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies.” (Global, 2007) If global warming would have been taken seriously many decades ago, endangered animals may not be in danger of extinction because they can no longer survive in the rising temperatures and changing climate that they are exposed to. Innocent animals should not be suffering because humans are being careless. “Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.” (Global, 2007) How would a person feel if everything they know as well as their ways of survival was taken away from them by something they have no control over? There is no reason that innocent polar bears should be suffering from the selfishness of humans. Polar bears in the cold, icy glaciers of the arctic are not the only animals suffering from the effects of global warming. Baby elephants are dying
How are humans supposed to help the environment when the government is not doing their part in the effort? The Canadian government has given millions of dollars in tax breaks to big oil companies that are polluting the air and contributing to global warming.