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Problem and Solution Essay

Logan Brennan
Global Warming
Imagine a life threatening disease were to appear in a persons life. The logical response
would be to immediately search for care to find a cure. Climate change is a disease to our planet
yet many people continue to ignore the effects it is having on Earth. The huge increase of
greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, can cause vital changes. Extinction
of species, rising temperatures, and rising sea levels are just a few of the many dangerous causes
of climate change. People around the world remained uniformed of the severity of many of these
problems. To slow the effects of climate change there needs to be more regulations on oil use and
pollution in the US as well as the rest of the world.
The warming of our climate was seen by scientist as early as the 1800s. Since it has been
found, our climates temperature has continued to rise, and if changes arent made it will rise even
further. Most climatologist agree that this is becoming a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Averaged over all land and ocean surfaces, temperatures warmed roughly 1.53 degrees
Fahrenheit from 1880-2012 (NRDC.org). Just one or two degrees may sound insignificant, but
even that little change can have big effects. Melting of ice caps in the North Pole are among the
biggest results of warming. Many habitats are being destroyed as the ice and snow slowly melt
away. If the melting continues sea levels around the world will rise causing damage to major
cities. New York is among the most notable that have a chance of being effected. Flooding and
destruction of downtown areas could occur being catastrophic to the area that is so highly
developed. Much of the problem is being caused by big businesses that pollute and release toxic

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materials into the environment. Instead of getting rid of waste in an environmentally friendly
way, businesses decide it is easier for them to burn or dump toxins into the environment. It is
much cheaper to get rid of things this way so it is an easy choice for an owner to operate this
way. Big businesses would love it is the public were to simply blame these changes on anything
but them. As long as the issue stays out of the public eye and regulations stay the same they will
continue to take advantage.
Climate change has the potential to affect everyone living on Earth. Unfortunately most
people do not even realize that this is a growing issue. The media continues to ignore the solid
fact presented by climatologist. If this problem is pushed away too long it will be too late to
reverse the effects. Crops could stop growing, countless species of animals could have their
population hurt or even eliminated altogether, and human life would be changed entirely. Along
with temperature change, availability of Earths resources is also at risk. For decades people have
used oil as a main resource for everyday tasks. However, oil presents two major issues, first it is
nonrenewable so theres only a limited supply on Earth, and second, using oil produces large
amounts of carbon dioxide a harmful greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gasses are harmful to the
Earths ozone layer. They trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the temperature to rise. The
demand for oil is so huge making it extremely important to find an alternative. Wars in the
Middle East and rising gas prices are just some of the impacts of oil demand. Many scientist
believe that the burning of oil along with other human activities are the driving factor behind
temperature change. If the trend continues, all life on Earth will be effected by climate change.
Some ideas are already in action to move towards a cleaner Earth. An agreement among
industrialized UN nations to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses they release. These
agreements are just a tiny step in the right direction. Many industries still go unregulated being

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left free to dump into oceans, rivers and landfills. More environmentally friendly ways exist to
get rid of waste such as recycling or using materials that are biodegradable. Also more research
should be put forth toward creating more efficient ways to use oil. Oil is a vital resource used by
nearly all businesses in some way. Whether it be machines used in warehouses or simply gas
used in company vehicles, oil is consumed daily by millions. Electric cars seem to be a potential
solution but are much more expensive at this point. At the very least car companies should be
required to produce vehicles that get over a certain amount of miles per gallon. This would kill
two birds with one stone preserving oil as well as lessening the amount of carbon dioxide
emissions. As a short term fix this would be the most effective change as millions of people use
cars to get places each day. These solutions would slow if not stop the rapid climate change
going on our planet.
The use of solar panels and wind turbines are two solutions being explored as well.
These options give the opportunity to provide power and cut down on the use of fossil fuels.
They have the potential to be effective as many are already in use around the world. Solar panels
are normally located on rooftops or in fields and harness the suns energy to use as electricity.
Wind turbines are often seen in fields and turn the wind into energy to be used. There are
unfortunately many questions being raised about these alternatives. Solar panels only work to
their full potential at certain times of day when the Sun is directly overhead and on cloudy days
do not produce as much energy. Questions are starting to arise about if they are really worth the
high cost. They also create the problem of hurting wildlife. The high amount of heat can cause
harm to birds that happen to fly over them. Birds also have a tendency to crash into the wind
turbines. Scientist now are being forced to look into ways to divert the birds flight away from
these areas. The problem of major business pollution also still exists even if these ideas are

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effective. Without first addressing the main contributor to climate change it is hard for other
changes to have an effect. These ideas have potential but it may be a long time before they are
able to have a noticeable impact.
Some argue that climate change is a hoax and the earth goes through regular temperature
fluctuations. There has been a tendency for the Earth to go through periods of heating and
cooling, however, is much more likely that humans have caused this due to our understanding of
greenhouse gasses and how much we produce. No warming period has ever been as drastic as the
one the Earth is faced with now. Majority of climatologist point towards humans as the cause for
this temperature rise. The warming also lines up with our increase of use of oil and other fossil
fuels. It is clear that the dumping of toxins into water sources and the air is the driving factor
behind climate change so it is up to us to reverse the effects.
It is time to take action for the sake of preserving the planet we call home. There is
nowhere else to go once the Earth is lost to climate change. The World cannot continue
producing waste and pollutants at the same rate that is currently taking place. There should be
outrage among the people that big industries continue to go without regulation. If we continue to
ignore it, massive permanent impacts will be inflicted on our planet. The people need to be better
informed about the Earths problems before it is too late to do anything. More regulations and
alternatives need to be explored to ensure our survival on Earth.

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Work Cited
"Global Warming." Facts, Causes and Effects of Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.