Global Warming: A Real Hot-Button Issue

Andrew Primeau

Laura Long

English/Lang Arts 10: (Daily:01) Sec. 101

2 December 2016

Global Warming: A Real Hot-Button Issue

Global warming is a potentially disastrous issue that could eventually wipe out all life on Earth. Global warming is causing the planet to heat up at an unprecedented rate, and humanity must do more to stop it.

Global warming is a process in which greenhouse gases trap incoming heat from the Sun in Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet like a greenhouse (hence the name “greenhouse gas”). Greenhouse gases are mostly emitted by the burning of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, and the current concentration of greenhouse gases is large and growing. For example, carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, is at 400 ppm1 (parts per million) in the atmosphere. That might not sound like much, but considering how large the atmosphere is, 400 ppm is quite a lot of carbon dioxide, and that’s just one greenhouse gas.

In order to slow or even stop the warming of the planet, we must stop burning fossil fuels, and instead use renewable resources like solar power or hydroelectric power. In fact, we’re already starting to switch to renewable resources; as of 2015, total US energy consumption was about 4 trillion kWh2. Of that amount, 0.6% was generated by solar power, 6% by hydropower, and a whopping 20% by nuclear power2. There have also been improvements in usage of renewable resources in homes; Tesla unveiled a solar roof3 that could cost less to install than a regular roof4. With advancements like these in renewable resources, we could knock out global warming in no time.

However, the public is still not completely on board about global warming. According to Gallup polls, only 64% of adult Americans said they were worried a “great deal” or a “fair amount” about global warming, only 59% believe the effects of global warming have already begun, 41% believe global warming will pose a serious threat to their way of life, and 65% believe global warming is primarily attributable to human activities5. To be fair, these numbers are higher than before, but still not high enough.

In conclusion, global warming is a potentially disastrous issue, and we must do more to stop it. However, in order to do more about global warming, we need the public to agree that global warming is a huge issue. While we are making serious advancements in renewable resources and their usage, we’re still  quite a ways away from stopping global warming (let alone reversing it; that’s a whole other problem). If you want to help, look into powering your house with renewable energy, contact your congressman or senator, or just raise awareness. Do something, so that one day, we might finally tackle this issue, and enjoy our planet in peace.

Works Cited

1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "Recent Greenhouse Gas Concentrations." Current Greenhouse Gas Concentrations. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2016. <http://web.archive.org/web/20161109122729/http://cdiac.ornl.gov/pns/current_ghg.html>.
2. U.S. Energy Information Administration. "U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. Energy Information Administration, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2016. <https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=427&t=3>.
3. "Tesla Solar." Tesla Solar | Tesla. Tesla, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2016. <https://www.tesla.com/solar>.
4. Muoio, Danielle. "Elon Musk: Tesla Solar Roof Will Likely Cost Less than a Normal Roof." Business Insider. Business Insider, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 Dec. 2016. <http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-solar-roof-cost-less-than-normal-roof-2016-11>.
5. Gallup, Inc. "U.S. Concern About Global Warming at Eight-Year High." Gallup.com. Gallup Inc., 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 02 Dec. 2016. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/190010/concern-global-warming-eight-year-high.aspx>.