Global warming has been an issue in our society for some time that has been neglected to be truly addressed, and if it continues to be tabled, nothing will ever get done to stop or at least slow the rising temperatures from further damaging our ecosystem. The thing that people fail to consider is that global warming and climate change do a lot more than just affect the temperature and humidity. If people realized all of the lasting effects of the changes on our ecosystem, then maybe they would be more open and accepting that global warming is real, and only we as humans can do something about it. After talking to some of my friends about their beliefs on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that they do not believe that global warming is real. However, after showing them some of the data that I have collected from previous assignments, they see how temperatures have been rising over the years and no one has really done much about it. Especially after experiencing record high temperatures this past December and January, which are winter months, they agree with me that something is going on, and something needs to be done. No matter how much someone denies it, global warming is real, and it is a real threat that we as humans need to do something about soon if we intend to preserve our ecosystem.

Global warming itself is caused by the over accumulation of greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide in the atmosphere. The gases act like a blanket and trap in heat, warming the planet. These gases are released when we do things like burn fossil fuels like coal and oil and cut down forests to make land for pastures and plantations. Carbon dioxide is probably the most dangerous out of all of the greenhouse gases. It can survive in the Earth’s atmosphere for a really long time, potentially centuries long. Its heat trapping effects are compounded over time, which means it gets worse as time goes on. If we continue to rely on the burning of fossil fuels as our primary energy sources, then we are just digging ourselves into a deeper hole. There are many clean energy alternatives that need to be taken advantage of so that we can be less reliant on these environmentally harmful sources of energy. 

Fossil fuels are our primary source of energy. While they are harmful to the environment, they are still a very effective source of energy. Humans are so reliant on them due to our constant desire to increase our standard of living. It is because of this inclination to become more advanced that the idea of having new, cool technology overshadows the long-term effects on the Earth. It does not bode well for our future seeing how much the harmful conditions get overlooked. If people could see the true effects of what they were doing, then they would understand that they need to preserve the ecosystem in the long run.

We need to start switching to cleaner sources of energy, because there are plenty of alternatives that are efficient enough to someday take priority over fossil fuels. Some great alternative energy sources that are renewable and clean are: biofuels, biomass, geothermal energy, hydropower, solar energy, tidal power, wave power, and wind power. Each of these energy sources has its own pros and cons, but in the best interest of the Earth the pros outweigh the cons. 

Biofuels are created from biological material such as trees, agricultural waste, crops, or grass. Biofuels are a good source of energy, but it is debated whether or not substituting biofuels for fossil fuels will actually be better for the environment. The original idea was that biofuels would cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions because they can sequester carbon through the growth of the feedstock. But as I learned in an article about biofuels, using corn based ethanol almost doubles the greenhouse gas emissions over 30 years and increases them all together for 167 years. However, I have also learned through a second article regarding biofuels that there is a hope for biofuels being a reliable energy source. These biofuels would be created by algae. The process is still in the research steps but after reading this article I have come to the conclusion that within the next few years we will be able to rely on algae oddly enough as a fuel source. The algae used to make the biofuel creates less waste than the other materials, and is also recycled into making even more for the future. 

Biomass essentially is a name given to organic matter like wood and other plants. Biomass produces energy when it is burned, and has become a popular alternative to burning coal in some places. Biomass is a great source of energy because it is a renewable source. Although you are burning plants and wood for energy, plants grow back, therefore it is classified as a renewable energy source. Biomass can also be converted into biofuel through different methods such as: chemical, biochemical, and thermal. 

Geothermal energy is the heat that comes from the Earth. It is a great source of energy because it is both clean and sustainable. We can obtain geothermal energy from places that range from hot water on the surface to hot rock found a couple of miles beneath the surface of the Earth. We can use geothermal energy to generate electricity from the Earth’s heat, obtain hot water, and also heat and cool buildings. 

Hydropower, also known as hydroelectricity, is a renewable energy source that uses the water stored in dams and flowing rivers to create electricity in hydropower plants. The flowing water turns a water wheel that powers a turbine, creating the energy. Hydropower is such a great source of energy because it literally produces no waste, it’s just flowing water. It can be set up and used anywhere that there is a source of flowing water. The only real con to hydropower is the cost of building dams and water wheels, and also the environmental effects of damming off an area, affecting the wildlife that live in that area. 

Solar energy is a fantastic energy source because it is clean and abundant. Solar energy requires specialized solar panels that capture heat and light from the sun and converts them into energy to be used. Solar energy is very effective in places where it is sunny year round, but still very viable in other places. The only drawbacks of using solar energy are that solar panels are very expensive and unless they are being used in very sunny places, they might not be cost effective. 

Tidal Power is a part of hydropower that converts energy obtained from the force of the tides into forms of power like electricity. Tidal power has similar pros and cons to hydropower, it is a clean source of energy that can be set up wherever there is water and waves flowing, but can also be expensive and harmful to the inhabitants of where you set up the plant. 

Wave power is another clean renewable energy source. It is the transport of energy through wind waves, and the capture of that energy to put it to use. Wave power is most often used with the pumping of water. It is not a very conventional energy source, but because it creates clean energy it is important and should be kept in mind. 

The last big clean energy source is wind power. Wind power is very viable because wind blows everywhere. It is especially viable in plains areas where there is a lot of wind blowing but few or no trees to block the wind. Wind power is generated by giant propeller turbines that are spun by the blowing winds, generating electricity. Wind turbines have big pros as well as big cons. The pros being that wind is a clean and renewable energy source. The cons being how expensive the turbines are, as well as they are only cost effective in certain areas where wind blows constantly, and the turbines are so tall that they are a danger for birds that fly into the propellers and die. 

People forget that global warming is just about the rising temperatures, but I didn’t. The rising temperatures lead to things like the melting of the polar ice caps and causing areas to experience droughts. If you look at all of the bad things that come out of this climate change you will notice that each occurrence leads to another occurrence, and acts like a sort of domino effect. The climate change also brings upon an increase in tornados and hurricanes, floods, and the spread of diseases. 

The melting of the polar ice caps carries a lot more weight than you might think. The melting of the ice leads to the rising of the sea levels as well as a change in the temperature in some parts of the ocean. One thing that is overlooked about the global warming issue is that it not only affects humans, but all creatures from all walks of life. The change in temperature in the ocean causes habitats for some fish to become uninhabitable, and either kills them or forces them to migrate and find a new area that they can live in. In an article that I found, I learned that the temperature change can also affect the species of fish’s abilities to grow, survive, and reproduce. These changes will also effect the economy of commercial fisheries as they will have more trouble reaching their quotas, prices for fish will likely increase as a result. 

The changes in climate will bring upon more extreme weather conditions. Hurricanes and tornados will occur more often than normal. The rise in the sea level will also bring upon flooding in coastal areas. I remember seeing a graphic from an article that showed a satellite picture of a coastline from decades ago vs a picture of the same coastline from a year or two ago. There was a dramatic change in the sea level that you could easily see, such a large amount of land that was previously used is now uninhabitable due to it now being under water. This should really be able to show people the effects that will continue to get worse over time. 

The global temperature increase does not just affect the ecosystem, but also has an impact on human health. An article that I found on the subject of climate change in relation to human health stated that “the warming and precipitation trends due to the anthropogenic climate change of the past 30 years already claim over 150,000 lives annually.” Many human diseases stem from these climate fluctuations. Cardiovascular mortality and respiratory illnesses come from the heatwaves, and infectious diseases become more wide spread due to the migratory patterns of the probable mosquito carriers. Malnutrition also becomes apparent due to crop failures. In a nut shell we as humans also need to consider our own health as well as the status of the Earth when talking about these climate changes. 

We as humans need to do something now to substantially cut down on our greenhouse gas emissions, our future depends on it. And it’s not just our greenhouse gas emissions that need to change, we all need to start living with a more environmentally conscious mentality. The things we can do are so easy that literally everyone should have no excuse why they don’t live more sustainably. There is an article that I found on the NRDC website that lists 10 easy things that everyone can do to live more environmentally conscious. These 10 easy things are: speak up and make people aware that our environment is in trouble, power your home with renewable energy sources, weatherize your home by making sure its properly insulated to save money and energy on heating and cooling, invest in energy-efficient appliances, eat the food you buy to prevent any from going to waste and make less of that food meat, buy better energy efficient light bulbs, drive a fuel efficient vehicle to prevent the amount of carbon dioxide emitted, maintain your ride by keeping your tires inflated to potentially save over a billion gallons of gas every year, rethink planes, trains, and automobiles and use more local public transportation, and lastly shrink our carbon profile by purchasing carbon offsets. If everyone who can does these things, we will be able to see a huge difference in the ecosystem almost immediately. 
