Approaching the Problem of Global Warming Journalism October 17, 2018October 25, 2018 Approaching the Problem of Global Warming Emma Teceno 10/17/18 The United States government should be more concerned with the growing problem of global climate change. It is an issue that negatively affects the entire world. Global climate change is defined as an unnatural rise in global temperatures. It has several causes, but scientists agree that the upwards trend is mainly due to raised carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. People create excess carbon dioxide through factory production and automobile emissions. Normally, carbon dioxide is absorbed by the plants that depend on it for survival, but people are actively destroying forests containing these plants in order to take their natural resources. In addition, humans are producing carbon dioxide in such extreme amounts that the earth would be unable to sustain itself even without deforestation. There is simply too much carbon dioxide for the plants to take in. Carbon dioxide causes global warming because of something called the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect occurs when heat from the sun is trapped within earth’s atmosphere by a layer of various gases, including carbon dioxide. This event is natural and even necessary for the survival of life on the planet’s surface. However, because of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, the greenhouse effect has been amplified, causing a spike in global temperatures. At first glance, global warming may seem relatively harmless. In reality, climate change is a danger to the health and safety of all living things. Increased temperatures can cause disrupted growing patterns, unpredictable precipitation, natural disasters, and dangerously hot summers. These effects can be seen in the form of California’s lengthy droughts and the wild hurricanes currently ripping through the Carolinas. Ice caps are melting in the arctic and antarctic regions, causing endangerment for species such as the polar bear, as well as rapidly rising sea levels. Complications are arising regarding the agricultural industry due to temperamental precipitation patterns and extended periods of heat. Before long, these effects will become irreversible. In order to correct this problem, the world would have to drastically reduce its fossil fuel consumption. Scientists recommend more efficient energy sources, including battery, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. Despite this, governments around the world have done little to lessen the effects of climate change. The fossil fuel industry is extremely profitable, so government officials benefit from ignoring its unethical connotations. Certain members of the United States government deny that global warming is even real, claiming that if it was, the world would no longer have any cold days. While this is incredibly untrue, myths relating to climate change perpetuate a lack of understanding. This often leads to a belief that climate change is only mildly dangerous, and that little needs to be done in order to prevent it. This kind of thinking prevents change, and only increases the risk of global warming’s negative effects. If the government were to spread the truth about climate change, more institutions would be motivated to use alternative means of energy consumption. The United States federal government should be putting more effort into relieving the problems caused by global climate change.