Elliot Speech

Global warming, we’ve all heard the spiel about its catastrophic effects. And yet many of us take no action. We just push it off into the back of our minds and ignore it. We either don’t believe it exists, don’t consider it a threat, or just assume someone else will fix it for us. Well I’m here to tell you that global warming is not an issue to be ignored. We cannot push it off or it will sneak up on us, and we won’t realize the danger we are in until it’s too late. Every one of us needs to take some initiative and make an effort to resolve the problem. Now I’m not suggesting we have to become full blown tree huggers, but if we all follow a few simple green practices, we can make great strides in resolving the issue.

For those unconvinced that global warming has been caused in part by humans, I will briefly explain the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere. The misnamed greenhouse gas effect is all about radiation from heat. The sun emits radiation that enters our atmosphere and warms the Earth. Some wavelengths of the radiation pass through the atmosphere while others are trapped by Greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases are heated, and therefore must also emit radiation. This radiation further warms the Earth’s surface. According to Kerry Emanuel’s book, What We Know About Climate Change doubling the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere raises the global temperature by 2 degrees. This may seem inconsequential but could lead to other serious climate issues or “knock on effects”. (one change leads to another). And as we have seen with storms such as Katrina the effects can be drastic. As the ocean temperature rises storms become much more powerful, and much more frequent. The ice caps are also beginning to melt, and while we may not be feeling the effects, those guys (polar bears on visual aid) sure are. For those who say this is just a natural climate pattern, I implore you to look at the facts and see that the massive influx of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has major effects on the environment. The recent temperature anomaly data shows a massive spike in temperature increase compared to 2000 years of data, and according to the Intercontinental Panel for Climate Change the CO2 radiative force levels rose by 20% from 1995-2005. Even if this warming is a natural event, does that mean we should do nothing? Does it mean that the effects won’t still be as catastrophic? Would we just ignore the coming of the next ice age? I do not believe so, and I do not believe we should ignore our current situation either.

It isn’t hard to do your part. It will not require changing your entire life style or devoting yourself to an environmentalist group. The most important thing for fighting global warming is being conscience of the effects your actions have. Just taking a few moments to consider the consequences, will greatly influence your decisions and hopefully moving you in a greener direction. One of the most important things you can do is recycle. Many of us already do but we can do even more. Don’t settle for throwing away paper just because the recycling bin isn’t convenient. Make every effort to recycle everything you possibly can. Other simple things such as turning out lights in unused rooms and lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer can greatly conserve energy. As American’s we have a tendency to drive everywhere, even if it’s just down the street or around the corner. Driving less, and driving efficiently would greatly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. If you can walk or ride your bike somewhere DO IT. Not only is it good for the environment, its good for your wallet since you’re not spending money on gas, and the exercise is good for your health. Carpooling is also an important method in driving efficiently. It saves money and it reduces the amount of cars on the road. Reusing materials is another wonderful way to be green. Instead of using plastic grocery baegs invest in a couple of cloth baegs that will last you a lifetime. Of course you alone cannot stop global warming, that is why it’s important to get out and spread the word. Encourage your friends to utilize the same green practices you are. And please try not to be condescending when doing so as this in no way will make them want to take your advice, and hurts the reputation of everyone working for the cause.

It is not enough to say that, “oh everyone else is already saving the planet I don’t have to.” Global warming is a challenge to be conquered by people in a united effort, not to be solved by a miracle solution a scientist will find. Most importantly we cannot put this off. We cannot procrastinate or it will be too late, maybe not for us, but for our children or our children’s children. We as a people must take some initiative, and actively work to solve this issue. Society must take responsibility for its actions, and not shove the issue on for the next generation. I know that as a united people we can accomplish great things and conquer this all-important challenge.

Bibliography:

Emanuel, Kerry. What We Know About Climate Change. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. Print.

"Reconstructed Temperature." Azimuth. Web. 1 Aug 2011. http://johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/this-weeks-finds-week-317/.

Petrone, Maurizio. "50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming." Global Warming Facts. N.p., oct 2010. Web. 1 Aug 2011. .

IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [B. Metz, O.R. Davidson, P.R. Bosch, R. Dave, L.A. Meyer (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim." Perf. Gore, Al. Paramount Classics: 2006, DVD.