Description
What is global warming?

With our need to support a rising population, drive our economy and satisfy our greed, we have selfishly polluted and destroyed our environment in more ways than one. Firstly, due to energy demand, more fossil fuels are burnt yearly for electricity. The burning of these fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and thus, contributes to global warming. Secondly, the increase of motor vehicles on the roads has also resulted in the increase of carbon dioxide emissions. Other causes of the release of carbon dioxide include deforestation and the production of cement for the construction of buildings. These greenhouse gases which are released into the atmosphere trap excessive heat and infrared radiation. As a result, the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are dangerously rising. This increase in temperature leads to the melting of ice caps, the rise in global temperature and other negative impacts to the natural environment, the endangerment of animal species and disruption to our daily lives.

Personal response

Carbon emissions are increasing, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. So what? With all this talk and publicity about global warming, what have been done to reduce its impact? We, human beings, are the main culprits of this, and we are not the only ones who would suffer the effects of global warming in the near future. Plants and animals, too, would be gravely affected by this sudden change in climate conditions.

Yet, we still continue to dump waste into the ocean, release pollutants into the air and cut down trees to make way for houses. Yet, we continue to carry out actions that inflict harm upon Mother Earth, our homeland.

Why? With technology advancing every single day, people and governments selfishly pollute the earth just to boost the economy and satisfy their greed. However, the increase in economy would only benefit them in the short-term run. Hence, we feel and hope that more countries would take measures to reduce global warming as although they will suffer losses initially, it will benefit them in the long run.

An example can be seen in the U.S. flouting the Kyoto Protocol.

How could we just let this Earth die away in our hands?

This is what that is going to happen if we let global warming carry on.
1.Spread of diseaseAs northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north, bringing plague and disease with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in some countries thanks to global warming, malaria has not been fully eradicated.

2. Warmer waters and more hurricanesAs the temperature of oceans rises, so will the probability of more frequent and stronger hurricanes. We saw in this in 2004 and 2005.

3.Increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat wavesAlthough some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with more severe droughts also expected in Europe. Water is already a dangerously rare commodity in Africa, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming will exacerbate the conditions and could lead to conflicts and war.

4.Economic consequencesMost of the effects of anthropogenic global warming won’t be good. And these effects spell one thing for the countries of the world: economic consequences. Hurricanes cause do billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these.

5. Polar ice caps meltingThe ice caps melting is a four-pronged danger.
First, it will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Luckily, that’s not going to happen all in one go! But sea levels will rise.

Second, melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The ice caps are fresh water, and when they melt they will desalinate the ocean, or in plain English - make it less salty. The desalinization of the gulf current will “screw up” ocean currents, which regulate temperatures. The stream shutdown or irregularity would cool the area around north-east America and Western Europe. Luckily, that will slow some of the other effects of global warming in that area!

Third, temperature rises and changing landscapes in the artic circle will endanger several species of animals. Only the most adaptable will survive.

Fourth, global warming could snowball with the ice caps gone. Ice caps are white, and reflect sunlight, much of which is relected back into space, further cooling Earth. If the ice caps melt, the only reflector is the ocean. Darker colors absorb sunlight, further warming the Earth.

We strongly believe that though each one of us is a cause to this crisis, but each of us can become part of the solution, through the decisions we make on what we purchase, the amount of electricity we use and how we choose to live our live. Honestly speaking, we as a group have tried to play our parts but we find that it is not sufficient. Even though we try, no matter what, we still contribute to global warming. Thus, we feel that global warming is inevitable. However, we can help to curb or slow down global warming, and reduce its impact on us and the environment through our daily choices.

Certainly, global warming is known to many, but we believe that it has not fully registered into people’s minds yet. People choose to leave such solutions to the experts and professionals such as scientist and environmentalists. However, scientists are nowhere near a full-proof and workable solution to stop global warming.

Thus, we need to slow the speed at which global warming is growing across the globe. We are suggesting measures that can be taken to reduce global warming:

Individual level
An individual can help, just by modifying their daily practices. One can help by refraining from leaving the air conditioners on stand-by mode, setting the air-conditioners to 25 degrees Celsius. An individual can also help by reducing their usage of items made of raw materials such as paper, and recycling them to ensure that these which no longer have a use, are remodeled into something useful. Other practices include closing the refrigerator tightly and not putting piping hot food into the refrigerator.

National level
At a national level, the government can introduce campaigns or competitions to raise awareness among the people of the country. One common example in Singapore is the clean and green week. Countries can also look to alternative energy sources, including renewable and sustainable energy sources which are clean and environmentally-friendly.

International level
Countries can sign treaties that take measures to reduce global warming. One example seen is the Kyoto Protocol where it is an international agreement made under the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the 3rd Conference of the Parties in Kyoto. It was signed in 1997 by different countries mainly the U.S, European Union (EU), Japan and Russia and calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas emission to an average of 5% below 1990 levels to be achieved by 2008-2012.