We have 100 years until irreversible damage is done by global warming!
Picture taken from pexels.com.
October 4, 2019
Over 95 percent of West students are aware of Global Warming, but how many know the amount of time we have before there is serious damage done to our planet?
“I think maybe 10,000 years.”
“I think at least 550 years.”
“I believe we have hundreds of years before serious damage is done.”
These are the responses from West students about global warming. The truth is, we have until the end of this century before there is irreversible damage done by global warming.
What is global warming? According to the survey sent out, about 25% of West students don’t know what global warming means. Global warming is caused by us humans releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. These gases let heat in, but trap them so that they stay in our atmosphere. When trees are cut down, the carbon dioxide held inside them is released into the atmosphere, speeding up global warming.
We’re already seeing the effects of global warming. The average temperature of our planet has risen by 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1906, the start of the industrial revolution. In polar areas sensitive to climate change, the temperatures have risen by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The intensity and destructiveness of forest fires in the western U.S. have increased.
Sea levels are expected to rise about 2.3 feet by the year 2050. This will be caused by the melting glaciers in the polar zones. When the glaciers melt, we will lose a large source of fresh water. Glaciers provide about 75% of the earth’s fresh water. By the end of this century, parts of the world will be experiencing decades-long megadroughts. Floods and hurricanes will be more frequent and more destructive.
Due to the warmer temperatures, mosquitos, ticks, and bark beetles are thriving. Zika virus and mosquito-borne malaria will be spread more easily. Bark beetles have already destroyed millions of acres of trees in the U.S.
If humans don’t make an effort to reduce carbon emissions from their vehicles and the trees that they cut down, our planet will suffer.
Emily Dancy • Jan 6, 2021 at 10:53 am
look sure even if we aren’t part of global warming (which we are) we are also responsible for the extinction of a plethora of animals such as the dodo bird and many more. And not to mention the critical endangerment of countless more species. Whats worse even if these animals are not diminishing due to iligeal poaching but global warming and deforestation is killing the rest. we only have one chance. We have to turn things around if not it won’t be just the dodos that we’ve killed it’ll have been the whole world.
Aaron Burns • Dec 13, 2019 at 12:48 pm
Jake the winters have been the coldest in the last decade, but I’m not using that is proof global warming isn’t happening. The world has a cycle and we are in the upwards swing of that cycle at the moment. Also, trees take in Co2 and we have been saving trees from forest fires for centuries. Without us, the forests would be gone and the Earth would be even hotter.
Doge4Life • Nov 26, 2019 at 1:03 pm
Humans are just a tiny speck in the problem. Without humans, the world would probably be in an even worse state because of all the forest fires.
Spotlight Uh • Nov 1, 2019 at 6:27 pm
jah would not agree
Jake Ludwig • Nov 1, 2019 at 1:02 pm
The last ice age was 2.58 million years ago. Not all the ice thawed out because we still have the glaciers, and global warming is caused by carbon dioxide. Humans produce Co2 from everything we do. Co2 comes from cars, coal power plants, etc. There is no way humans are not affecting the earth. The last decade was the hottest decade on record, so yeah.
Anna Gonzales • Oct 21, 2019 at 5:20 pm
I agree with those too but overall, great job!
KirbyGamer (Alex Proctor) • Oct 14, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Great article! Nice job! I just wanna say a few things quickly. First, I agree that global warming is a big problem, but like Aaron says, it’s not entirely caused by humans. Second, I also agree that we have a century to do something and we can do a lot of things to solve this issue. The third thing goes to Aaron. Hey dude, just wanna say that by us humans affecting global warming, it’s making greenhouse gases that trap heat, so the sun’s heat is being trapped in the atmosphere. Ok, I’ve said what’s on my mind. Peace!
Aaron B • Oct 9, 2019 at 1:00 pm
Global warming is a thing but in no way shape or form is affected drastically by us humans. Look back 10000 years ago, there was an ice age, this ice all thawed out and the temperatures went up 70 degrees, but humans have no part in that. There are just natural highs and lows for the world and we are traveling up one of those highs. sure we might be affecting it by about 0.1073% but how little is that compared to the sun? Glaciers melt and turn into water. Are you familiar with the Great Lakes? They are formed by the melting of glaciers. How will we lose fresh water if the glaciers are going to change from solid water to a consumable form of water? Just reevaluate your opinion with research.