Warming Up to the Facts

Xandra Braynard, 16
New Hampshire

If you want to understand global warming, you have to know about carbon dioxide, one of the gasses found in our atmosphere (and commonly referred to as CO₂). Think of it as a huge blanket in the sky; it’s what keeps our planet warm and cozy because it holds in some of the heat from the sun, while letting some heat back into space. Without CO₂, all the heat from the sun would escape back into space and the Earth would be a barren ice world.

Earth naturally produces enough CO₂to keep us at a comfortable level; however, we have tipped the natural balance so that now there is too much CO₂in the atmosphere. Now too much heat from the sun is starting to get trapped here on Earth. It’s like someone is t hrowing an extra blanket over the planet.

How have we overloaded the earth with this gas? By producing CO₂ through our cars, factories, homes, power plants and so on. CO₂ is naturally made when trees and plants engage in photosynthesis and dead organisms decompose in the ground. When we cut down trees or use coal or oil (materials that come from deep in the earth) to power our machines, we release CO₂ into the air. An average American household with two medium-sized cars emits more than 20,000 pounds of CO₂ a year. That’s 10 tons going into the air — and that’s just one household! How many cars are in your town alone?

Artwork by Amanda Paige, 15, Florida

Earth is a delicate ecosystem. The planet warming up a few degrees may not seem like a big deal, but remember that the last Ice Age was caused by a shift of only nine degrees. Arctic ice is melting because of global warming, and the ocean is rising and changing temperature. The ocean acts like a giant sponge; it absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere. So the more CO₂ there is, the hotter the ocean gets. Warm water fuels hurricanes, so the warmer our oceans, the worse the storms. Not only that, but warmer oceans create warmer environments that some creatures can’t handle. For example, coral reefs have begun to bleach, losing their beautiful colors and turning into a pale white or grey. Coral is a very finicky plant, and a temperature change of just 1.8 degrees causes stress.

Warmer climates also create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and diseases like malaria and dengue fever — tropical diseases that have the potential to kill. This means outbreaks of these diseases will happen more often. All in all, if the greenhouse gas level continues at the rate it’s going, around 1.1 billion to 3.2 billion people will have water shortages.

While some people will experience droughts with climate change, it’s predicted that another 100 million people each year will be flooded out of their homes due to rising sea levels. Polar bears and other Artic animals will become extinct. It’s estimated that half of Europe’s plant species will become endangered or extinct by 2080. People with lung problems or asthma will suffer terribly, due to all the smog in the air.

You may be thinking “Oh, I won’t be around by then.” But what about the next generation? Or the generation after that? Do you really want to leave them a planet in such bad shape?

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