Editor, Times-Union: If the Greenland ice sheet melted, global sea levels would rise by 26 to 33 feet and many seaports and coastlines would be flooded. If the Atlantic ice sheet melted, Earth’s oceans would rise by 350 feet. Humans would survive climate change of this magnitude, but social and political organizations may not. Would you want this falling on your shoulders? You can help.
Hello, I am a 10th-grader from Warsaw Community High School. My name is Sidney Troyer, and I am here to tell you about global warming. The majority of researchers believe that global warming is directly related to the increase in greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that the recent increases in temperature are due to human activity. In the last 150 years, the human population has grown more than five times, and the average person uses more energy now than ever before. This energy comes mostly from fossil fuels, which is a very big importance to the cause of global warming.
To help global warming, people can reduce, reuse and recycle. By doing so, you can save 2,400 pounds of CO2 annually. If you use less, heat and air conditioning saves about 200 pounds of CO2 each year. Driving less keeps 20 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere, daily. By doing these small things, you can help an awful lot with global warming.
As you can see, CO2 is very dangerous to the atmosphere. CO2 is released when fossil fuels are burned, which is many times a day. Methane comes from livestock operations and the decomposition of organic waste. Nitrous oxide is emitted by internal combustion engines and by the burning of solid waste. Also, many synthetic materials are powerful greenhouse gasses, such as hydro fluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride.
All I am asking of you is to do any of the previous options. You can help by recycling, using less gas, or using less heat and air conditioning. You can help by doing a very simple task, and I hope that you choose to do the right thing.
