I heard one of the most surprising things I have ever heard while I was sitting in class the other day. One of my classmates does not believe in global warming. I was amazed. I was filled with disbelief. I wanted to yell at this person who I thought was so na’ve to think that global warming was not actually happening.
However, I then talked to some more people, including my best friend, who said he is not sure about global warming. I could not believe people in the progressive state of California did not believe in science. I would expect this in Texas, but not here.
I have heard the argument that not all scientists agree on global warming and that is true. But some of those scientists have been hired by oil companies to spin the truth. Look it up.
For those of you who do not believe in global warming, you are not thinking correctly. Global warming is not some partisan play by the Democratic Party or by “tree huggers,” as some of you put it. Global warming is happening and the majority of scientists believe it is happening because of humans.
Now I will be the first one to admit that I believe in science and science has taught me that the earth has gone through heating and cooling stages before and this could be one of those times. However, there is evidence to prove that humans have sped the process up.
How have we done this? It is no secret. Burning fossil fuels and cars is the main cause of it.
On a “60 Minutes” report that aired earlier this year, scientists dug into ice in the Arctic Circle to prove that global warming is being sped up because of humans. The reason scientists did this was because ice traps little air bubbles inside of it and by examining the air bubbles, scientists can tell how much pollutants were in the air at any given time.
No surprise that the ice that was available on the top, or the ice that has not been frozen for a long time, had more pollutants inside of it than ice that has been frozen longer. So, with air that has more pollution inside it and with the recent global temperature rise, it is clear the two coincide with each other.
Want more proof? Since the ice caps are melting, which in turn leads to more water in the ocean, the jet stream is now being thrown off. Some areas of the world are seeing a changing weather pattern that it has never seen.
We have seen severe droughts in certain areas, heavier storms in others, and with the ocean temperature rising, more severe hurricanes. Remember 2005, when the United States saw an abundance of strong hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina?
There are ways to combat global warming, but we have to do this fast. Some scientists believe that we may only have 10 years to dramatically do something otherwise it will be too late.
In your home, you can try and save water, use energy-friendly appliances and recycle. For your car you can buy a hybrid or a car that is good on gas mileage and when you are out, try to make it only a one-trip errand.
A huge step forward in the fight against global warming is to vote yes on Proposition 87, which will direct $4 billion to reduce California’s dependence on gasoline and diesel by 25 percent over the next 10 years. The effort will be funded by oil drilling fees, which will be paid by oil companies – not by consumers.
Global warming is something that people need to start believing in, and it is sad that people do not. Some see it as a partisan point, while others wait for more proof. As a Democrat, I applaud Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for putting a cap on the emissions in California and I am happy that the state decided to sue automakers because they do not make their cars gas-efficient. There is still work to do, though.
