What Global Warming is Doing to Our Planet

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WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of global warming.

Global warming is having a major effect on our planet. It is causing humans and animals to become endangered. The greenhouse gases emitted by humans remains trapped in the atmosphere.  When solar radiation hits the Earth some of it is absorbed, heating up the Earth, and the rest is reflected back into space. Some heat from the Earth then radiates into space, with the rest being trapped by greenhouse gases that are naturally in the atmosphere keep the Earth at a livable temperature. But when there is an excess amount of greenhouse gases from human activities like burning fossil fuels, more heat is trapped which increases the Earth’s temperature. Climate change is causing the shrinking of glaciers, ice on rivers and lakes to break up earlier than the winter-spring cycle, and the animal range is shifting.  In the North and South Poles, we are losing sea ice, which means that polar bears and other animals are disappearing due to the loss of their habitable environment, and waves in the ocean are becoming more intense. Shouldn’t that be enough to help our planet? “Climate change is permanently damaging the Earth’s geological, biological, and ecological systems.” Changes due to the permanent damage have led to environmental hazards, such as extreme weather, ozone depletion, increased danger of wildfires, loss of biodiversity, and the global spread of infectious diseases. In Bangladesh, there has been an increase in climate-sensitive diseases such as Malaria, Dengue, Childhood Diarrhea, and Pneumonia. If we don’t start making a change in our environment, the whole world will become impossible to live on. We are already losing important factors in our life, like the loss of clean air, less purified water, and decontaminated food. Do we want to lose more?  Environmental changes, such as habitat loss and the slow decline of rainforests are affecting the Earth’s geographical features. The Earth’s economical features are in trouble too. Down below is a graph of the estimated economic damage from climate change in the United States. Economic damages are damages that usually involve loss of profits, loss of wages, and earnings, loss of future earning capacity, damage to real and personal property and loss of value. 

S. Hsiang et al.
A diagram that shows the estimated economic damage from climate change in the United States

How to help stop global warming from becoming worse

As you have read there are many things that need to be done in order to help stop global warming. You reading this article is already helping. By people reading these articles they will be given ideas on how to help prevent global warming. Interest and compassion are the most important thing to have when you are trying to make a change. We must use our voice. When you use your voice to speak up it will make more people aware of what is happening and will rally more to the cause possibly making others want to help too. You can use your voice on social media or you can send a message to your elected officials. You can encourage Congress to enact laws that limit carbon emissions. If you did that it would have such a big impact on global warming. Things such as powering your home with renewable energy, taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switching to WaterSense- labeled fixtures and appliances will automatically help the environment.  By walking, biking, or carpooling, you would be saving one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. If you can’t do any of these things right now or you don’t have the time, that’s okay just try and use your voice more often. Down below shows additional easy things that you can do to help stop global warming. 

Hugo Lin
A picture that shows steps on how to reduce global warming.