Global Warming Speech

Citizens of the world: We are in a crisis. The planet that we all call home, planet Earth, is in serious danger. Although climate change has been necessary in the past, it has been for natural reasons. Historically, changing temperatures have been caused by factors such as volcanic eruptions, the Sun’s energy, and the state of the Earth’s orbit. That is what makes the state the planet is in different. Global warming is not natural, and is caused by pollutions that humans are continuously putting in the air.

Since the 18th century when the Industrial revolution began, a series of unhealthy practices were put into place. Fossil fuels from burning coal and oil were released into the air, paired with deforestation or the elimination of forests. This contributed to greenhouse gases, or gases that exist on the planet to trap heat on the Earth’s surface, making it hotter.

According to several sources, including NASA, the average temperature has gone from 1.2 degrees to 1.4 degrees in the last century for the Earth’s surface. To add to that, the warmest years on the planet’s surface have all occurred after 1998. It is evident that unnatural forces, or pollution, created by the human beings of this planet, caused this.

The two main pollutants that are put into the air through these practices are carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide is produced when fossil fuels are burned, which was mentioned earlier. To go into further detail about deforestation, the other cause, trees act as the world’s lungs. They take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for all living creatures to benefit from. When they are cut down, the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Methane is put into the air by factory farming, oil, gas, and land fills. Although factory farming puts carbon dioxide into the air as well, the main chemical that is released is methane, along with nitrous oxide. Methane is 20 times as harmful as carbon dioxide is, and nitrous oxide is 300 times more harmful. Factory farming wastes resources and often involves deforestation that contributes to the issue. Along with that, feces from the animals are not taken care of like human waste and wild animal waste are, and are simply left to pollute the planet. Factory farming is the number one polluter for both of these. Oil and gas, when used to drive cars or to power electricity, also burn methane.

Unfortunately, the United States accounts for more then three fourths of the world’s green house gas emissions. More then 50% come from power plants or other large establishments that put out a large amount of pollutants. A third comes from transportation, and the rest of it comes from other pollutants like the making of steel, cement, and aluminum, along with cutting down trees for products and agriculture.

The affects of these pollutants, especially in the United States, are colossal. They affect all living things. Oceans are rising, to begin with, and glaciers along with other ice structures are beginning to melt. Plants and animals are changing the cycle of life by ending up outside of their natural habitats, and trees are blooming early. Cycles of the planet such as the rain cycle are either producing too much or too little, leaving areas either too dry or too wet. Seasons are becoming longer. Natural disasters are becoming more common, causing extreme suffrage and damage all over the planet. Finally, global warming is causing extreme health risks, especially for diseases that are affected by climate changes such as malaria.

Isn’t it obvious that if the citizens of this planet harm it, it will suffer, and cause problems for everyone that lives on it? When somebody treats their body in a bad way, doesn’t it make them sick? Human beings have the same percentages of water, oxygen, and hydrogen that the Earth does. They also have the same percentage of salt in their blood that the Earth's oceans do. They can be seen as miniature oceans living inside every human being. Every other major part of the human body can be compared to something similar in Earth. So how can people expect to pollute the Earth and it not get sick, if people’s bodies, when polluted, get sick?

Fortunately, there are measures that can be taken to reverse this process. If a person starts living healthy, they can be healthy. If the world is started to be treated right, it can be healthy too. The most important thing is to remember where products and things have come from, and if they were made in an environmentally friendly way. People simply have to look at what they are contributing to the environment or aren’t contributing to the environment, and change it. One person can make a substantial difference. Imagine if everyone decided to make some changes? It would make a major difference, and it all starts with one person.

Some simple tips are to use public transportation or walk whenever possible, as to not burn more fossil fuels. People can buy environmental friendly products that are made with alternatives to paper and plastic or are made from recycled materials. People can also buy products from everything from cleaning supplies to face wash that are friendly to the environment. Try to save water and energy as much as possible by turning off the faucet when it is not being used or turning off the lights. Recycle as much as possible, and reuse things when it is appropriate. Food is also a major factor. People can go vegetarian or cut down on their meat products to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that are released into the atmosphere.

Overall, the world is beginning to get hotter, and what really matters is protecting it. There is no point in caring about saving money, nourishing the economy, or living a convenient, not environmental friendly lifestyle if there is no world to live on. The most important thing is health, both for us, the animals and plants that live here, and the Earth itself. Without the world, we have no place to go. It is important to stop polluting, and care about our home that was graciously given to us to live on and to nourish instead of pollute and harm. It is hard to think that people can treat the world without respect and still think that it will not have any bad reactions to it. As was said before, the earth is like a human body, if it is not taken care of, it will get sick. Now is the time to realize what we have and to try our hardest to turn the process of global warming around. For us, and for future generations of every creature, from a bumblebee to a chimpanzee to a human being, we need to make the effort. Thank you.

 

Sources:

"Fight Climate Change With Diet Change." http://www.goveg.com. PETA, Web. 17 Feb 2010. http://www.goveg.com/environment-globalWarming.asp

"Climate Change." http://www.epa.gov. Feb. 16, 2010. U.S. EPA, Web. 17 Feb 2010. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html