William Johnston

Ms. Homan
English 4, 6th
23 February 2017

Global Warming Project Proposal

Dear Mr. President,

Global warming, or global climate change, is a very real world problem in our world. So much
so, nowadays, that scientists all over the world are coming to the realization that the problem
has gotten so bad now, that the world is getting worse and worse by the year. In fact, research
has shown that most of the problem can be traced back to human activities. This is a problem
that is receiving more and more attention worldwide, but the United States and Australia are the
only two countries in the world who arent doing anything to fix the issue (Gore). I want to inform
people about the dangers that global warming poses to us, as well as find a way to drop the bad
habits that only make global warming worse.
In Al Gores Book, An Inconvenient Truth, he covers how global climate change can be traced
back to the melting of the glaciers. He shows a picture of the Columbia Glacier before 1980, and
shows us the following years and how far back the glacier has receded. By 2005, the difference
is made very clear (Gore 50). David Perlman also wrote a separate article about the melting of
the glaciers, too. His article discussed two geophysicists, Bruce Molnia and Ken Tape, who
gathered photos taken throughout the previous 30-110 years ago in Alaska. They then traveled
back to the same location and took photos there of what remained. The results that they
gathered proved that the glaciers were retreating, and that global temperature change was also
affecting the polar regions.
The problem has gotten so bad in previous years, that the oceans have also become a major
concern. The problem does not just lie in our atmosphere anymore. The oceans of the world
have actually been getting warmer, and as a result, bigger and bigger. In Al Gores book, An
Inconvenient Truth, David King, the U.K. Science Advisor, warned people at a 2004 conference
in Berlin, The maps of the world will have to be redrawn. (King 196).
In another article, Global Warming: What Risks Would You Accept?, scientists were quoted as
saying, ...that changes in global warming may cause extinction of different species and even
render certain habitats uninhabitable.
A common misconception of global warming people have is that there is nothing that we can do
if the problem is as bad as the scientists are making it out to be. That is not true. As it stands
right now, we actually have everything that we need to stop this problem dead in its tracks. All
that we need now is the need to act upon it (Gore).
An article written by Larry Gilman titled, Global Warming Controversies, also goes over a lot of
peoples points of view and different controversies that surround global warming. One point that
climate experts cover says, Climate change is natural. While this is true, climate experts
counter that by saying, Natural climate change does occur, but evidence from many sources
shows that humans have almost certainly caused the global warming that has been observed in
recent years. (Gilman, Global Warming Controversies) The point made after this counter in the
next controversy gives us a reason as to why climate change experts believe that most of the
problem can be traced back to human activities by disproving the idea that global warming is a
result of the suns rays/cosmic rays that are causing the real threat. Gilman says, Scientists
have carefully examined the possibility that greater energy output from the Sun, or reduced
cloud cover on Earth caused by a decrease in cosmic rays from deep space, may have been
William Johnston
Ms. Homan
English 4, 6th
23 February 2017

responsible for recent warming. However, both these effects are much too weak to account for
the warming that has occurred. Only mathematical models that take human activities into
account have been able to explain the warming that has already been measured. Human beings
are changing the global climate.
The facts dont lie. The danger is real. Global climate change is a very real problem that
surrounds our world and deserves our full attention. It has gone on for so long, in fifty years, we
could be staring down some very dangerous consequences. But we have everything we need.
We already have all of the resources and materials needed to put an end to global warming.
Solar panels, hybrid cars, green roofs, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, thee list goes on. On top
of that, we have achieved a lot over the years, we abolished slavery, passed on civil rights laws
to tackle desegregation, heck, we even worked together to put a man on the moon! All we need
now is the will to act upon the issue.
In fact, Al Gore wrote in his book, An Inconvenient Truth, a list of things that people could start
doing to help prevent global warming. Gores first point is titled, Save energy at home. Saving
energy is not only a good thing to do for the climate crisis: It can also translate to real cost
savings.Choosing energy efficient alternatives for the home can help families cut their energy
bills by as much as a one-third, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a similar amount.
(Gore 306.) His second point is called Get around on less. Almost one-third of the CO2
produced in the United States comes from cars, trucks, airplanes, and other vehicles that
transport us from place to place, or are used in the course of producing and delivering the
goods we consume. More than 90% of this travel is by automobile, which means that fuel-
economy standards are of critical importance. (Gore 311.)
I do sincerely hope you can come to understand the danger of global warming and I do hope
that we can come to an agreement on how we can do our part to save the environment.

Sincerely,

William Johnston