Going Down Soon June 5, 2006

What is the cause global warming?
Global warming is caused by the additional carbon dioxide emissions human activities put out. Some of these activities include burning fossil fuels at an energy plane to create energy, driving your car, and even lighting a camp fire. These activities release carbon dioxide and other gases into the air which trap the heat from the sun inside the atmosphere and cause the temperature of the plane to gradually increase. Though slight, these changes in temperature can be fatal to some species that have chosen Earth as a home.

How do we know that this warming is not part of a normal climate cycle that the Earth experience? Give at least one example of clear evidence.
Global warming is obviously not part of a natural cycle that the Earth is going through. Some scientist said that we are 27% higher in temperature than in any other point in the past; they have proved this through a new discovery. By analyzing tiny air bubbles preserved in Arctic ice over thousands and millions of years. By measuring the amount of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the air preserved in the air bubbles, scientists can find out what the temperature was like in the past.

Name three species (at least one plant) that is going to be pushed near or to extinction due to global warming.
The quivering tree is but one of many endangered species due to global warming. As the temperature rises slowly this tree experiences more damage. The braches further away from the trunk are starting to try up and die due to the excess heat.
The Pinon Mouse is yet another endangered species due to global warming. As the temperature increases, this species tries to escape the heat by moving to higher elevations which are cooler. At some point it won’t be able to get any higher…
Red-breasted geese are also one of the many species that are in trouble due to global warming. These poor things are not only experiencing changes in their habitats temperature, but are also experiencing a huge drop in their food supply. How are they going to live through this? Simply, they won’t.

What are two clear indicators that global warming is present and getting worse?
There are many indicators that are clearly pointing out that global warming is not only present but is getting worse each year. Of these many indicators one of the most interesting ones was the experiment performed by a team of European scientist in the Antarctic. By testing tiny air bubbles within ice preserved in the Antarctic ice over thousands of years they were able to see that the amount of carbon dioxide has greatly increased nowadays as opposed to thousands of years ago when no humans were around to spread these gases. Another indicator of global warming would be the melting ice at both poles. As the years go by more and more ice is getting melted and as a result sea levels are rising and some countries are already losing land to this problem. It is estimated that within 50 years some islands, such as the Maldives, will be flooded with water and the people that live there will have to find new homes.

How can global warming possibly be affecting coral colonies? Why are coral colonies important and why should we be concerned about saving them?
Coral reefs can not handle even the slightest change in temperature. Even a change of only one degree Celsius could kill the coral reef and make it turn white. This is a huge problem, for slowly the waters are getting warmer and destroying these reefs. And an even bigger problem is that they don’t grow very quickly, it’s not like planting a seed and going, “Wow, look a tree” in a year or two. These reefs need centuries to grow and look as beautiful as the ones we’re destroying. The issue behind all of this is that some the rarest fish live in these dazzling reefs and if they lose this habitat which supplies them with food and safety they will never find another habitat and thus go extinct. The even bigger issue behind all of this is that many humans depend on these reefs! Countries in the Caribbean use these reefs as tourist attractions and make millions of dollars out of it. Also, recently scientists have found out that these reefs can be used to make medicines…
Humans have bought a gun to hunt with, but are eventually going to hunt themselves down.

Why do you think cutting down large forests, particularly rainforest, is adding to global warming problem?
As we know, carbon dioxide is a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. As more and more carbon dioxide builds-up it allows the sunlight in but stops lots of the heat from going back out. When trees are around however, they suck in the carbon dioxide and produce something humans need for life- Oxygen. Trees help balance the parts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air. Humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the air but have taken away the only thing that decreases carbon dioxide and produces oxygen… Really smart eh?

List and explain three examples of measures that could be taken to stabilize or decrease the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
There are so many things that can be done to decrease the amounts of greenhouse gases being emitted into the air every day by humans. One thing we can do to help decrease greenhouse gases is stop cutting down trees, for trees are the only living organism that can get rid of carbon dioxide and give us oxygen. Another thing we can do is stop using fossil fuels as a primary source of energy; there are many other sources of energy that can be used. We could use hydro-electrical energy, solar energy, or even nuclear energy. All of these sources cause less damage to the environment. Yet another thing we can do to help the environment is instead of using cars to get to our near-by destinations why don’t we just walk or even use bikes? God knows we can all use the exercise.


The final part of this assignment is an opinion piece. The previous questions should have all been answered using the material you were given in class. I want to know what you think about the environmental issue of global warming. Do you think it's a problem? Do you think governments should be taking this issue more seriously? What can the average person and government do to face this issue and deal with it?
In my opinion, global warming is the biggest problem that has ever faced mankind and with time this problem will only get worse. Species other than humans are feeling the pinch already, this is because these species aren’t like humans, they can’t simply adapt to their surroundings in a week or two they need centuries. Well just like other species one day humans will not be able to adapt to their surroundings because they will be surrounded by water. Governments, unfortunately, tend to think in the short run only. They are not willing to sign a contract that forces all countries to reduce the amount of green house gas being emitted into the air every year because obviously this will hurt their economy. Now, let us say that signing this contract would bring down every economy on the face of the earth down by 10% By signing this contract governments have agreed to give mankind a longer life on earth and maybe even have saved mankind’s being here on earth. Now, let us look at the other side, the governments do not sign the contract. They have just saved their economy that 10%, well let’s look at that over a period of 50 to 70 years. If they don’t agree to lose that 10% they will be losing more than half their economy in 50 to 70 years. This is because the true troubles will start. Countries will vanish, people will die, and factories will be under water and will no longer be of use to anyone. How’s the economy looking now? I think governments should think in terms of the long run before making their decision. All of us can help solving the problem. By recycling used paper you have just saved a tree from being cut down. Now let’s say the whole world would recycle its used paper, would we even need to cut down new trees? Probably, but the amount would be greatly reduced. We could also start doing things like going to the near-by super market on foot instead of using the car. Governments could spread awareness through the newspapers and television. As we can see this is a very serious problem that governments should take into consideration. However, this doesn’t mean the average “Joe” can’t help out, for if everyone put a hand in to help this problem would be greatly diminish.



Abdul-Aziz Al-Awadhi
9-3