Global
warming no cause for alarm, SVUs ok
Simon
Barta
Now,
I’ve never claimed to be the brightest
guy in the world, but I’ve noticed
some weird stuff with the weather lately. I
mean, I know Florida has never been the
best place to live, but how many hurricanes
could hit one place in a year?
And what about the rest of the country? Last year had a record high of 14 hurricanes.
But don’t let me get ahead of myself here.
Is something happening? The answer is yes. Weather patterns are becoming more
erratic and natural disasters more powerful. What is causing this? Some scientists
are attributing this to an increase in global temperatures.
Rising heat increases ocean temperatures, causing an increase in strong winds.
In an article addressing global warming issues, senior writer for TIME magazine
Jeffery Kluger writes, “Ocean waters have warmed by a full degree Fahrenheit
since 1970, and warmer water is like rocket fuel for typhoons and hurricanes.”
Kluger also points out two studies done last year showed the number of category
4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has more than doubled in the last 35 years, while
the duration of these hurricanes has jumped over 50 percent.
In fact, 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred in the last 15 years,
according to stopglobalwarming.org.
The Bush administration contends global warming is still unproven. Some major
scientists, like veteran hurricane researcher William Gray, suspect natural
warming cycles are causing dramatic weather disturbances. However, considerable
evidence has come up demonstrating global warming is real. As mentioned
earlier, global temperatures have hit record highs.
Similarly, studies done by the University of Colorado and NASA have seen substantial
melting in Greenland’s glaciers. And, as stopglobal-warming.org
writes, these glaciers are melting at almost double the time it was previously
believed to have happened.
So then what is to blame? Some researchers at the European Space Agency
blame solar radiation for the Earth’s dramatic temperature increase.
They contend human contributions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are
minor and the sun’s role is far more primary. However, a great deal of
people in the scientific community do not agree.
Many support the theory that a buildup of carbon dioxide gas is the real culprit
behind worldwide temperature increases. And, as a result of excess human emissions
through smokestacks and exhaust pipes, humans are causing this increase of
carbon dioxide gas, according to stopglobalwarming.org.
So, with all of this said, I see two options.
Obviously the world is getting warmer, and as a result of this, natural disasters
are becoming more powerful. But, unfortunately, it is still unclear as to whether
or not humans are causing this problem.
So we could either keep doing what we’re doing and hope for the best,
or we could start making some drastic changes right now. With what I’ve
learned about global warming and its potential for devastation, I think we
really need to start making some changes.
I mean, yeah, I love driving around in my Hummer limo throwing stuff out the
window just as much as the next American, but think about the future. Wouldn’t
we just be shooting ourselves in the foot if we hope the evidence supporting
human involvement in global warming is wrong and make no effort to help correct
it?
Sure, our lives seem great and convenient now, but the cars we drive, the electricity
companies powering our Xbox 360s and the deforestation of the world all seem
to be contributing to an impending global doom.
If sport utility vehicles aren’t your thing, help out. Check out stopglobal-warming.org
and start making minor changes in your daily life. And hopefully, when
the next decade comes, things will be looking a lot better, or, you know, not.
Simon Barta is a sophomore anthropology major.
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